The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants to start allowing road construction and industrial development in parts of our national forests that have thus far been protected.
The agency announced last month that they intend to do away with the 2001 Roadless Rule, which prohibits road building on millions of acres of undeveloped land.
Wyoming has more than 3 million acres of “Roadless Areas,” which account for some of the state’s most remote, ecologically valuable lands. Allowing roads to be built in these landscapes could increase wildfire risk, jeopardize wildlife migrations, and make it harder to get away from the hustle and bustle of civilization. Plus, the Forest Service already has a massive backlog of deferred maintenance on existing roads, which would only be exacerbated by new road construction.
Map depicting Wyoming’s roadless areas. The brown shading shows areas that could lose protections if the Roadless Rule is rescinded.Source: The Wilderness Society.
SPEAK UP NOW!
The USDA is accepting public comments on the rule change until Sept. 19. Fill out the form below to weigh in.
We’ve provided a template, but please personalize it as much as you want — the important thing is to share why YOU care about roadless areas.
IN THE LAST YEAR, we’ve heard a lot about Wyoming’s “nuclear renaissance.” With industry’s narrative leading the messaging, it’s hard to tell exactly how much is hype versus reality. But something does feel different about the conversations happening today around nuclear energy.
Things are moving rapidly in a new direction, which will likely have significant impacts on Wyoming. Now is a critical time to be paying attention, asking questions, and advocating for the best interest of our communities and state. It’s important that we slow down and look before we leap headlong into a nuclear future we can’t undo.
A confluence of political, economic, and logistical factors are driving the resurgence of nuclear discussions in Wyoming:
The U.S. is experiencing a significant increase in demand for electricity, driven largely by the expansion of data centers and artificial intelligence. Estimates vary, but in general energy demand is predicted to rise 1.5–2% per year over the next 20 years.
Many of the same companies, industries, and investors that are increasing electricity demand are also seeking ways to reduce emissions.
In June, the Trump administration issued four new executive orders to expedite the testing and permitting process for new nuclear technologies (including the TerraPower nuclear reactor in Kemmerer) and reforming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The recently passed federal budget maintains many important subsidies for nuclear energy development, while repealing subsidies for renewables and other forms of energy generation.
Wyoming has the nation’s largest recoverable uranium ore deposits, along with ample open land, a skilled energy workforce, and a favorable tax environment, making it attractive to industry.
What does this mean for Wyoming, and what do communities need to be thinking about to prepare?
Communities need a clear, accurate understanding of what would happen to radioactive waste generated in Wyoming. If Wyoming develops nuclear energy, Wyoming will have to deal with the by-products — high-level radioactive waste. This is critical to understand because currently the United States has no permanent repository for this waste. Nuclear waste generated in Wyoming will stay here for decades, or longer, as we wait for a federal solution.
New technologies mean new challenges. Demonstration reactors, such as the TerraPower reactor, are first-of-their-kind projects and use different types of fuel and cooling sources than existing commercial nuclear plants. Similarly, small modular reactors pose new and unprecedented transportation, safety, and security risks. These must be thoroughly considered at local and state levels before opening the door to nuclear development.
Decision makers must understand the actual cost of nuclear energy — and not just the financial cost (which is very expensive), but also the environmental and social costs. The implications of introducing this new industry are multi-generational and far-reaching. We must consider long-term impacts and how projects would be decommissioned, bonded, and managed if new start-up companies fail to live up to their hype.
The state, local communities, and tribes should be in the driver’s seat. Wyoming’s decision makers must look beyond the bullish predictions of industry and the federal government, which has sweeping regulatory authority and oversight. New proposals must be evaluated objectively and address the fears and concerns of local communities. Siting should be consent-based, and agreements must prioritize the well-being of the communities that will host these projects for generations.
We must understand and learn from our country’s legacy of nuclear energy. The nuclear industry has made mistakes in the past, and many deep scars remain — not only on our landscapes, but also in the families and communities that have shouldered the burdens and harms of this type of energy production over the years. Humility, thoughtfulness, and trust are needed now. Many Wyomingites are appropriately skeptical of these projects. The burden to prove otherwise should not be on those most vulnerable.
