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Steff Kessler

Steff’s passion for the West brought her to Wyoming in the 70s when she started working for the National Outdoor Leadership School as a backcountry wilderness instructor. She later obtained a Masters of Education in Planning and Policy from Harvard University, which led to administrative jobs at NOLS and as executive director of the Alaska Center for the Environment based in Anchorage. She returned to Wyoming to serve as executive director of the Wyoming Outdoor Council from 1990-94, stepping down from full-time work as her family grew. Steff kept engaged with Wyoming conservation through part-time work, consulting and serving on several boards. In 2004 and 2005 she managed the successful legislative campaign creating the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust. Steff later opened and staffed The Wilderness Society’s Wyoming office for seven years, working in partnership with the Wyoming Outdoor Council and many others to secure passage of the Wyoming Range Legacy Act and protection of the Upper Hoback. During this time, she also served on the state’s Ozone Task Force and was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Interior to the Pinedale Anticline Working Group. Aside from state legislative and congressional experience, Steff also understands local government concerns, having served on the Lander School Board and as a Fremont County Commissioner. She resides outside of Lander on the border of the Wind River Indian Reservation with her husband John Gans and three children.

Governor tours the Red Desert with citizens group and Outdoor Council staff

Posted on by Steff Kessler

Gov. Mark Gordon spent Thursday, June 11, visiting Wyoming’s iconic Northern Red Desert for a firsthand look at one of the state’s wildest landscapes. The tour was organized by the Wyoming Outdoor Council and our partners to familiarize the governor and his staff with some of the most beautiful and treasured corners of the desert as well as introduce him to citizens representing a variety of interests who value, work in and recreate on this important landscape. Many representatives of Citizens for the Red Desert, a grassroots group, also participated in the trip.

The Northern Red Desert contains nationally-significant cultural and ecological resources, including the greatest concentration of Bureau of Land Management wilderness study areas in Wyoming, crucial winter range and migration corridors for mule deer, pronghorn, and a rare desert elk herd, North America’s largest living sand dunes, historic trails including the Oregon and Pony Express National Historic Trails, and indigenous cultural sites including petroglyphs, buffalo jumps, and other respected places. It is a vast landscape that offers a range of potential for outdoor recreation and hunting, supports ranching, and is considered the largest unfenced area in the Lower 48.

The tour was designed to provide the governor an overview of these special values. Along the way, the governor visited sites such as Whitehorse Creek and the dramatic Honeycomb Buttes wilderness study areas; visited with local rancher Jim Hellyer and his family; heard about the Oregon Trail and westward expansion from Todd Guenther, a Central Wyoming College professor and historian; and met with Rick Lee, director of the Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce and Bobbi Wade, a local outfitter, to discuss outdoor recreational opportunities. Jason Baldes, an Eastern Shoshone tribal member and the tribal buffalo coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation accompanied the trip to highlight the history of indigenous use and current tribal values within this landscape. John Mionczynski, an ethnobotanist and expert on the desert provided additional background on the ecology, geology and history.

Bobbi Wade, a local outfitter, discusses outdoor recreation at Chicken Springs.

The wildlife values of this landscape were in constant view, and the connection of this Red Desert habitat to what’s known as the “Golden Triangle” to the north along the Wind River Front — so named for its wealth of big game and sage-grouse populations — was highlighted by wildlife experts on the trip. Lauren Heerschap, with WyoClimbers and a Wyoming Outdoor Council board member, also shared information about the value of this landscape as the recreational scenic gateway for national and international climbers accessing renowned climbs in the Wind River Range.

Jason Baldes, an Eastern Shoshone tribal member and the tribal buffalo coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation, discusses the historical significance of the Red Desert to indigenous and current tribal members.

John Mionczynski discusses the Red Desert’s fascinating geological history in front of the Honeycomb Buttes.

The Outdoor Council is tremendously grateful for the governor’s time to take this trip, and we and others benefited from the questions and perspectives he and his natural resource and energy staff shared with us. Gov. Gordon engaged in thoughtful conversations throughout the tour, and was obviously seeking to understand this diverse landscape and the perspectives presented. 

