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Lands

Keep up the pressure to save our sagebrush

Posted on by Meghan Riley

The Bureau of Land Management rang in the new year with a bang and has cued up a public comment doubleheader for two upcoming oil and gas lease sales. I hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity to share your views on both sales with the BLM in one fell swoop!

First up, the newly proposed September lease sale would open more than 95,000 acres of public land to oil and gas development, 20 percent of which overlaps priority sage-grouse habitat. With sagebrush habitat in freefall, and ongoing sage-grouse population declines, we should be shoring up the best remaining sage-grouse habitat, not leasing it out for industrial development. Also of concern is a parcel directly adjacent to, and possibly overlapping, two Wilderness Study Areas (Alkali Basin/East Sand Dune and Red Lake) and 19 parcels in crucial winter range for mule deer, pronghorn, and elk.

COMMENT ON THE SEPTEMBER SALE

I do have some good news to share: Thanks in part to public comments from people like you, the BLM issued an Environmental Assessment that could remove 80,000 acres of public land from the June lease sale, much of which was also in priority sage-grouse habitat. Now is the time to let the BLM know that we are in favor of these deferrals. That said, dozens of parcels are still being offered in priority sage-grouse habitat along with three parcels in Wyoming’s officially designated Baggs mule deer migration corridor. I encourage you to speak up on behalf of these conservation values on our public lands.

COMMENT ON THE JUNE SALE

Your comments can be brief and highlight your own personal connection to the wildlife and landscapes in question. You may also want to highlight that:

  • The BLM has made previous commitments to avoid new surface disturbance in high priority habitat, yet both proposed sales include parcels that lie within this core sage-grouse habitat.
  • Across the West, we are losing 1.3 million acres of sagebrush habitat annually and the primary threat to sagebrush in Wyoming is development. Protecting core, healthy tracts of sagebrush habitat from disturbance is crucial to the ecosystem and benefits many other species of wildlife that depend on sagebrush.
  • More than 8 million acres of public lands in Wyoming are already leased to oil and gas companies, with 4.2 million acres sitting idle and undeveloped. Companies have ample opportunity for drilling without the BLM leasing additional parcels.

Comments on the September sale are due Jan. 19, and comments for the June sale are due Jan. 23.

Thank you for your commitment to the lands and wildlife that sustain us all!

Action alert: Insist the BLM safeguard sage-grouse habitat in Wyoming

Posted on by Meghan Riley

The Bureau of Land Management has announced plans to lease more than 250,000 acres of public lands in Wyoming for oil and gas development in the beginning of 2023. Sage-grouse habitat is impacted on nearly every acre of the proposed lease sale. 

Greater sage-grouse have declined across their range by 80% since 1965, and habitat loss is a significant driver in those declines. We are losing sagebrush habitat at a rate of 1.3 million acres a year throughout the West, but Wyoming is a bright spot, retaining more intact sagebrush habitat than any other state in the union. Wyoming has a valuable role to play in preserving sage-grouse populations and the sagebrush ecosystem by shoring up our remaining stretches of healthy habitat. 

SUBMIT A PUBLIC COMMENT

We at the Wyoming Outdoor Council believe the BLM should, at minimum, remove all parcels encompassing “priority” or “core” sage-grouse habitat from this sale — although offering any parcels within “general” sage-grouse habitat is also ill-advised. The development that we allow in Wyoming has far-reaching implications for the persistence of sage-grouse nationally, and staving off an Endangered Species Act listing depends on providing these birds the space they need on the landscape. Given the downward trajectory of sage-grouse numbers, we should not be offering up sage-grouse habitat for industrial development. 

The BLM is accepting public scoping comments until Nov. 7 to identify issues that should be addressed in the agency’s environmental review. If you have a moment, send a brief, personal message to the BLM asking that sage-grouse core areas be removed from the sale. Sharing your concerns with the sale, and your personal connection to the wildlife and landscapes that will be affected, can help influence the agency to take conservation values into account. 

In your comments, you may want to highlight that:

  • The vast majority of the proposed lease sale falls in sage-grouse habitat (205 out of 209 parcels). The BLM has made previous commitments to avoid new surface disturbance in high priority habitat, yet 70 of the parcels lie within this core sage-grouse habitat. 
  • Across the West, we are losing 1.3 million acres of sagebrush habitat annually and the primary threat to sagebrush in Wyoming is development. Protecting core, healthy tracts of sagebrush habitat from disturbance is crucial to the ecosystem and benefits numerous other species of wildlife that depend on sagebrush.
  • More than 8 million acres of public lands in Wyoming are already leased to oil and gas companies, with 4.2 million acres sitting idle and undeveloped. Companies have ample opportunity for drilling without the BLM leasing additional parcels. 

