Access & Outdoor Opportunities

Wyoming holds some of the most pristine and intact ecosystems on the planet, with public lands comprising nearly half of the state’s total area. However, loss of access and increasing demands on our public lands are major threats to the future of conservation and our outdoor pursuits. In order to ensure these public resources and outdoor opportunities remain part of Wyoming’s heritage, we must work to safeguard the programs and policies that are focused on wildlife, habitat, and access to our public lands. Wyoming’s world-class wildlife and expansive landscapes are the cornerstones to our outdoor heritage and we need your help to conserve and protect these resources now, and into the future.

WYOMING PUBLIC LANDS WORK

In over 80 years of operation, the Federation’s been a leader in voicing concerns for access to hunting and fishing opportunities. That continues today as WWF leads efforts of the Wyoming Sportsmen’s Association (8 groups, 30,000 members) when it comes to the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative as well as other public lands work with the Legislature. In the 2021 Legislative Session, the Federation and our members were key supporters of HB 122: Reliable Funding For Hunting and Angling Access. The efforts of the legislative team rallied sportsmen and women together to pass this bill.

 “If you get this stuff into state hands, it is not going to be available because the state would have the power to dispose of it, and when they get in a crunch – like all of them are – they are going to peddle it off and put it into the coffer, not thinking of what that does to the guys like you and me who know where this trail is into the fishing hole, hunting spot, or backpacking area…forget it.”        

~ Former Senator Al Simpson

WWF is constantly collaborating with other sportsmen and conservation groups to share information, and collectively advocate and lobby to keep these lands public. These task forces span the breadth of issues, from river access, to license allocation to funding for better access across the state.

MORE OUTDOOR OPPORTUNITIES

The first step in preserving or increasing Wyoming’s hunting and fishing opportunities is to ensure populations are at a healthy level. Whether it’s bighorn sheep, sage grouse, or native cutthroat trout, putting and keeping more of the critters we love on the landscape so we can enjoy the recreational opportunities they offer is priority number one.

Secondly, understanding how wild game is managed and the opportunities that are currently available is vital to ensuring we all have the information to enjoy Wyoming’s wildlife and wild places that exist already. The Federation explains how the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is funded, sorts out the in-depth process of hunting license draws, and provides tips if you’re looking to expand you big game hunting opportunities in a host of articles found below.

Also, the Wyoming Wildlife Federation serves as the voice of Wyoming hunters and anglers during each and every Wyoming Game and Fish Commission meeting. There, the Federation’s staff voices concerns for the long-term health of wildlife populations, as well as advocating for increased hunter opportunity when the science-based wildlife management practices support it.

If you would like to see specific articles from the staff on access, outdoor opportunity, and science-based wildlife management, please send suggestions to the communications director Jaden Bales, jbales@wyomingwildlife.org.