CHEYENNE—It was only natural for Casper Rep. Steve Harshman to go with a sports analogy — he’s a longtime high school football coach — as he explained to a packed room what lies ahead for a corner-crossing bill to become law.
“This is not done today,” the Natrona County Republican told attendees at a Thursday meeting of the House Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee. “We’re at like yard 2 of a 100-yard dash.”
The coach had a reason for providing the pep talk. The committee’s audience included a group that had gathered for the Wyoming Wildlife Federation’s Camo at the Capitol. The annual advocacy training convenes hunters, anglers and conservationists to teach them about policy and how to engage with the state lawmakers.
House Bill 19, “Corner crossing clarification,” is of keen interest to the camo-clad crowd. Drafted last year by the same committee, the bill would update state statute to reflect what state, federal and an appeals court has repeatedly affirmed: Recreationists have a legal right to “corner cross.” That’s the act of stepping from one tract of public land to another where it meets at a common corner and the adjoining two parcels are private.
Casper attorney Ryan Semerad, who represented four corner-crossing hunters in that years-long legal fight, shared the room with camouflaged trainees. He explained the bill’s purpose.
“It puts that 10th Circuit decision into concrete terms in our green books for law enforcement officers,” Semerad told the committee. “When they’re confronted with a complaint or a claim that someone is engaged in this behavior, they don’t have to spend a bunch of effort, energy, money [and] resources.”
“They can simply say, ‘Well, that’s not a crime,’” he added.
Simple as it sounds, the legislation has its intricacies. Members of the committee voted in favor of amending the bill so that it applies only to foot traffic — though that change also needs to be agreed to by the majority of the Wyoming House.
Clarifying corner crossing in state statute also has its detractors. Jim Magagna, longtime lobbyist for the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, has steadily opposed the bill. On Thursday, he repeated a request that the bill only apply to the federal estate.
“Public lands are the lands of the federal government,” Magagna said. “The state trust lands are not public lands.”
Three others shared concerns, including Park County rancher Carrie Peters.
“It is my understanding that the 10th Circuit decision permitted crossing the airspace,” Peters told the committee. “So without addressing the physical touch piece, this bill is a slippery slope, in my opinion.”
Supporters also spoke up.
Riverton resident Phil Pfisterer, president of the Wyoming State Trappers Association, remarked that he was looking forward to exploration that’s been opened up by corner crossing’s new legal clarity.
“There’s spots that I would just love to be able to see,” Pfisterer said. “I hope you guys support this bill.”
Many of the Camo at the Capitol attendees also took the mic. Laramie resident Hannah Waskowitz thanked the panel of lawmakers for taking on the issue and encouraged them to make the language about corner crossing as clear as possible.
“As a new hunter, one of the largest roadblocks in going out is confusion around language,” Waskowitz said.
Multiple representatives thanked the rank-and-file sportspeople for taking a day off work and showing up.
“I am inspired by all of you, and that is why I fight so hard for public land access,” said Rep. Karlee Provenza, a Laramie Democrat, who pushed a similar corner crossing measure during the Legislature’s 2025 general session. “Hunters have stepped up.”
Rep. Bob Wharff, an Evanston Republican, also gave the room a thank you for their attendance and shared tips on how to engage.
“We need to have more of this,” Wharff said. “It’d be nice to have a room full like this on all issues.”
House Bill 19 passed its introductory vote in the Wyoming House 47-15 on Monday. Then the Travel, Recreation and Wildlife Committee pushed it through 7-1.
Harshman, the teacher and football coach, took the opportunity to give another lesson in the legislative process. He fell back on his earlier analogy, explaining the next few yards in the 100-yard dash.“The next step really will be the majority floor leader — [Rep. Scott] Heiner, from Kemmerer — will have to put this on the ‘committee of the whole’ list,” Harshman told the room. “He could not put it on the list. He could keep it at the bottom, and it’s never heard. I don’t think he’ll do that, but that’ll be the next step.”
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