The Red Desert is largely comprised of public lands managed by the BLM. This agency revises its management directives about every 20 years through a public planning process resulting in a resource management plan. The Red Desert’s fate is currently under debate due to the ongoing revision of the BLM’s Rock Springs Resource Management Plan, which will determine how 3.6 million acres of public lands, including the Red Desert, will be managed over the coming decades. Recent plan revisions from elsewhere across the West have stripped designations that protect wildlife habitat, cultural sites, and more.

It is our hope that through the direct experience of this landscape, and his conversations with people who cherish it, Gov. Gordon will see that the Northern Red Desert is a national treasure worth protecting — a place beloved by a diversity of Wyomingites for its many values and uses and deserving of a BLM management plan that will ensure its special values remain for future generations.

Gov. Mark Gordon stands with members of the tour while visiting the Northern Red Desert on June 11.

Say “Thanks” to your legislators who worked for conservation

Posted on by Steff Kessler

Wyoming’s legislative session wrapped two weeks ago after tremendous work from your legislators, who had to address hundreds of bills while also crafting the state’s budget for the next two years. As they made the important decisions required to move the state forward, they made time for personal conversations and testimony from us and numerous stakeholders, and engaged with citizens over phone and email. It’s a big job — and, since Wyoming has a citizen legislature, they do it all as volunteers.

Your legislators put in an incredible amount of work, especially during the fast-paced budget session. Please join us in expressing your thanks! The button below will take you to a form where you can draft an email that will go to your senator and representative. Please  personalize the message!

THANK YOUR REPS!


The session provides us with a direct opportunity to see legislators hard at work, and we at the Outdoor Council try often to give our personal thanks. But it’s also important to take the time to thank the legislators who made a significant difference this year. 

HEROES OF THE SENATE

We would like to thank Chairman Bill Landen (Casper) and the Senate Corporations committee for their work stewarding Senate File 36, Large scale solar and wind energy facilities, through multiple long nights and complex negotiations with stakeholders. This bill creates an important first step toward a more comprehensive approach to siting industrial solar and wind facilities — a topic we hope to carry forward into future sessions! Thanks to this entire committee for their depth of work and engagement on this issue. We’d like to thank each Senator by name due to the extraordinary work that this bill entailed!

  • Sen. Wendy Schuler (Evanston)
  • Sen. Cale Case (Lander)
  • Sen. Charlie Scott (Casper)
  • Sen. Tara Nethercott (Cheyenne) 

HEROES OF THE HOUSE

This year, we’d like to thank Chairman Mike Greear (Worland) and the House Minerals committee for their commitment to transparency, wise stewardship of resources, and extensive work over the interim. While we don’t see eye to eye with the committee on all issues, we have found that House Minerals prioritizes public process, due diligence, and having detailed, thoughtful discussions about each issue before them. We found this committee’s work and discussions on House Bill 13, Sage grouse mitigation credits (a vital bill that codifies a key part of the state’s sage grouse strategy) and Senate File 110 (a bill that would have analyzed the private property value of all public lands in Wyoming) to be particularly thoughtful. Thank you!

NEW CONSERVATION LOBBYISTS OF THE YEAR

We have two conservation lobbyists to thank this year as relative newcomers to the legislative session. Jenny DeSarro (Cody) from the Greater Yellowstone Coalition is a seasoned advocate who’s no stranger to the legislature, but this year came down for her first lengthy stint lobbying for GYC. Her work ethic and the quality of her engagement were tremendous. We would also like to recognize Liz Rose (Cheyenne) from Trout Unlimited, who came on board shortly before the session and made a powerful impression on legislators and lobbyists alike. Her work to represent TU’s many members on all issues related to fisheries was exemplary. 