With the pressing need to reduce emissions from electricity production, new nuclear energy projects might very well have a place in our state’s future. But if the terms and conditions of Wyoming communities are not being met, leaders must also have the courage to reject industry’s sales pitch. Now is the time to slow down, ask the right questions, and develop proactive policy to guide development on Wyoming’s terms.
Federal employees are the heartbeat of public lands stewardship. What happens when they’re gone?
A giant downed tree and wreckage of limbs block the trail. Peggie dePasquale considers the obstacle in thoughtful silence, calculating the angles. Finally she nods. “If we cut here, and get a little lucky, we may be able to roll it off the trail — no need for a second cut.” She pauses to wipe the sweat from her forehead. “But we definitely need to get a little lucky.”
My colleague Gabby Yates and I have joined Peggie here in Wyoming’s Gros Ventre Range — an amorphous group of mountains in designated wilderness between the Continental Divide and the Tetons — to see firsthand what’s happening to public lands as the Trump administration culls the federal workforce. For much of the morning we’ve been inching up a forested ridgeline, stopping frequently to clear deadfall.
Gabby lops off limbs with the Pulaski, a modified axe, while Peggie and I sever branches with handsaws. Then it’s time for the giant log, and the crosscut saw. The tinny rasp of the five-foot saw, commonly used in wilderness areas where mechanized equipment isn’t allowed, rings through the forest. Fifteen minutes of steady, sweaty back-and-forth later, the log finally splits and crashes to the ground.
Until recently, Peggie roamed this area as a wilderness ranger for the Bridger-Teton National Forest, where she not only did trail upkeep but also collected vital data and educated visitors. But in February, she was terminated from her position, joining thousands of other federal employees suddenly out of work. Now, months later, the cost of having fewer people to steward public lands — people who maintain campgrounds and trails, protect wildlife habitat and cultural resources, manage wildfire risk, and respond to emergencies — is becoming clearer and clearer.
Gabby Yates and Peggie dePasquale pause their trail work to enjoy views of the Gros Ventre Range.
Peggie had worked in and around the Bridger-Teton National Forest for more than a decade, first as a field instructor for the Teton Science School and later as an organizer for the Wyoming Wilderness Association. But she was relatively new to the Forest Service, with just two field seasons as a ranger under her belt.
In late January of this year, while spending the off-season in France for her husband’s job, Peggie received the infamous “Fork in the Road” email pressuring federal employees to resign. She had been looking forward to the upcoming season in the Gros Ventre: Her work plan was finalized, and a promotion to crew lead was on the horizon. Leaving her post was the last thing she wanted. She ignored the email.
But on Valentine’s Day, while skiing with friends, she received a text: The district ranger needed to speak with her immediately.
“I found a way to give them a call and received the news that the leadership at the Jackson district of the Bridger-Teton Forest were instructed as of that morning to terminate all probationary staff based on performance,” Peggie tells us. “Leadership had been given a day to make these calls to people who they wanted, more than anything, to keep on their team. Their hand was forced.” The call was followed up with a letter that said that she had not performed up to par and that’s why they were letting her go, despite her excellent performance reviews.
Peggie was among at least 2,400 Forest Service employees with probationary status (which includes new hires and recently transferred or promoted employees) who were fired that weekend. In the weeks and months that followed, chaos within federal agencies reigned, with further mass layoffs and the shuttering of dozens of federal offices. As of June, in the Forest Service alone, the number of employees fired or who took the government’s “deferred resignation,” a buyout designed to downsize the federal workforce, totaled 7,500 — more than 20 percent of the Forest Service’s workforce.
A month after Peggie was fired, a federal judge ruled some of the layoffs unlawful, and Peggie was told she could return to her post. But by that point, she had already accepted another job offer.
She faced a dilemma: Should she stick with the new position, or return to the job she’d been heartbroken to lose? And if she did return, would she lose the job again just as easily? As one current Bridger-Teton National Forest employee (who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation) described, the atmosphere within the agency for those who remain has been turbulent, in large part due to ever-shifting directives. “Sometimes it seems purposefully chaotic, but I think a fair amount of it is sheer ineptitude,” they said. “In the meantime, agency personnel are getting ping-ponged back and forth with no context, no clarity, and no real actionable direction.”
