Be careful out there

Green grass, green leaves and beautiful flowers are all definite and welcomed signs of spring in Wyoming, however, in order to get all those delights for the eyes, we need to have plenty of moisture.

Unfortunately, there has been an abundance of rain this spring, which added to the copious amounts of snow we had over the winter, means a lot of flooding danger.

We’ve watched and waited as Wind River Canyon has suffered from the rain and the start of the run-off with boulders, some the size of houses, sliding from their precipice.

Emergency management in Hot Springs County has been keeping a very close eye on water levels coming down the North Fork and the South Fork, both of which feed into Anchor Dam.

In addition, they are watching things along Owl Creek and of course, Boysen Reservoir and the Wind and Big Horn rivers. The Big Horn has an increased flow of 8,000 cfs right now and may go higher in the coming weeks as snowmelt starts coming down from the high country.

Residents and visitors alike are asked to be extremely cautious around our waterways right now as most are flowing fiercely and are expected to rise even more over the next couple of weeks.

Those who love floating the river in the summer are advised that right now is probably not a good time to indulge in your favorite pastime. Farmers and ranchers need to be keeping an eye on their livestock if they’re near the rivers to prevent the possibility of a calf or a horse from getting swept away.

Fishermen as well should use caution fishing from the banks since high water may have undercut the ground at your favorite fishing spot.

Enjoy the beauty that spring brings, but please, be careful out there.