THANKS TO THESE LEGISLATIVE LEADERS

  • The leadership of the House of Representatives, especially House Majority Floor Leader Eric Barlow (Gillette) and Speaker Pro Tempore Albert Sommers (Pinedale), for offering sage advice and assistance. 
  • We would also like to thank Rep. Sommers for his service on the Appropriations committee, and his work to ensure that the Department of Environmental Quality had adequate funding to monitor and safeguard air quality in the Upper Green River Basin. Thanks as well to Rep. Andy Schwartz (Jackson) for his work on this same committee, his helpful advice, and his efforts to improve a bill focused on Teton County state lands parcels. 
  • Rep. Cyrus Western (Sheridan), Sen. Fred Baldwin (Kemmerer), and Sen. Cale Case (Lander) for their work bringing budget amendments to the House and Senate, respectively, to increase funding in the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust to support wildlife crossings work. Thanks to their advocacy, $3 million of additional funding for crossings is included in this year’s budget. 
  • Chairman Eric Barlow (Gillette) and Chairman Drew Perkins (Casper) for their powerful work leading the Select Committee on Coal/Mineral Bankruptcies, which brought several critical bills that address the impact of energy economy transitions in Wyoming communities — especially the impact on workers. We also want to recognize Rep. Scott Clem and Sen. Michael Von Flatern (both of Gillette) for their strong work vocalizing the importance of bills from this committee that will be vital to their constituents. 
  • Rep. Mike Yin (Jackson) for his work to advocate for the future of outdoor recreation in the state, and for being a thoughtful voice on the House floor. 
  • Chairman Tyler Lindholm (Sundance) for his strong leadership in successfully shepherding Senate File 36 on industrial siting of wind and solar facilities through the House. 
  • Joint Agriculture Chairmen Sen. Brian Boner (Douglas) and Rep. Hans Hunt (Newcastle) for stewarding an important topic related to public access to state and federal lands via private-state land exchanges. We are grateful that this topic will be addressed by agency rulemaking. We would also like to thank these chairmen for continuing to lead on the topics of stranded state parcels.
  • Rep. Stan Blake (Green River) for being a consistent voice advocating for Wyoming wildlife, and for his work promoting worker and community safety in the public interest.
  • Rep. Sandy Newsome (Cody) for being a leader looking toward Wyoming’s future, for speaking up for the value of outdoor recreation in communities, and for her commitment to transparency and communication. 
  • Sen. Cale Case (Lander) and Sen. Chris Rothfuss (Laramie) for leading spirited, important floor debate on issues related to wildlife and Wyoming’s energy future. 
  • Rep. Shelly Duncan (Lingle) and Sen. Wendy Schuler (Evanston) for their work on the House Minerals committee and on the floor of the Senate, respectively, raising important questions about Senate File 110 and speaking to the value of wildlife and Wyoming’s outdoor heritage.  
  • Sen. Larry Hicks (Baggs) for standing up for big game, and for always being willing to explain his point of view, even when we agree to disagree. 
  • Rep. Jim Roscoe (Wilson/Alpine) for his work to encourage transparency in the management of state lands and for his thoughtful engagement on the floor. 
  • Sen. Liisa Anselmi-Dalton (Rock Springs) for being a strong advocate for Sweetwater County, and for her consistent support of wildlife and public lands.

AND FINALLY, SPECIAL THANKS TO …

  • Governor Mark Gordon and his policy staff, with whom we met regularly throughout the session. While we didn’t always agree, we appreciated the frank, open-door conversations, and our mutual work to find understanding and common ground. Extra special thanks to Bob Budd, director of the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust, for his work as a stalwart advocate for our state’s wildlife and people. Thank you all for your leadership and commitment to the people of this state. 
  • The dedicated agency staff who put in long hours engaging and providing information to the legislature as they work on critical statewide issues. Your service is vital and much appreciated. 
  • Our five incredible citizen interns: Jorge Moreno (Lander), Lynne Huskinson (Gillette), Colleen Whalen and Joe Slack (Lander), and Elizabeth Traver (Laramie). Thanks for your incredible dedication, enthusiasm, and high-quality work. It was a pleasure to work with you and each of you made a difference. 
  • Partners, collaborators, allies, fellow advocates, and other interest groups. At the legislature, the importance of working together and listening to each others’ points of view can’t be overstated. In addition to conservation and sportsmen’s groups, some of our best work gets done when we sit down with groups from a wide range of interests. We don’t always find ourselves on the same side, but we always show respect to each other and seek mutual understanding. This session, we want to thank the following groups for your hard work, willingness to share your perspectives and ideas (and sometimes a cup of coffee) with us, and commitment to representing your members: 
    • Wyoming County Commissioners Association
    • Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association
    • Wyoming Stock Growers Association 
    • Wyoming Mining Association
    • Wyoming School Board Association 
    • Wyoming AFL-CIO
    • Wyoming League of Women Voters 
    • Civics307
    • Wyoming Education Association
    • Equality State Policy Center (and all our ESPC partners)

And to the conservation and sportsmen’s groups that worked to represent Wyoming conservation values throughout the session: 

  • Wyoming Wildlife Federation
  • Trout Unlimited
  • Greater Yellowstone Coalition 
  • Powder River Basin Resource Council 
  • The Nature Conservancy of Wyoming

Finally, and most importantly, thanks to YOU, our members and supporters. We could not achieve success at the legislature or advocate your conservation values without the enduring support that you provide. Thank you for your engagement. 

