Was Wyoming Public Lands Day legislation meaningless?

In 2018 and 2019, I joined many others in promoting legislation calling for the designation of a Wyoming Public Lands Day on the last Saturday in September. We testified at various committees in favor of the bill, which took two years to pass. 

Recent efforts by Wyoming politicians at the state and national levels to transfer or sell federal land make me wonder whether the Public Lands Day bill was meaningless. Our elected officials continue to take action contrary to the spirit of the legislation and the wishes of their constituents.

Our politicians have a long history of ignoring public opinion on this issue. That history dates back at least to the 1970s, when the Wyoming Legislature attempted to force the transfer of federal land. But let’s start with something more recent. 

In 2016, a constitutional amendment was proposed that would have paved the way for federal land to be transferred to Wyoming. Sponsors dubiously claimed the amendment prohibited the state from selling the transferred land. Public land advocates were not convinced. Many believed it was the first step toward privatization. I joined more than a hundred people to testify in Cheyenne in opposition. The proposed amendment was withdrawn shortly thereafter. 

During the 2025 legislative session, Senate Joint Resolution 2, sponsored by Republican Sen. Bob Ide of Casper and co-sponsored by 13 others, called for the transfer of all federal land in Wyoming to the state except Yellowstone Park. Bill supporters erroneously claimed the U.S. Constitution doesn’t allow the federal government to own large quantities of land. Reminders that the Legislative Service Office had issued a legal opinion to the contrary did not dissuade them. 

Promoters of the resolution also ignored the findings of a 2016 study commissioned by the Legislature to determine the feasibility of transferring management of federal lands to the State. The resulting report by Y2 Consultants recommended against transfer largely because the state couldn’t afford to manage millions of acres of federal land. Nevertheless, the dislike for the federal government among supporters of the resolution was so strong that they were willing to ignore the recommendations of the study as well as the legal opinion of their own attorneys. Furthermore, they were willing to trample on the wishes of thousands of Wyoming citizens. I watched in dismay as numerous legislators tried to outdo each other as they attacked federal land ownership. The bill was defeated in the Senate by only one vote. 

Just a few months ago, attacks on our federal land came at the national level. Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican, proposed an amendment to the congressional budget reconciliation bill that would require the sale of millions of acres of federal land. In many respects, the proposed amendment was worse than state efforts to transfer federal land. At least with the transfer, there was a dim hope that the land would remain public. Lee’s amendment was withdrawn after intense nationwide opposition, including numerous well-attended public protests in Wyoming. 

With great consternation and considerable anger, I watched all three of Wyoming’s congressional delegation back Lee’s efforts, or at least do nothing to stop them. Sen. John Barrasso said, “I support federal land sales when they serve the interests of states, local communities and the public.” Sen. Cynthia Lummis said, “The federal government doesn’t need to perpetually own every piece of land.” Rep. Harriet Hageman voted for a similar proposal in the House of Representatives.

Clearly, Barrasso, Lummis, and Hageman are out of touch with how important federal lands are to the lifestyle of Wyoming residents. Many of us live here solely because of the access to federal land. We don’t want even ONE ACRE sold or transferred!

I am increasingly frustrated by politicians who are less than friendly to our public land. Even more frustrating and perplexing is the fact that so many anti-federal land politicians are elected to office. On the one hand, there is strong public support for federal land, and on the other hand, anti-federal land politicians are elected and re-elected. I can only surmise that public land supporters are not doing their due diligence when vetting candidates. 

This needs to stop! Please join me in my commitment to vet candidates more carefully. If they don’t voice strong support for federal land, don’t vote them in! And if they have already taken action against federal land, vote them out!

In the meantime, let’s enjoy Wyoming Public Lands Day on Sept. 27. History tells us we must never take our federal lands for granted! They are constantly under threat.