Celebrating Wyoming Public Lands

On paper, and in practice outside the walls of the Capitol rotunda, Wyoming Public Lands Day serves as a celebration of the state’s abundant public lands and the free access they provide for world-class hunting, fishing, recreation, wildlife habitat and economic opportunity.

The celebration this year fell on September 27 (a recent Saturday), recognized as it has been every year since 2019 through a formal proclamation acknowledging the importance of the federal public lands within Wyoming’s borders and the countless opportunities and benefits they afford.

Yet in the six years since Wyoming Public Lands Day was established, Wyomingites continue to see political attacks on the very public lands politicians publicly proclaim to value and respect. The memory of the state’s most recent Legislative session is still fresh among them, when a handful of short-sighted lawmakers introduced Senate Joint Resolution 2 calling for the transfer of all federal land in Wyoming to the state, except Yellowstone National Park. Despite the overwhelming opposition to the idea among their constituents, SJ2 was defeated in the Senate by just a single vote.

Sadly, that proposal was neither the first nor the last attempt to undermine our public lands. While the so-called Sagebrush Rebellion can be traced back some 50 years now, it’s been less than a decade since Wyoming legislators proposed an amendment to the constitution clearing the path for federal land transfer to the state. And just a few short months ago, all three members of Wyoming’s congressional delegation threw their support behind defeated amendments to the budget reconciliation act that called for the sale of millions of acres of federal public lands in Wyoming and other western states.

All of which begs the question: What’s next for our public lands? Or perhaps better framed: What’s next for public lands protections in Wyoming? Who will lead the fight to protect public lands that Wyomingites have been battling to protect for more than half a century?

With Gov. Mark Gordon term-limited, voters next year have an opportunity to elect a new governor who will uphold and reflect public support for public land appreciation in Wyoming. Think of it as an opportunity to protect the Wyoming way of life.

Freedom to roam these public lands is not only central to our heritage and identity as Wyomingites but also critical to our state’s economic future. Foundational industries from energy development to agriculture depend upon Wyoming’s multiple-use public lands to thrive, and the state’s outdoor recreation economy measures at more than $2.2 billion a year – the vast majority of it dependent upon access to public lands.

Tempting as it may sound to take over those public lands at the state level, the simple truth is that Wyoming can’t afford to manage millions of acres of federal land without selling the most valuable parcels off to private entities or raising state taxes to exorbitant levels. State budget constraints rendering that sort of large-scale land management impractical are just one of the many reasons the idea has been defeated so many times in the past. Public outcry is another.

Gov. Gordon’s Public Lands Day Proclamation encourages our public schools to observe the day “by discussing the dynamic role Wyoming’s public lands play in our state’s history, economy and the diverse benefits we derive therein.”

Likewise, I would encourage our gubernatorial candidates claiming to represent the values of their constituents to consider and discuss the importance of Wyoming’s public lands and their intentions for protecting those lands from future attempts to transfer or sell them off. State leaders must recognize the value and importance of our shared public lands in the same ways Wyomingites do — as economic drivers that support our communities, provide natural resources that fuel the nation and deliver the great outdoor spaces we all know, love and depend on to reconnect with nature and ourselves.

Although we sometimes differ in political beliefs, public lands have long served as common ground for Republicans, Democrats and independent voters who draw on the common sense that has carried Wyoming this far. These lands belong to all of us, and we deserve assurances that our elected leaders will resist any effort to remove them from the public trust.

History has shown us time and again that the temptation to cash in on Wyoming’s public lands through transfer and eventual privatization is too great for some to ignore. Even as we celebrate Wyoming’s Public Lands Day, the next attempt is surely lurking just around the bend.

So as we heed the Public Lands Day proclamation encouraging us “to fish, hunt, hike, camp, enjoy wildlife, play, re-connect, find solace and work on these public lands,” it’s worth remembering that such simple pleasures are far from guaranteed — even here. What’s next for Wyoming’s public lands? The real question is “who?” And the answer is up to us.

Mike Burd from Green River is a retired trona miner, leader of the Wyoming Federation of Union Sportsme, and a Keep It Public Wyoming member.