Be the voice of conservation at the Wyoming Legislature

Posted on by Steff Kessler

Each year the Wyoming State Legislature has the opportunity to pass bills that reflect our state’s shared conservation, outdoor recreation, and good governance values — or threaten them.

That’s why, when the 2020 budget session opens on February 10, the Wyoming Outdoor Council will have two full-time staff (and a team of interns) at the Capitol. We’ll spend the month-long session holding our state lawmakers accountable and defending state laws and policies that protect our public lands, wildlife, and clean air and water. On top of that, we’ll work to help legislators understand the relationships between climate change, revenue, and quality of life for Wyomingites, by focusing on opportunities to diversify the state’s economy that don’t jeopardize the values that make living here so special.

There are many things to be optimistic about at this year’s session: Pieces of legislation under consideration this year would create an Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, establish accounts to support projects that make highways safer for wildlife crossings, and create a mitigation credit system to help conserve sage-grouse habitat. And though it’s hard to say what bills will make it to the floor of the Legislature, there are also opportunities to improve public access to state lands, ensure the Department of Environmental Quality is able to field critical air quality inspectors in the natural gas fields of the Upper Green River Basin, and increase the transparency of government with better access to public records. 

Other bills on the docket are more problematic, including a misguided attempt to derail the designation and protection of big game migration corridors (as we saw in the interim). There’s hope, though. In the past few months, we’ve seen Wyomingites help defeat two interim bills: one that would have effectively crippled rooftop solar power in the state, and another that sought to make Wyoming the new storage site for the nation’s nuclear waste. 

We can do it again. 

None of us are in this alone, and here’s what you can do to make your voice heard in Cheyenne:


SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL ALERTS

Through timely emails, we’ll let you know how and when you can take action and make a difference as a citizen. Our WOC lobby team in Cheyenne is strengthened by your participation! SIGN UP HERE.


ATTEND AN UPCOMING BEERS & BILLS EVENT

Join one of these lively discussions about conservation legislation in the 2020 session and we’ll provide tips on how to effectively communicate with your legislators. Plus we’ll buy you a beer! Our scheduled events this year include:

January 31 in Cody from 5–7 p.m.
February 7 in Green River from 5:30–7:30 p.m.
February 13 in Cheyenne from 5–7 p.m.


LEARN HOW TO CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS

Unsure who is representing you in the Legislature? Look them up on our website using just your home address. We’ll let you know in our email alerts when we need you to contact your lawmakers about a particular issue and give you talking points to assist in crafting your comments. FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVES HERE.

Nuclear waste storage: STILL wrong for Wyoming

Posted on by Steff Kessler

The idea of storing high-level radioactive waste in Wyoming has been fully vetted and roundly rejected several times over the years. Yet the Wyoming Legislature resurrected this bad idea last month when it formed a subcommittee — behind closed doors — to study the issue. The Wyoming Outdoor Council, our members, and our partners have stood together with neighbors from all over the state and across the political spectrum to oppose such proposals. And we will do so again.

Simply put, the risks of allowing Wyoming to become a destination for high-level radioactive waste from the nation’s nuclear reactors far outweigh any short-term economic gain the state might realize. Storing nuclear waste here would risk our safety and tarnish Wyoming’s reputation as a pristine outdoor and tourism destination —  hurting business, agriculture, and economic development efforts that are so vital to the state’s future.

Perhaps most importantly, though, Wyoming and other states have learned that gambling with the federal government’s promises over nuclear waste storage is risky business. As Gov. Mike Sullivan put it in his statement vetoing the siting of a nuclear waste facility  back in 1992:

“I am absolutely unpersuaded that Wyoming can rely on the assurances we receive from the federal government. Even granting the personal integrity and sincerity of the individuals currently speaking for the federal government, there can be no guarantees or even assurances that the federal government’s attitudes or policies will be the same one, five, ten or 50 years from now. We have seen the roller coaster ride of federal involvement and attitudes. … Nor do I trust the federal government or the nuclear industry to assure our interests as a state are protected.”