Ultimately, Peggie decided not to return to the Forest Service, opting instead to stay in the role she’d just accepted: National Forest Wildlands Director for the Wyoming Wilderness Association, her previous employer.
We traverse flower-filled meadows bordered by red rock outcroppings and hike higher into the mountains. Peggie literally wears a different hat now — an orange cap emblazoned with WWA’s logo — and the trail work we’re doing with her today is not part of her typical job duties. But she’s the kind of person who can’t visit the forest without pitching in: When Gabby and I asked her to show us around, there was never any question that we’d load up the saws.
As we hike, Peggie points out examples of the work she and her former colleagues did here in past years. Some, like the sturdy bridges that span creeks and streams, are obvious displays of labor. Others, like the drainage ditches dug to mitigate rutted trails, are less obvious. Peggie shares that because of staffing cuts, it’s unlikely that a Forest Service crew will make it to this trail this year — meaning the hard work that keeps trails accessible and safe just won’t happen.
Because of staffing cuts, it’s unlikely that a Forest Service crew will make it to this trail this year — meaning the hard work that keeps trails accessible and safe just won’t happen.
— Peggie dePasquale
Rutted trails and deadfall may seem like a minor inconvenience for many visitors. But for others, like horsepacking outfitters, the impacts can be far greater. “There are people that rely on these trails for their livelihood, and who don’t necessarily have the capacity in the pre-season to spend whole days clearing trail,” my colleague Gabby, who has a background leading horsepacking trips, explains. And with fewer Forest Service staff, the backlog of trails that need clearing will continue to grow.
The impacts of staffing cuts don’t stop with unmaintained trails. Fewer backcountry crews means less data on wilderness visitorship, which forest managers use to make sound management decisions. Cuts have also halted studies of invasive weeds, which Peggie says represent one of the most pressing threats to the Gros Ventre. “At the end of last year, we were working with our GIS specialists to create a survey that would allow us to track infestations,” she shares. From there, managers would work with an invasive species specialist to find a solution. “But now, a program that had so much potential and energy and enthusiasm is just no longer.”
Then of course there’s wildfire: Wilderness crews, like the crew Peggie was on, reduce fire risk by educating visitors about campfire safety, ensuring campfires are properly extinguished, and reporting newly started blazes in the backcountry. Other Forest Service employees play vital roles, too. Without adequate staff for fuels mitigation or trail maintenance, catastrophic burns are more likely, and firefighting personnel may struggle to get where they need to go. Without administrative staff, fire crews face travel delays. And with fewer support staff trained to aid in fires — red card carriers — crews on the frontlines carry a heavier burden.
The Bridger-Teton National Forest,though it encompasses an enormous 3.4 million acres, represents only a fraction of the 30 million acres of federally managed public lands in Wyoming — nearly half the state. I ask Gabby, who is in charge of the public lands program at the Wyoming Outdoor Council, how the impacts from layoffs that we’re seeing here fit into the larger picture of public lands across the state and the West.
She says she’s less worried about unmaintained trails or bathrooms and more concerned with, “What’s going to happen to these ecosystems? We’re talking about wildlife resources. We’re talking about watershed resources. If there’s no one there to manage these issues, the problems we have are just going to be exacerbated.”
Indiscriminate firings of land stewards are a devious part of a much larger effort to transfer public lands to state control, Gabby continues. “With these layoffs, there’s a slippery slope: If we’re not properly staffing these places, we’re not properly managing them, and when that occurs, they become more of a liability than an asset, and there’s more of an excuse to sell them off.”
Although the push for public lands transfer has a long history, it was brought into sharp focus this summer, when Congress tried to include the sale of millions of acres in the federal budget reconciliation bill. If there’s anything to learn from the past, it’s that transfer of public lands to states is a direct pathway to sale and privatization, as states eventually realize they have nowhere near the resources needed to manage lands, let alone turn a profit.
If there’s anything else to be learned, it’s how fervently Americans want to see their public lands protected, not sold off. With the recent sell-off attempts in Congress, for example, the backlash was swift and enormous, and showed just how disconnected many politicians are from the lands they seek to sell off. “Decision makers aren’t seeing places that people care about, or rely on for clean water, or cultural values, or recreation,” Gabby says. “They’re seeing something that you can extract value from.”
