Local Officials Preparing for Eclipse

August 21st is a focal point for community leaders and business people in Wyoming this summer – because it is the date of a total eclipse of the sun.
Although the totality phase of the eclipse won’t be passing over populated areas in Park or Big Horn Counties, that doesn’t mean that we won’t be affected by the masses who are expected to flock to the parts of Wyoming that will experience the rare stellar event. So law enforcement, health professionals, representatives from the business sector, forest service, local government and media gathered yesterday to trouble shoot the potential concerns that the eclipse could bring to Park County.
Topics considered by the group include lodging shortages; communication and 911 services; people who experience eye injuries from looking at the eclipse without proper equipment; traffic flow; people who camp in unauthorized areas; and the potential for more human/wildlife conflict due to the large amounts of visitors who will be passing through the National Forest and into Yellowstone.
The Shoshone National Forest, the Wyoming Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies commented that they will be sharing personnel during the week of the eclipse, providing mutual aid to other communities and regions who are in the path of totality.