There are numerous reasons why the “temporary” storage of the nation’s high-level radioactive waste in Wyoming has been repeatedly rejected by our residents — and why it remains a bad idea today.

  • There is no guarantee that storage will be temporary. Once a “temporary” facility is constructed, it is likely to become a de facto permanent repository. There are no legal, political, or financial mechanisms to ensure the waste would ever be removed. In fact, many suspect the approval of a “temporary” storage site would halt the politically difficult effort of finding a permanent disposal site.

  • There is no need to store this waste away from reactor sites. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has made a regulatory determination that spent nuclear fuels can be safely stored at the reactor sites for the next 100+ years.
     
  • Transporting high-level radioactive waste across the country is complicated, risky, full of unknowns, and will occur at a magnitude of shipments and miles never before conducted in the U.S. New transport casks have not been developed or tested, infrastructure is not ready, emergency response capacity is lacking, and the routes and risks of transporting this high-level radioactive waste have not been adequately evaluated.

  • Storing high-level radioactive waste in Wyoming will hurt the state’s image as a premier outdoor destination and a producer of high-quality agricultural products. This, in turn, would likely impact current and future economic development and diversification efforts and would lower property values.
     
  • Such temporary facilities are illegal. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act allows for a “temporary” storage facility only once the permanent waste repository is operating. Work at Yucca Mountain, the nation’s only proposed permanent waste repository, has halted. Congress would have to act to make such a facility legal — yet there are no states willing to host a permanent storage facility.

For more background and details about nuclear waste storage, read this fact sheet.

We wholeheartedly support Wyoming lawmakers’ desire to explore new ways to meet the challenge of declining revenues. But turning Wyoming into the nation’s nuclear waste dump was a bad idea before, and it remains a bad idea today. Nothing has changed. Even more troubling? The closed-door manner in which the new legislative subcommittee was formed to study the issue this year: a vote taken by email, without public notice, lacking transparency and flouting the legislature’s own rules regarding interim studies.

There are no easy fixes for declining state revenue, and storing high-level radioactive waste would simply not provide not the kind of economic “diversification” that Wyoming needs. It’s an idea that looks backward, not forward. 

Instead, we must create a vision for our future that embraces the special resources and assets that truly make Wyoming a place people want to live and do business — including our strong public schools, workforce, wildlife, open space, agricultural heritage, and outdoor way of life.

We’ll need your help — again — to speak up and stop this misguided idea for Wyoming.

The “Spent Fuel Rods subcommittee” will meet on Thursday, September 5th, in Casper at 8:30 a.m. (location to be determined). We’ll be there, but it’s unclear whether the subcommittee will allow public comment. The subcommittee will report to the full Joint Minerals Committee on November 4 or 5 for a decision about moving forward with potential legislation. We’ll alert you about this public comment opportunity, but it will be helpful to start talking with your elected officials now about how nuclear waste is wrong for Wyoming. 

Read this detailed fact sheet for a list of committee members and emails and for more information about the risky business of high-level radioactive waste.

We’re shaping legislative policy year-round

Posted on by Steff Kessler
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Thanks to your quick action, the Joint Minerals Committee backed off from a proposal for the State of Wyoming to take over the federal process of evaluating and making recommendations for oil and gas developments and other industrial projects on public lands in Wyoming. Thank you!

Nearly 100 of you answered our call to write to members of the committee asking them to oppose the idea of the state taking primacy over implementation of the federal National Environmental Policy Act. This is the kind of positive influence we can have when citizens take part in the legislature’s formative “interim” period (the legislative work that happens between winter sessions).

To learn more about why NEPA primacy should remain with the federal government, read this fact sheet.

So far this month we’ve covered the Joint Revenue Committee in Lander, Joint Corporations in Casper, and Joint Minerals in Gillette. We’ll travel to Sheridan to cover the Joint Agriculture Committee next.

Stay tuned!

The legislature holds dozens of “joint” (House and Senate) committees throughout the year, around Wyoming. These meetings are open to the public, and they offer an opportunity for citizens to address the committee and to speak with legislators individually during breaks.