Thank you for taking the time to be a champion for our wild species and wild places. If you have questions, please reach out to Meghan Riley, the Outdoor Council’s public lands and wildlife advocate. 

SUBMIT A PUBLIC COMMENT

Scenes from Run the Red and Wyoming Public Lands Day 2022

Posted on by Alan Rogers

The eighth annual Run the Red trail race took off from South Pass City Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 celebrating Wyoming Public Lands day with a testament to our incredible public lands. Over 260 runners — the most in the history of the event — stepped up to the challenge, venturing into the vast and beautiful Red Desert to tackle either the half marathon, 50K or grueling 100K distances.

Together with co-sponsors Wyoming Wilderness Association and National Outdoor Leadership School, the Wyoming Outdoor Council has anchored conservation into the character of this nationally recognized trail race: all participants supported Citizens for the Red Desert with a small donation or participated in a volunteer stewardship project at South Pass. Special thanks to WOC engagement coordinator Kyle Elmquist, our partners, and everyone who volunteered to make the day memorable!

Photos courtesy of our race directors at Everlong Endurance.

Q&A with Kara Choquette, Wyoming Energy Authority

Posted on by Alan Rogers

Kara Choquette is director of communications and government relations for wind energy developer Power Company of Wyoming, as well as the TransWest Express transmission line project. Earlier this year, she joined the board of the Wyoming Energy Authority. She shared her thoughts about the Energy Authority and the role of renewable energy in Wyoming’s future in a quick Q&A with the Outdoor Council.

Share a little about your background, and your experience in the energy industry. What motivates you to work in the energy sector in Wyoming, and how did that lead you to serve on the board of the WEA?

I’ve been working directly in the renewable energy space since 2009. That’s when I joined a company that is developing the nation’s largest single wind power project, in Carbon County, Wyoming, and is also developing a major new interregional electricity transmission line for Wyoming. It was a natural career transition for me and a compelling opportunity after spending over a decade working in the technology and water industries – which each include important energy-related aspects. I liked the fact that wind turbines create electricity without requiring any water. Having grown up on a family farm/ranch, I wanted to help bring more kinds of good-paying, stable, family-supporting jobs to a rural area. And I liked that wind energy is compatible with agricultural operations and multiple environmental objectives.


I’ve been an active participant in some manner with the Wyoming Energy Authority and with one of its predecessors, the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority, since 2009. Recently, I’ve been part of two multi-stakeholder state groups – the governor’s Platte Valley Mule Deer Local Area Working Group, and the University of Wyoming-led Renewable Energy Siting Collaborative. I was honored to join the WEA board because the WEA is at the forefront of “all things energy,” in the nation’s top Energy State, during a fascinating period of energy opportunity and evolution.

How do you see renewable energy fitting into the future of Wyoming’s economy and way of life?

To me, renewable energy is entirely consistent with Wyoming’s pioneering and pathfinding DNA. Wyoming’s history is filled with so many stories about developing new trails, exploring diverse opportunities, and responding creatively and decisively to changing markets and conditions. Renewable energy also can help maintain Wyoming’s longstanding leadership as an energy producer and exporter. The completion of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1869 opened up new access to new markets for otherwise-stranded resources in Wyoming, such as coal produced from Wyoming’s original coal-mining county (Carbon County). Similarly, new high-voltage interregional transmission lines will open up access to new markets for otherwise-stranded clean electricity resources in Wyoming. The state does not have in-state demand for all of the abundant mineral and non-mineral resources it can provide. When new non-mineral power plants can compete and can secure customers out-of-state, that will create more new energy jobs and new sources of energy revenues in-state.

What are your hopes for your time with the Wyoming Energy Authority? What would you like to see WEA achieve?

The Wyoming Energy Authority is a relatively new entity, created by the state in 2019 (via Senate File 37). The WEA’s primary purpose is straightforward: “diversify and expand the Wyoming economy through improvements in the state’s electric and energy transmission infrastructure and facilitate Wyoming’s production, development and transmission of energy and associated natural resources.” I would like to be part of the WEA continuing to grow and achieve its purpose, especially in areas related to the clean energy technologies that are increasingly in demand today and in the near future. I hope to add value by bringing diverse expertise specifically in the renewable energy sector, and an enthusiasm for other important energy aspects like energy efficiency. The WEA is fortunate to have an outstanding executive director, smart and dedicated staff, and top mineral and non-mineral energy experts who have been on the board since its inception; I’m glad to be part of this team.

