Access & Outdoor Heritage
The freedom to roam.
Wyomingites are proud of our open and free access to public lands. Freedom to access our national public lands is part of the Wyoming way of life. We rely on these lands for good-paying jobs, open spaces, rangelands, wildlife habitat, and clean water, among countless other benefits. Keeping our public lands in public hands means we can pass our outdoor heritage to future generations.
Transferring or selling public lands would cost Wyomingites dearly — hitting our pocketbooks and disrupting the traditions that define our communities. If national public lands are turned over to the state of Wyoming:
Wyomingites would take on the costs of managing public lands.
Take wildfire, for example. In the past decade, the federal government spent more than $64 billion on wildfire alone. If we have another wildfire season like 2024, Wyoming would be forced to either massively increase taxes or sell off and privatize public lands to stop the state budget from exploding.
Once they are gone, they are gone for good.
In some cases, selling or exchanging small parcels of public land makes sense. Longstanding policies allow for targeted land sales or swaps when they serve the public interest. But large-scale sell-offs, especially without input from the communities that depend on those lands, sacrifices more than just acreage. We lose hunting grounds. We lose rangeland. We lose access for the next generation. Forever.
Our outdoor traditions would be at risk.
Wyoming is home to healthy populations of nearly every species of North American big game: elk, moose, deer, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat. We’re fortunate to live in a state where antelope outnumber people. If public lands are sold off, wildlife habitat would be fragmented and lost, damaging the health and welfare of our state’s herds — along with the traditions and $339 million hunting economy that depend on them. .
Our public lands have been used by Wyomingites for generations. We all have a stake in their future. Once they are sold, they are gone for good, and our kids and grandkids will never get them back.
Business or organization looking to join?
Are you the owner of a Wyoming-based business or nonprofit organization? Please consider showing your support for our state’s public lands by joining the Keep it Public, Wyoming coalition. Inquire below.