Check the legislature’s calendar for upcoming meetings and meeting agendas. You can also livestream meetings as they happen. To watch videos of past legislative meetings, go to the Wyoming Legislature’s website, click on the committee you’re interested in, and click on the “audio/video” tab.

We’ll have more detailed updates on the issues we’re tracking in our June newsletter.

 

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Announcing Our Citizen Lobbyist Internships!

Posted on by Steff Kessler

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The Wyoming Outdoor Council’s power comes from informed and engaged citizens. This is especially true during the state legislative session—when key policy decisions about our public lands, wildlife, and environmental quality are made.

As part of our effort to increase civic engagement in Wyoming, we are excited to launch our Citizen Lobbyist Internship Program for the upcoming 2018 legislative budget session in Cheyenne. We believe a deeper familiarization with our state’s “citizen legislature” will empower members to be better advocates—and to engage others in their own communities.

From February 12 to March 2, we’ll offer three individual, weeklong mini-internships (during the first three weeks of the session). Due to the nature of the legislative agenda, these internships will be fast-paced and hands-on! Participants will leave with a comprehensive understanding of the Wyoming Legislature and how to be an effective citizen lobbyist.

We’ve developed a dynamic, in-depth curriculum that includes:

  • The basics: how a bill becomes law, orientation to the Capitol
  • Hands-on training in lobbying and communicating with legislators
  • Researching actual legislation filed—including possible meetings with government agency staff and creating fact sheets
  • Attending committee hearings and monitoring floor debates
  • Participating in strategy meetings with other lobbyists and interest groups
  • Opportunities to testify before committees and/or lobby legislators directly about upcoming bills

Outdoor Council lobbyists will provide the majority of this training, often through on-the-go learning related to WOC’s own work. Each internship will vary based on the pace and schedule of the 2018 Budget Session.

Interns will need to arrive in Cheyenne by Sunday night and can expect to finish by Friday afternoon. If necessary, stipends or support to cover lodging will be available.

Please click the link below if you are interested and I’ll send a more detailed description!

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The Legislature is Coming to Fremont County

Posted on by Steff Kessler

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The Wyoming State Legislature is continuing their important interim committee meetings on wildlife, recreation, public lands, and energy topics throughout the state, with their first stop in Fremont County on Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 29–30. This is a great opportunity to directly engage with lawmakers as they develop draft legislation.

Over the course of two days in Lander, the Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Affairs committee will cover the cover the following topics:

  • prohibiting the sale of GIS wildlife locational data for hunting
  • special antelope hunts (such as Lander’s One Shot and a similar woman’s hunt)
  • confidentiality of sensitive wildlife information and data
  • other wildlife topics
  • a report from the Bicycle and Pedestrian System Task Force
  • Wyoming State Parks
  • a report from the Governor’s Outdoor Recreation Task Force

​The hunting and wildlife topics are scheduled for Tuesday morning, and the others are scheduled for Wednesday morning.

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— Tuesday, August 29 and Wednesday, August 30 —
Both meetings will start at 8 a.m. each morning
Inn at Lander
260 Grandview Drive
Lander, WY 82520

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There is opportunity for public comment at the end of each topic, or, you can just come and observe. We urge you to attend, chime in when you want, and support the recommendations of the Governor’s Outdoor Recreation Task Force. (Gary Wilmot, our executive director, has been co-chair of that group.)

This is your government and we encourage you to be involved! You can find agendas for the meetings as well as background materials and draft bills below.

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Outdoor Council staff will be in attendance to testify on several of these topics, and we are hosting an informal information session prior to this meeting (details below). Feel free to stop by and join us for a cup of coffee, hear more about the meeting, and ask questions—we’re happy to fill you in!

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— Tuesday, August 29 at 7 a.m.—
Informal coffee with the Outdoor Council
Summit Restaurant
Inn at Lander
260 Grandview Drive Lander, WY 82520

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Please Attend! Johnson County Public Lands Initiative Meeting, April 18

Posted on by Steff Kessler

As you may know, Johnson County is home to two rugged, wild landscapes nestled in the southeastern flanks of the Bighorn Mountains: North Fork and Gardner Mountain. We’re sending this email to residents of Johnson and surrounding counties since you may hunt, fish, or recreate in these wild areas and be invested in keeping them that way.

Johnson County is one of 12 counties participating in the statewide Wyoming Public Lands Initiative (WPLI), which is a multi-year collaborative to recommend future management options for the BLM Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) in our state, like North Fork and Gardner Mountain.