A Message from the Director

Posted on by Lisa McGee

Advocating for conservation in Wyoming is demanding work, both for the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s staff and for passionate members like you. Not only are there more issues than we can possibly address as a small organization in a geographically large state, but for people with big hearts and a love for the wild, open spaces of Wyoming, the outcomes are personal. 

We don’t always win. When we do find success, as frequent as it may be, it’s often in the form of a quiet victory or incremental change. The forces working against us — whether it’s government inertia or downright hostile opposition from other stakeholders — can often feel overwhelming. 

But we aren’t in this alone. After all, we have each other. 

Poll after poll shows that the vast majority of our fellow Wyomingites — even if they don’t consider themselves “conservationists” — value public lands, wide open spaces, wildlife, clean air, and clean water. Our challenge is to meet people where they are and attempt to find common ground. The more we make these connections, value multiple perspectives, and seek input from a diversity of people outside of our organization in Wyoming and beyond, the more likely we are to succeed in our mission.

However difficult it may be, an honest and respectful conversation with a person who disagrees with our position does more good than assuming we have all the answers. 

Everything we hope to accomplish depends on relationships. Wyoming is a state where a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can seek creative solutions to tough problems and make a difference. And, as you’ll read in the coming pages, positive things can happen when a group of people with diverse perspectives put their heads together around an issue of mutual concern instead of staying in their own camps. 

Everything we hope to accomplish depends on relationships. Wyoming is a state where a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can seek creative solutions to tough problems and make a difference.

Thank you for being part of the Outdoor Council community in 2022. I take comfort in knowing, despite the obstacles and the slow pace of change, we’re all in this together. I hope you’ll remember that as well. 

Everything in its Place

Posted on by John Burrows

EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE

How do we make sure the coming boom in renewable energy
isn’t a bust for our wildlife and public lands? 

This story, like much of the good work that happens in Lander, began as a meeting over coffee at the Lander Bake Shop. Staff from several conservation groups, including the Wyoming Outdoor Council, had gathered to look at GPS tracking collar data from pronghorn around Sweetwater Solar, Wyoming’s first large-scale solar project on public land.

 The map of the pronghorn’s movement was infuriating — the 700-acre solar development had been placed right in the middle of crucial winter habitat. Fences surrounding the project had funneled many of the animals onto Highway 372 north of the city of Green River, creating hazards for both wildlife and drivers. The impacts of the Sweetwater Solar project on pronghorn were completely predictable and avoidable. But aside from a brief Environmental Assessment required by the Bureau of Land Management, there was little in the existing permitting process to direct the developers to a better location where wildlife conflicts could have been avoided. 

What became clear in that meeting and in subsequent discussions was that the Sweetwater Solar project was likely a harbinger of what’s to come in the next decade as the cost of developing solar and wind energy continues to fall dramatically. 

The expected boom in renewable energy puts advocates for conservation in Wyoming in a challenging spot. We understand the dire importance of transitioning to cleaner energy sources, and at the same time recognize the significant development footprint that utility-scale renewables can have on Wyoming’s wildlife and open spaces. The question and dilemma on many of our minds is this: How does Wyoming decarbonize its electricity production while not sacrificing the crucial wildlife habitat and open space that make it so unique? 

As with many of the challenges our state faces, there is no silver bullet to solve this problem, but common sense and science both tell us that focusing our efforts on responsible siting and permitting processes for renewables is the logical place to start. That’s exactly what WOC tried to do with its effort to jumpstart the Wyoming Renewable Energy Siting Collaborative. 

As with many of the challenges our state faces, there is no silver bullet to solve this problem, but common sense and science both tell us that focusing our efforts on responsible siting and permitting processes for renewables is the logical place to start.

After the 2020 legislative session, WOC started reaching out to stakeholders around the state to understand the perception of renewable energy and ways we might be able to improve our siting and permitting policies. We worked closely with faculty at the University of Wyoming to convene a group of policy thinkers representing conservation, industry, local government, landowners, and independent consultants to explore opportunities for the state to improve how renewable energy is sited. 

