The public lands that define Wyoming and contribute significantly to our quality of life are under unprecedented and nuanced attacks. State legislative efforts to transfer our public lands to the state compounded by federal efforts to sell them off to seed a sovereign wealth fund are suddenly on the table. Of course, there have been thoughtless and drastic cuts to the federal workforce that will affect wildfire response, road and campground openings, trail work and delay important landscape health and public access projects. The Wyoming Outdoor Council is shocked and dismayed by the firings of so many public servants, and these losses will have very real consequences for the land, water, air, and wildlife we were founded to protect. Beyond these impacts, we are very concerned about how these losses will affect our fellow Wyomingites. It’s easy to paint with a broad brush the federal worker, but it is important to note that these civil servants are our neighbors, the parents of our kids’ friends, the people we talk to at the grocery store. We find it particularly abhorrent to celebrate how these people’s lives have been impacted.
There’s no question that there are inefficiencies and disagreements between people, organizations, businesses, tribes, and governments (to name a few) about how the government functions. But as an organization, we work to separate those differences in policy, management, funding, and decision-making from the individual persons tasked with those duties. To be clear, firing the federal workforce does little, if anything, to address concerns of fraud, waste, and abuse. With approximately 350 million people living in this country, there’s certainly a lot that differentiates us: hopes, dreams, and the lived experiences that form who we are as we all try to do the best we can with what we have and for who is in our orbit. At WOC, we believe our land, air, water, wildlife, and grappling with the realities of climate, unite us. Some of our best memories with family, friends, or by our lonesome took place in the Wyoming landscape.
It is for these values and every person in Wyoming that the WOC team shows up every day, works to engage agencies, leaders, and the people of Wyoming in pursuit of doing and being better. We care about your jobs, about your hardships, about the obstacles and opportunities life presents you with — it doesn’t matter if it is in the public or private sector, or what that job or passion is. In our efforts to understand, we help the rest of Wyoming understand, too. The WOC community, our staff, board, members, partners, and volunteers are not a monolith —nor are federal, state, or industry workers. When divergent ideas and experiences come together, we see it as a strength, not a weakness — and it is hard work and we’re here for it. Join or engage with us to build our collective strength for what truly matters in Wyoming.
Stay tuned for important updates and actions on this and many other matters. Thank you for your attention, compassion, and support – onward!
– Carl Fisher, Executive Director
Image: Meghan Riley