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.

 “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

Please provide a donation to help fund our work. We are working hard on your behalf against the movement to privatize our public lands while offering solutions to the issues associated with federal lands management. We will be vigilant in our fight for America’s public lands in Wyoming!

Wyoming Wildlife Federation Public Lands Work

• Leading the 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.
• Hired a highly motivated and talented public lands coordinator, Jessi Johnson, sportswoman.
• Collaborating with other sportsmen and conservation groups on weekly calls to share information, and collectively advocate and lobby to keep these lands public.
• Producing information products for major outreach program (website, mailings and legislative bills tracking program) to keep you informed about the land grab movement and what is happening in our state.
• Secured grant funding from National Wildlife Federation and Pew Charitable Trust for public lands work. Working collaboratively with NWF on state and national campaign to “keep public lands public.”
• Conducting research and providing testimony at legislative meetings in which public lands are under consideration. This includes efforts by the State Land Board of Commissioners to sway state lands, which may impact access to public lands we currently benefit from.
• Conducting numerous meetings with government officials, agency staff and conservation partners on this front, while positioning WWF as a leader and a nationally-recognized advocate for public lands.
• Preparing for the upcoming legislative session, including participating in meetings about potential legislation against public lands and a state’s feasibility study. We anticipate there will be more efforts to take away our public lands and we are creating an army for this fight!

County-By-County – Economic Impact Of Hunting And Fishing Reports

A partnership with University of Wyoming and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department

WWF has commissioned economic impact studies evaluating how hunting and fishing contribute to the tourism economy of each county. The Park County study, completed as a pilot, showed hunting and angling generated more than $23 million in 2015. These studies are intended to provide information on the value of recreation for the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative and the county committees assembled to consider the fate of Wilderness Study Areas and other public lands. By leveraging the economic modeling methods developed for the pilot project, work on the remaining Wyoming counties can be completed. Ultimately, every county and a full statewide assessment will result from this economic research effort. Click this link to read the Economic Impact Reports.