During 2021 this group met nine times over Zoom to discuss issues related to renewable energy in Wyoming, including tax policy, federal and state revenue sharing, transmission development, supply chain manufacturing, and other topics. The group also learned from and consulted with experts from the Wyoming Industrial Siting Division, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust. The group’s final recommendations were published in November 2021 and can be found on UW’s Ruckelshaus Institute website. 

These recommendations are a start. They form an important foundation for future policy and advocacy work, especially as our country moves to decarbonize electricity production and accelerate the growth of renewables. They also show that industry and conservation can work together to agree on important concepts moving forward. 

Some of the most important points of agreement in these recommendations address the need for more proactive planning for renewable development on public lands, the need for early and frequent consultation with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to avoid wildlife conflicts, and the need to evaluate previously disturbed locations as places to site renewable energy. There is also strong agreement on the importance of public transparency and engagement as projects move forward so impacted citizens and communities have opportunities for meaningful input on project proposals. 

We know that more wind and solar energy is on the horizon, and the development of these resources will present historic challenges and opportunities for Wyoming. But as with all development, we must insist that this growth be done on our terms — in a responsible and measured way — that does not degrade and diminish the very things clean energy is supposed to protect. Holding that line will require leadership at the state level. It will also take collaborative efforts like the one that played out last year at the University of Wyoming — with the full spectrum of experts and advocates coming together with a shared goal of making sure future development is sited appropriately. We’ve already seen the impacts on wildlife when things go wrong. But done right, renewable energy development could be an asset, not a liability, to Wyoming’s environment and quality of life.

Tell the BLM to keep Wyoming wildlife habitat off the auction block

Posted on by John Rader

Tell the BLM to keep Wyoming wildlife habitat off the auction block

At the start of 2022, the federal government plans to lease more than 179,000 acres of public lands in Wyoming for oil and gas development.

While the Wyoming Outdoor Council appreciates that the Bureau of Land Management removed many parcels within “priority” or “core” sage-grouse habitat from this sale, most of the remaining parcels are still well within the imperiled bird’s range. Sage-grouse are in steep decline across the West, and the federal government is currently updating its management plans in an effort to prevent an Endangered Species Act listing. Until we have an updated strategy, based on the best available science, we should not be offering up sage-grouse habitat for industrial development.

The BLM is accepting public comment until Dec. 1. If you have a moment, please to send a brief, personal message to the BLM asking that sensitive wildlife habitat be removed from the sale.

SUBMIT A PUBLIC COMMENT

As you may know, lease sales were paused early this year so the Department of the Interior could conduct a review of the program because of fiscal waste and problems with accountability and transparency that the Government Accountability Office has flagged for decades. That review has still not been completed, but for the time being a federal judge has ordered leasing to resume.

The upcoming sale illustrates some of the faults with the current leasing system. It includes parcels adjacent to wilderness study areas, in some of our best wildlife habitat, and in areas that are highly prized for backcountry recreation and hunting — even though they’ve been shown to have low potential for ever producing oil and gas. The BLM did not meet its obligation to consult meaningfully with Tribes that have ancestral ties to the region. And the environmental review did not consider localized impacts of climate change, such as the effects on wildlife habitat, water resources, or wildfires.

Five million acres of public lands in Wyoming are leased for oil and gas but not yet developed. Clearly the industry has what it needs to continue business-as-usual drilling and production for many years to come, so let’s make sure our irreplaceable wildlife have the space they need to thrive.

Risks must be addressed before “advanced” nuclear reactors come to Wyoming

Posted on by John Rader

Risks must be addressed before “advanced” nuclear reactors come to Wyoming

Wyoming’s energy sector is a critical element of our state’s economy, providing revenue for public services and good-paying jobs that support our communities. Most of the energy we produce is exported and, as such, our energy economy is heavily influenced by the global market, which is rapidly turning towards decarbonization. Nuclear energy is a carbon-neutral power source, one that the federal Department of Energy considers critical for combating climate change. But boondoggles in other states and countries demonstrate that the new, untested technologies supported by the federal government pose economic, environmental, and safety risks that must be thoroughly considered before “advanced” nuclear reactors are constructed in Wyoming. 

Elected officials in Wyoming have voiced support for an experimental nuclear power plant known as the Natrium project, proposed by Rocky Mountain Power and TerraPower, a nuclear design and development firm founded by Bill Gates. 