Places like the Gros Ventre are ground zero for such attempts: It’s Forest Service land that doesn’t have the recognition of, say, a national park, and therefore means little to distant politicians. Yet for those nearby — people like Peggie, Gabby, and countless others — such places are more than just land. They’re cherished parts of their backyards, places whose true value defies measurement.
Clearing trails is difficult, time-consuming work. With fewer Forest Service employees, the backlog of trails in need of maintenance is growing.
We clear tree after tree as the heat of the afternoon builds. Peggie patiently explains to Gabby how to avoid getting the crosscut saw stuck; she hands me the axe and tells me to enjoy some “wilderness therapy.” The work feels good, and the results are immediately tangible — one of the things Peggie loved most about this work.
On a small scale, there’s no doubt we’re making a difference. And we’re not the only ones, either: From individuals to organizations, there’s no shortage of people stepping up to fill the gaps left over from staffing cuts. The Friends of the Bridger-Teton, for example, recently launched the FBT Forest Corps, an initiative that lends a hand on vital trail infrastructure projects. WWA, Peggie’s organization, helps fund this new initiative, and also regularly trains volunteers to conduct solitude monitoring surveys that would otherwise go undone.
On the other hand, Peggie is clear that our work today is but a drop in the bucket. Nothing, she says, can replace the work done by a full wilderness crew.
“… Our work today is but a drop in the bucket. Nothing can replace the work done by a full wilderness crew.“
— Peggie dePasquale
We stay past our agreed-upon turnaround time to clear one last log. Finally, though, we turn our backs on whatever awaits up the trail and begin the hike down.
Our talk turns to what gives us hope, for the Gros Ventre and places like it. “For me, it’s the community of people who care for wild places,” Peggie says. “Which is interesting — this idea that it’s people who are bringing us to this point of conflict, and it’s also people who give us hope that we’re capable of finding a solution.”
As we pass the wooden sign marking the wilderness boundary, Peggie gives it a pat like it’s an old friend. With it, she seems to say goodbye. And — I’ll be back.
Have you noticed impacts on public lands from federal layoffs? Let us know! Fill out our form at our Federal Layoff Hotline below.
The long road toward a new plan for the beloved Bridger-Teton is finally underway. Add your voice today to ensure the process gets off to a good start!
A few weeks ago, the Bridger-Teton National Forest released its draft assessment report. Though not a decision-making document, this report spells out the forest’s current social, ecological, cultural, and economic conditions.
This is the first of many steps toward a plan that will guide management of the Bridger-Teton for decades to come — so it’s critical we start with a comprehensive assessment. (Forest planning is a little like cooking dinner: You wouldn’t plan what to make without first seeing what ingredients you have in your pantry, right?)
As our team has parsed through the draft assessment, we’ve noticed some gaps that we think the Forest Service needs to address. We’ve laid those out in detail below.
Will you speak up for the future of the Bridger-Teton?
Writing a public comment is easy and only takes a few minutes. We’ve included a few suggested talking points below, but please personalize your comment and share any important corrections you think the draft assessment needs.
Suggested talking points:
Ungulate Migrations: The Assessment does not include a full inventory of big game migration data, including for the iconic Wyoming Range mule deer herd. Although it includes the three state-recognized migration corridors that overlap the Forest, it fails to recognize all the peer-reviewed research for elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and moose migrations. The Forest should include all big game migration data in the Final Assessment, including all the migration data published by USGS.
Wild and Scenic Rivers and Wilderness: The Assessment should include current trends regarding the successes and challenges of managing Designated and Eligible Wild and Scenic River Segments and Wilderness to help inform future management. The Forest should likewise work to finish the Wild and Scenic Rivers Eligibility, and Wilderness Inventory and Evaluation promptly and provide meaningful opportunities for the public to weigh in on the analyses and relevant recommendations that might be incorporated into the draft forest plan.
Tribal Engagement & Areas of Tribal Importance: The Forest should continue formal consultations with tribes who maintain connections to the BTNF as their ancestral homeland and migratory territories, and provide intentional opportunities for tribal communities and individual voices to be heard.
