Public Lands Campaigns
WWF 2016 accomplishments included:
• Legislation: Rallying members to kill two major land grab bills during the 2016 session. (HB 142, Transfer of federal lands; HB 126 – Public land access.)
• Hiring of Public Lands Coordinator; working with the Wyoming Sportsmen’s Alliance; 8 groups, 30,000 members strong.
• Conducting economic impact of hunting and fishing reports, commissioned by WWF with the University of Wyoming (county-by-county).
• Campaign for state land exchanges: WWF was a lead opponent in a public lands victory, the Bonander land exchange, which would have impacted access to more than 8,000 acres.
• WWF hosted major public lands events (summer of 2016) across Wyoming, including Lander, Sheridan and Laramie.
• Engaging the public: WWF was the lead sportsmen organizer of a major public lands rally in November in Casper.
• Grassroots efforts: WWF engaged numerous sportsmen in the recent legislative hearing on a Wyoming constitutional amendment.
This fall, WWF held meetings with legislators about the merits of a transfer effort, a public lands constitutional amendment, including a meeting WWF/NWF arranged between Sen. Bebout and Sen. Hicks with Colorado Sen. Kerry Donovan. This meeting was about a solutions-bill that Colorado passed in 2015 (letter by WWF). Sen. Hicks invited the entire Wyoming Legislature to this meeting; more than 25 attended, showing a major interest in this issue. We asked Federal Select committee members Chairman Bebout and Sen. Hicks to please consider alternatives and ways in which we can work together on the issues and concerns raised by the committee concerning federal lands management. These elected officials were more than receptive to this idea and we are thankful this dialogue has begun.