Gates, Gov. Mark Gordon, and U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm unveiled the proposal to much fanfare this June, touting the potential for diversifying the state’s energy economy and job market while adding zero-emissions power generation to the grid. The reactor is planned to be built on the site of one of several coal-fired power plants that Rocky Mountain Power’s parent company PacifiCorp plans to close in the coming years — in the communities of Kemmerer, Rock Springs, Glenrock, and Gillette. It comes with a $1 billion minimum price tag (capped at a potential $4 billion), half of which will be funded by the federal government, and is a sodium-cooled fast reactor that uses molten metal rather than water as coolant. The developers want to have the plant in service by 2028. 

Some elements of the proposed project are sound. Building the demonstration reactor on the site of an existing coal-fired power plant reduces the need to disturb undeveloped land. Equally important, taking advantage of existing electrical transmission lines will minimize impacts on the surrounding land, simplify the permitting process, and avoid potential conflicts with private landowners. And endeavoring to train and employ local workers could provide a new source of economic stability in coal communities. 

But there are reasons to question the hype around this project. 

Economics

Natrium is not a silver bullet to solve Wyoming’s economic woes. While nuclear plants could fill some gaps in the workforce left by closing coal-fired power plants, they would not replace the mineral royalties that provide the bulk of funding for state services, local governments, and schools. Revenue for the state would come from taxes on the electricity that is generated, and TerraPower and Rocky Mountain Power have already approached the Wyoming Legislature seeking tax cuts. 

Nuclear power is expensive and getting pricier, while other existing, properly-vetted energy technologies are already cheaper than coal and continue to become more affordable. Between 2009 and 2020, the cost of solar power generation went down by 90 percent and the cost of wind energy declined 70 percent. Natural gas also became more affordable. Meanwhile, the cost of electricity from coal stayed largely stable and the cost of nuclear power increased by 33 percent. 

Around the country, other advanced reactor projects have invariably been over budget, years behind schedule, and underperforming — if they work at all.

  • Duke Energy abandoned a recent nuclear energy project with an estimated cost of $5 billion when costs ended up exceeding $22 billion, but not before the Florida Public Service Commission approved passing on $800 million in excess costs to ratepayers for a project that never produced a kilowatt of energy.
  • South Carolina’s Public Service Commission approved a massive nuclear energy project at a cost of $9 billion. The project was ultimately abandoned, never producing energy and leaving ratepayers to pick up the tab.
  • The Vogtle plant in Georgia — currently under construction and six years behind schedule — had an estimated cost of $14 billion but costs have now soared to at least $26 billion. In mid-October that state’s Public Service Commission struck an agreement allowing Vogtle to pass on $2.1 billion in construction costs to ratepayers. 

The seven-year timeline for completing the Natrium project is ambitious in itself. Combined with the many additional hurdles the developers face — scaling up an unproven technology, conducting an environmental review of the yet-unknown location, the potential need for state lawmakers (who have their own concerns) to pass legislation to facilitate the project — delays seem all but inevitable. As we’ve seen, that means higher costs. 

Safety

Sodium-cooled fast reactors are theoretically less prone to meltdown than conventional nuclear reactors because they use liquid metal as coolant, rather than water. Sodium’s boiling point is higher than the reactor temperature, meaning the coolant can never boil or vaporize and the system does not need to be pressurized. But there’s a catch: Liquid sodium catches fire if exposed to air or water. Sodium-cooled reactors in other countries have experienced leaks that have led to fires and shutdowns, including the Monju project in Japan and the Superphénix in France.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is looking to streamline public processes for advanced nuclear projects, including safety and environmental reviews. The agency is considering a “generic” environmental impact statement for all advanced nuclear reactors across the country, rather than reviewing specific sites in detail. We shouldn’t be cutting corners on health and safety to rush through an untested technology, and Wyoming’s harsh climate and seismic activity underscore the need for site-specific reviews. It’s also important to note that the NRC is considering placing advanced reactors in rural areas as an added “safety” measure so fewer people would be harmed in the event of a catastrophe. 

Nuclear power plants must store all their waste on site, encased in concrete casks. Yucca Mountain in Nevada was identified by Congress in 1987 as the nation’s permanent underground nuclear waste repository, but it was never constructed and all progress has been halted for more than a decade. No state in the U.S. is willing to accept long-term or permanent storage of spent nuclear fuel — and the Wyoming Outdoor Council and our members have long opposed legislative proposals that would allow Wyoming to accept and “temporarily” store spent fuel rods. Our advocacy and a multitude of citizen voices resulted in the defeat of the legislature’s most recent storage proposal in 2019. 