Recreation: Recreation on the Bridger-Teton has increased dramatically since 1990. The Forest should include any and all relevant data and information on recreational use, to ensure that a new forest plan appropriately mitigates wildlife conflicts and ensures sustainable recreation management. or shared our open citizens sign-on letter.
Potential Species of Conservation Concern: The common loon, Yellowstone cutthroat trout, and Bonneville cutthroat trout should be included on the list of potential species of conservation concern, given their unique populations and ongoing threats to their persistence.lp protect the best things about Wyoming.
The Bridger-Teton is one of Wyoming’s most cherished places. Now is the time to speak up to ensure the forest planning process starts with the most complete information possible.
Thank you for supporting Wyoming’s largest forest. If you’d like to learn more and speak directly with Forest Staff, consider attending an open house near you!
August 12 — Wilson, Old Wilson Schoolhouse, 5–7 p.m. August 19 — Cokeville, Cokeville Town Hall, 5–6:30 p.m. August 20 — Bondurant, St. Hubert the Hunter Church, 5–6:30 p.m. August 21 — Alpine, Alpine Civic Center, 5–7 p.m.
For Wyomingites, it can be hard to picture the hustle and bustle that occurs in Washington D.C., the seat of our nation’s government, where all our laws and policies are formed. Even more difficult can be tracking these intricate workings as Congress works to pass laws that will support their current political agenda.
Politics and processes aside, most Wyomingites can agree that our vast public lands are the reason that many of us live here (and not in D.C.) — and that any efforts to threaten future access are an affront to our way of life. Last week, I had the privilege of traveling to our nation’s capital to advocate for protecting our public lands from these threats to defund and dismantle our public lands.
In February, we witnessed major staffing cuts to the federal agencies tasked with managing our public lands, forests, and national parks. In the face of a growing recreation and tourism industry, and decades of budget cuts to several vital agencies, these short-sighted reductions in force have many of us wondering just how our public lands will be appropriately managed.
Luckily, Wyomingites of all walks of life spoke up and I was proud to hand-deliver a printed letter to Wyoming’s Congressional delegation that over 1,200 citizens signed, opposing these mass federal agency layoffs. The message was well received, but our work to see our public lands stewarded for future generations is far from over.
In addition to the risks caused by our land management agencies being under-staffed and under-funded, a larger threat looms in the form of some members of Congress being dead set on selling our federal public lands, calling the sale of public lands a “great idea.”
In response to the threat, U.S. Senators voted on an amendment brought by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico) late on Friday, April 4, that would have prevented the sell-off of lands from being included in Congress’ upcoming budget reconciliation.
Our lawmakers had the opportunity to protect our public lands from being sold off to pay for future tax cuts — and, unfortunately, they failed to do so. The amendment died on a 48–52 vote, leaving the threat of land sell-off on the table. Even more unfortunate was the fact that both Wyoming Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis voted against the amendment.
To put it bluntly, the threats to our public lands have never been greater. With the potential sale of federal lands being included in this upcoming budget package and more federal agency layoffs right around the corner, we need Wyomingites to keep speaking up on these issues so that our delegation hears them. Now more than ever, those of us who love our public lands need to fight to ensure they remain and are well stewarded.
If you haven’t signed or shared our open citizens sign-on letter defending our public lands stewards, please sign below, or consider contacting your Congressional representatives today to let them know that you value our public lands far too much for them to be sold off. Some things just aren’t for sale. As always, thanks for speaking up and stay tuned for more ways that you can help protect the best things about Wyoming.
LANDER, WYOMING (March 4, 2025) — Yesterday, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department announced a new phase in the process to designate the Sublette Pronghorn migration corridor, releasing a comprehensive Biological Risk and Opportunity Assessment. This report outlines specific threats to migration and opportunities for conservation along 10 discrete segments of the migration corridor. This marks an important step in the process to officially designate the migration corridor, initiating a formal public comment period that runs through May 2.
In response, the Wyoming Outdoor Council issued the following statement:
“We at the Wyoming Outdoor Council congratulate Department biologists on their thorough analysis of the Sublette Pronghorn migration. The Biological Risk and Opportunity Assessment clearly demonstrates the need to designate this migration corridor,” Meghan Riley, wildlife program manager for WOC, said. “The level of detail, not to mention the years of data and work, that went into this assessment are truly astounding.”
