Legislation demanding Congress turn over 30 million acres of federal public land to Wyoming was a bridge too far for Zach Lentsch.
Although the land takeover push by state senators last legislative session was considered symbolic, legally questionable and ultimately unsuccessful, it got the Park County climbing guide fired up.
“That was an ‘absolutely not’ moment for us,” said Lentsch, who owns Wyoming Mountain Guides. “My livelihood depends on access to public lands, and I’m a permittee on several national forests and BLM field offices across the state.”
In the months that followed, he perceived an “acceleration” of efforts in Wyoming to transfer or sell public lands. The Cody resident grouped the ongoing push to sell landowner hunting licenses — which critics say is a step toward privatizing wildlife — into the same bucket. After talking with a group of like-minded friends and receiving “great guidance and great mentorship,” Lentsch set off on his first foray into politics.
Last week, he launched and started promoting the “Protect Wyoming PAC.” Lentsch chairs the political action committee, and a friend, Chris Allen, is the treasurer. The committee’s chief purpose is to back Wyoming state lawmakers in the 2026 election who will protect public lands, and oppose those who favor divestiture.
“If folks are wanting to protect public lands, we’ll support them,” Lentsch said. “And if they want to sell off our public lands, we’re not going to stand by them.”
Allen, a Johnson County resident who pays his bills selling dental equipment, emphasized the grassroots nature of their organizing effort. There aren’t big donors pulling the PAC’s strings, he said.
“It’s organic,” Allen said. “It’s a group of people who hunt and fish and climb.”
Where the Protect Wyoming PAC will direct its money remains to be seen. Candidates have until late May to file to run for office. The committee will be nonpartisan, Lentsch said.
“We don’t have to be aligned by party,” he said. “We can support whoever is going to defend our public lands.”
By law, Lentsch and Allen will be able to direct up to $5,000 per non-statewide office candidate and make unlimited contributions to statewide candidates. The Protect Wyoming PAC is not planning to engage in congressional races, and intends, instead, to focus on lambasting state lawmakers deemed anti-public lands.
“The sky’s the limit, at this point,” Allen said. “Mailers, we’ve got a good website, social media, events locally and across the state, fliers, billboards, all that stuff.”
Election spending by PACs and super PACs, including from out of state, has been on the upswing in Wyoming. The latter can’t work directly with campaigns, but aren’t bound by spending limits.
Time will tell how Lentsch and Allen’s new political action committee will fit into the broader spectrum of campaign spending.
“We launched yesterday,” Lentsch said in a Wednesday interview. “We do have fundraising goals, and we have a couple donations so far, so we’re excited about that. But we’ve got a long way to go.”
Notably, the candidates that the Protect Wyoming PAC will likely target also figure to be assembling warchests to defend themselves and go on the offensive.
Sen. Bob Ide, a Casper Republican, was the lead sponsor of the unsuccessful federal land takeover resolution that provoked Lentsch to mobilize. When Ide beat incumbent Sen. Drew Perkins and was elected into office in 2022, his campaign spent $58,000, the most of any state senate candidate that election cycle.
Ide did not respond to WyoFile’s request for an interview.