Initially, TerraPower suggested that it would implement a “breed and burn” reactor that would effectively recycle its own waste by accepting depleted uranium. The company has since changed plans to a more conventional “once through” approach that would create more waste. And, even if a “breed and burn” reactor was used, it would take hundreds of years to recycle a significant portion of the fuel. 

Questions remain

Generally, the Wyoming Outdoor Council supports diversifying our energy sector and addressing decarbonization, both to combat climate change and shore up our state economy that for too long has been dependent on volatile fossil fuel markets. But we are skeptical of unproven, fast-tracked technologies that rely on taxpayer funding to be economically viable. And we are unwilling to gamble with this level of risk to the environment, public health and safety, and Wyoming’s ratepayers. 

Nuclear power will continue to play a role as U.S. utilities move toward zero-emissions energy, and there is the potential for new, advanced nuclear plants to complement renewables like wind and solar that are rapidly being added to the grid. The Natrium project itself has the potential to help at least one Wyoming community stay strong in the face of a coal plant closure. But there can be no half measures if Natrium is to become a reality. The people of Wyoming must have thorough, site-specific safety and environmental reviews before this experimental project moves forward. Ratepayers need to be protected from runaway construction costs. And all of us, especially our elected officials, need to remember that building a single power plant is not the silver bullet that will diversify Wyoming’s economy and provide a good quality of life for future generations. 

Scenes from Run the Red and Wyoming Public Lands Day 2021

Posted on by Alan Rogers

SCENES FROM RUN THE RED AND WYOMING PUBLIC LANDS DAY 2021

On Wyoming Public Lands Day, we gathered in South Pass City with hundreds of you to cheer on the Run the Red trail race runners and celebrate all our public lands have to offer us. After the 2020 event and many other in-person gatherings were cancelled due to COVID-19, being together in the Northern Red Desert with our community of members, partners, and friends was that much more special. Thank you to all the runners, volunteers, musicians, dancers, and everyone who joined us in the desert!

You can read more about the day in this story from the Casper Star-Tribune.

LET’S CELEBRATE WYOMING PUBLIC LANDS DAY, WHILE REMEMBERING A TROUBLED HISTORY

Posted on by Alan Rogers

LET’S CELEBRATE WYOMING PUBLIC LANDS DAY, WHILE REMEMBERING A TROUBLED HISTORY

This Saturday, Sept. 25, is Wyoming Public Lands Day.

Beginning in 2016, the Keep it Public, Wyoming coalition pushed back against attempts in the Wyoming Legislature to facilitate the transfer of federal public lands to the state. Were such a scheme successful, Wyoming would have needed to sell off the bulk of these lands to afford to manage the rest. In response to these efforts, the coalition decided to push for legislation that would instead celebrate public lands in Wyoming and their many values. In 2019, a bill sponsored by Rep. Andy Schwartz passed the legislature to create Wyoming Public Lands Day.

As we approach this state holiday, we’re also acutely aware that public lands are ancestral lands. Indigenous people called these lands home for millennia, until the U.S. government forcibly removed them. The Northern Red Desert — where the Wyoming Outdoor Council will be co-hosting the Run the Red trail races on Saturday — was used by Tribes including the Ute, Goshute, Paiute, Bannock, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Lakota, and Crow, and in particular was home to the Eastern Shoshone and Bannock people for at least 13,000 years. The first Fort Bridger Treaty recognized 44 million acres as those of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, but within five years, due to the discovery of gold and other minerals and the settling of immigrants, the U.S. government reduced the boundaries to roughly 2 million acres — what is now the Wind River Reservation. In 1878 the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone people were forced to live on the reservation together after the U.S. government broke its promise to the Northern Arapaho Tribe that it would have its own reservation. Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho people — as well as citizens from numerous other tribes including the Shoshone Bannock, Ute, Mountain Ute, Southern Ute, and Paiute — retain strong ties to the Red Desert.

Today, our public lands offer an array of experiences: from ceremonial to recreational. Even if you don’t have the opportunity to get out and enjoy our public lands on Saturday, we hope you’ll take a moment to appreciate how fortunate we are to have these lands at our doorstep — and the shared responsibility to care for them now and for future generations.

Most of the Wyoming Outdoor Council staff will be spending the day at the Wyoming Public Lands Day celebration in South Pass City. If you’re in the neighborhood, we hope you’ll stop through to enjoy some great food, live music, the Wind River Dancers and Big Wind Singers, and fellowship with folks who love public lands — and this special corner of Wyoming in particular.

SEE THE EVENTS SCHEDULE