After the harsh winter of 2022–23 drastically reduced the Sublette herd’s population, alleviating pressure from development in key migratory habitat is imperative for its recovery. Animals that were able to migrate further south experienced higher survival rates than pronghorn that overwintered to the north, clearly demonstrating the need to protect connectivity between seasonal ranges.
“This population took a huge hit, especially in the north of the herd’s range. Recovery is slow-going and precarious, given existing and anticipated threats to corridor functionality,” Riley said. “With widespread public support for conserving this herd’s migratory habitat, it is our hope that the Game and Fish Commission heeds the call to protect this storied herd of pronghorn for current and future generations to enjoy.”
Following an analysis of public comments, Game and Fish will present its case for designation to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission at their July meeting. At this time, commissioners will vote on whether or not to recommend designation of the Sublette Pronghorn migration corridor to the governor.
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!
This month, the Bureau of Management unveiled its new plan for Greater sage-grouse. With the plan comes a ray of hope — both for the imperiled bird and the ever-diminishing sagebrush steppe ecosystem it depends on. Since the BLM manages more sage-grouse habitat than any other entity, actions taken on these public lands will have massive impacts across the West. The BLM’s final Greater Sage-Grouse Resource Management Plan Amendments serve as a new blueprint for how the agency will manage sagebrush habitat on behalf of sage-grouse, other wildlife, and a slew of other uses. What remains to be seen is if we can muster the political will to make this plan a reality and address the very real challenges facing an ecosystem in distress.
As the process leading up to this final plan has shown, there will always be competing voices saying that the BLM is using too heavy a hand, and those saying that the agency isn’t doing enough for sage-grouse. But what’s needed right now isn’t ongoing disagreement, nor delays. Research shows we’re hemorrhaging more than 1 million acres of functioning sagebrush habitat a year. Sage-grouse numbers are a sliver of what they were sixty years ago. To stem declines and retain this species on Wyoming’s wide-open landscapes, what’s needed right now is action.
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the plan — how we got here, what the plan does, and what we can expect looking ahead.
The long path towards a sage-grouse plan
Sage-grouse and the sagebrush steppe that sustains them are in trouble. Both have experienced steep losses, with populations of sage-grouse down 80 percent from 1965. Sage-grouse act as a bellwether for the overall health of the sagebrush ecosystem and their decline sounds the alarm for the future of these lands and the communities that depend on them. Without decisive action from the BLM to address growing threats, the bird’s habitat will be further compromised, resulting in rangewide sage-grouse population losses.
Here in Wyoming, we have been fortunate compared to other range states. Between Wyoming’s executive order that’s helped protect sage-grouse habitat with bipartisan support since 2008, climatic conditions that favor sagebrush, and a small human population, Wyoming’s sage-grouse populations have been more resilient than those in neighboring states. Nevertheless, Wyoming is not immune to the habitat loss and degradation laying siege to the Intermountain West and continued long-term declines in Wyoming are a concern. A comprehensive, West-wide sage-grouse plan from the BLM is wholly necessary and overdue.
The BLM has been trying to tackle this problem for going on 10 years. First petitioned for listing in 1999, the US Fish and Wildlife Service determined that Endangered Species Act protection for the Greater sage-grouse was warranted in 2010. This kicked off a massive effort between states and federal agencies — an effort in which Wyoming played a leading role — to create robust plans for protective management. The BLM’s first range-wide sage-grouse management plans rolled out in 2015 with strong bipartisan support from Western governors. In response to conservation measures in these 2015 plans, the USFWS determined the species no longer needed federal protection under the ESA. Unfortunately, these plans were never fully implemented as intended before the first Trump administration carried out revisions that weakened habitat protections to better favor industry. That revised plan was finalized in 2019, but was quickly blocked following litigation. Now, once again, the BLM is on the cusp of finalizing a plan for managing sage-grouse habitat. By building off the 2015 and 2019 plans, clarifying points of confusion, incorporating the latest science, and weighing input from varied stakeholders, the BLM has put forward a balanced approach to sage-grouse habitat management that honors the agency’s multiple-use mandate.