The recommendations created through the WPLI could be included in a legislative package presented to Congress. Success in this process is contingent on win-win management recommendations developed through a fair and transparent public stakeholder process.

Johnson County has appointed a citizen advisory committee to study the North Fork and Gardner Mountain WSAs. This committee may be leaning towards a proposal to make decisions by a supermajority, instead of striving for consensus among all stakeholders. We believe a decision-making process that allows a majority or supermajority to advance recommendations over the objections of a minority will leave behind key stakeholders whose support is critical to the Initiative. To date, every other committee in the state that has finalized their process has adopted consensus-based decision-making.

Please help us advocate for a fair process for the Johnson County WSAs that includes consensus-based decision-making. The WPLI will only be successful if committees base their recommendations on common ground developed among all stakeholders. No one can be left behind for the future legislative package to be successful in Congress.

The next Johnson County WPLI citizen advisory committee meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday night in Kaycee.

Tuesday, April 18 at 6 p.m.
Powder River Fire Hall
538 Sussex Road (SR 192)
Kaycee, WY

Please consider attending to advocate for consensus during the public comment period. If you can’t attend, please reach out individually to the committee members.

You can read more about the WPLI process and find committee member contact information at the Johnson County WPLI website, and for further talking points about the importance of consensus-based decisions in public lands collaboration, check out this fact sheet.

Thank you for your participation in this important public process! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

 

Legislative Alert: Risky business and sage-grouse

Posted on by Steff Kessler

A bill we’ve been monitoring in the Wyoming State Legislature—HB 271: game bird farms – greater sage-grouse—went bad last week and we need your help to stop it.

Please contact your Senator and tell them to oppose this bill. We expect this bill to be up on the floor of the Senate, so please do this soon. Check out our fact sheet for more details about this complex issue.

The original bill wasn’t so bad. It attempted to set up a licensing structure with tight controls for commercial sage-grouse farms. When it first went through the House, the bill was strengthened to assure that the Game and Fish Department could control the scope of these operations, and especially how and where sage-grouse eggs would be collected from the wild for the start of brood stock.

The bill originally set an annual limit of 250 sage-grouse eggs that could be collected by licensees.  Game and Fish officials testified that this was the biologically defensible limit that past analysis had shown was acceptable, without compromising the fate of this precarious species.

The Senate committee, however, stepped over the line and upped that amount to 1,000 sage-grouse eggs that may be collected annually by any licensee.

In the Senate committee it appeared that some Senators wanted to help an interested company get up to full-scale operation sooner. This company wants to try to farm-raise and release sage-grouse. Commercial business should not be prioritized over wildlife science.

Even the sponsors of the bill and the prospective company admit that no one knows if this is a viable commercial operation. There has never been any successful large-scale captive breeding and release of sage-grouse back into the wild. Also, simply raising more birds and releasing them will not address the real conservation needs for this species. The sage-grouse has a habitat problem, first and foremost.

The fate of Wyoming’s sage-grouse shouldn’t be jeopardized by an uncertain and, frankly, risky business. Thanks for your help as always.

 

Legislative Update – Halftime Report

Posted on by Steff Kessler

The Wyoming State Legislature is at the half-way mark for the 40-day session. Last week, many bills died due to failure to pass out of committee or to pass a first vote on the floor by Friday’s deadline.

Updates

Our Focus Going Forward

HB 288 – Game and Fish fees is moving forward and we hope to stave off any further funding cuts to this agency. We will continue to closely monitor SF 6 – radioactive waste storage facilities and make sure this law remains strong. We’ll also watch a number of other Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) bills regarding leaking underground storage tanks, landfill remediation and uranium mining to assure these programs continue to protect our resources. We’ll also evaluate the proposed budget cuts to the DEQ to assess impacts to operations, including inspections and compliance.

In the coming weeks we’ll be keeping our eyes on a number of wildlife-related bills that we support or have helped to improve, including projects for the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust, confidentiality of wildlife data, and sage grouse.

Overall, we’ve had a fairly successful session to date. We’ve had many constructive conversations with legislators and are building important connections. Our early outreach efforts and the engagement of citizens like you—especially regarding public lands transfer bills—have paid off immensely! Thank you for your efforts these last four weeks!