Greater sage-grouse populations across the bird’s range have declined precipitously since the 1960s.
What the plan means for Wyoming
This sage-grouse plan is truly staggering in its scope and detail, as you would expect for a document that amends land use plans for over 70 BLM field offices across 10 states. For Wyoming specifically, the plan introduces some significant new protections for the bird’s habitat to ensure development and industrial uses don’t come at the expense of sage-grouse. With about 97 percent of BLM lands in Wyoming classified as sage-grouse habitat — and almost half of that considered “priority habitat” — this is a big deal! Below are some of the standout provisions that would apply to sage-grouse habitat in Wyoming under the final sage-grouse plan.
Sage-grouse habitat designations used by BLM in the final Greater Sage-Grouse Resource Management Plan Amendments. These designations are based on maps provided by the state of Wyoming and mirror general habitat and core area classifications recognized by the state.
Priority Habitat Management Areas
This is the best of the best sage-grouse habitat and overlaps what the state of Wyoming has identified as sage-grouse “core area”. Just under half of the land BLM manages in Wyoming is classified as PHMA, at about 8.6 million acres. Under BLM’s latest plan, these are just some of the management guidelines that would apply in priority habitat:
Utility-Scale Solar: excluded; some exceptions
Utility-Scale Wind: excluded; some exceptions
Oil and Gas Leasing: no surface occupancy; some exceptions/modifications/waivers
Major Right of Ways: avoidance area unless specific conditions met
Priority Habitat Management Areas with Limited Exceptions
In reviewing the best available science, along with copious public comment, the BLM determined that select areas of priority habitat are of such exceptional quality and importance to sage-grouse that they warrant the highest level of protection. These are classified as “Priority Habitat Management Areas with Limited Exceptions”. One such area covering roughly 273,000 acres was identified in southwest Wyoming — the so-called “Golden Triangle,” which is home to the densest population of sage-grouse on Earth. This area overlaps the South Wind River Area of Critical Environmental Concern, or ACEC, included in the new Rock Springs Resource Management Plan, underscoring how irreplaceable this region of Wyoming is to a wide range of wildlife. The following noteworthy management guidelines would apply here:
Utility-Scale Solar: excluded; no exceptions
Utility-Scale Wind: excluded; no exceptions
Oil and Gas Leasing – no surface occupancy; no exceptions, modifications, or waivers
Major Right of Ways – excluded; some exceptions
Of note, the BLM considered designating this area and three others in Wyoming as ACECs in light of their significance for sage-grouse. However, partly in response to concerns voiced by Gov. Gordon, the BLM eliminated all ACECs from the latest proposed management approach we have before us.
Adaptive Management
The BLM is taking steps to standardize how it adapts management approaches when habitat and population measures dip too much, too quickly. The monitoring methods identified to inform this adaptive management, such as the Habitat Assessment Framework and Targeted Annual Warning System, are intended to create a consistent, rangewide system that catches problems before they snowball out of control. Engagement by the states in this process — especially through the free sharing of data — is critical. As the wildlife professionals responsible for sage-grouse management, each state game and fish agency oversees lek counts in the spring to gauge population levels. Having Wyoming and other states participate meaningfully is for the collective benefit of understanding how the bird is doing across its range and will allow closer examination of circumstances on the ground when areas of concern are flagged.
Where do we go from here?
Additional review of the plan is required between now and January, when a “Record of Decision” could be issued and the plan can take effect. This includes a 30-day protest period for the public and a 60-day consistency review carried out by Governors in affected range states. The BLM has signaled its commitment to getting this plan finalized expeditiously, but time is in very short supply.
Overview of the NEPA process with star denoting where the BLM’s new sage-grouse plan currently stands.
After years of setbacks, it is tantalizing to see so many positive conservation measures enshrined in BLM’s new proposed sage-grouse plan. As sagebrush country faces growing threats — including a quick-moving onslaught of invasive annual grasses that cause more frequent, larger, and hotter wildfires — the time for inaction is gone. Here in Wyoming, where the health of private and public lands are intertwined and vital to the future of our communities, the benefits of smart, protective management on our public lands are far-reaching.
Unfortunately, as is the case for several actions taken in these final months of the Biden Administration, Trump’s ascendency in Washington threatens to undo a lot of this good work. Whether we see attempts to scrap the plan outright, aggressive lawsuits from multiple corners, or yet another plan rewrite, we can be sure of attacks on what the BLM has put forward. We will do all we can to push for science-based solutions and support sage-grouse conservation in the coming storm and seek allies anywhere we can find them. Neither these birds, nor the hundreds of other species they share the sagebrush biome with, have the luxury or capacity to despair in the face of mounting threats and dwindling habitat. They merely soldier on with an inextinguishable will to survive. It is up to us to do right by them and keep fighting on their behalf.
In a disappointing move, the Teton District Board of Health declined to adopt a proposed rule that would alert residents when increasing levels of harmful nitrates are detected in drinking water. The rule, drafted by the Wyoming Outdoor Council and Protect Our Water Jackson Hole, would have required the county health department to notify the public when elevated levels of nitrates are detected in any of the county’s 114 public water systems and investigate the source of the pollution.
While this is an unfortunate delay, the residents of Teton County have made it clear that clean, safe drinking water should be a priority in their community. Together with our partners, the Outdoor Council will continue working with county officials to enact this important safeguard.
OIL AND GAS LEASING
In late January, the Biden administration announced an executive order pausing new oil and gas leasing on public lands so the Department of the Interior can conduct a “rigorous review of all existing leasing and permitting practices related to fossil fuel development on public lands and waters.”
The oil and gas industry is an important part of Wyoming’s economy and, when done properly, development has a place on our public lands. However, the federal leasing program is decades out of date. We’ll continue to push for common-sense leasing reforms that will place the many other uses and values of our public lands (like wildlife habitat, historic cultural sites, and outdoor recreation) on equal footing with development, while also ensuring a fair return for taxpayers. Importantly, we want to see an end to noncompetitive “over-the-counter” leases as well as leasing of lands with low potential for producing oil and gas.
Thank you, members, for your phenomenal engagement with the Senate Corporations Committee to protect our rooftop solar industry and oppose SF 16 — the latest attempt to remove or weaken Wyoming’s net metering law.
The chair of the committee noted that they received “about 1,000” emails regarding this bill. As usual, only utility companies supported this legislation. The rest of those testifying at Tuesday’s meeting, including representatives from local governments, solar installers, and the general public, spoke out against SF 16 and highlighted the many benefits of this small-scale renewable industry for our state.
The committee voted to delete the most egregious part of this bill, and changed timelines to be more reasonable, but then voted to move the bill forward to the legislature’s virtual session next week. We still have grave concerns about the bill, because it requires a study by the Wyoming Public Service Commission that is biased against net metering, and does not consider the benefits of small-scale solar. We will keep you informed of what can be done next. Thank you again for the tremendous support — you were heard!
VIRTUAL LEGISLATURE GETS UNDERWAY
Last week marked the beginning of the very unusual 2021 Wyoming state legislative session. You might have noticed that, unlike most years, you didn’t get a weekly recap email. That’s because this year, to cope with the many logistical obstacles that the COVID-19 pandemic poses to running a normal session, the state legislature is breaking the legislative calendar up into several parts. Between January and the end of March, you can expect to hear from us on bills that are moving — and where we need your help. You can find our guide to the legislature and more resources here.
This week, House and Senate committees are meeting remotely over Zoom to consider bills that were worked on by joint committees over the interim and assigned to one chamber or the other. Bills that pass committee will move on to the full chamber during an 8-day virtual session between January 27 and February 5.
However, the work won’t be over. After the virtual session is wrapped, the legislature will reconvene, either virtually or in person, for the month of March. Any bills that are still alive at the end of the 8-day virtual session, but haven’t yet been passed by both chambers, will return at that time. We expect to see lots of new bills considered, too.
If this sounds confusing, we understand! The legislative session is always chaotic and tumultuous, and we are expecting this year to be even more so as we navigate the many ups, downs, and “what ifs” of trying to communicate with a legislature that is meeting both in person and remotely. Throughout this disjointed session we will keep you informed about what you can expect and where your voices are most critical for protecting the Wyoming conservation values we cherish most.
