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citizen engagement

Week Two at the Legislature: The bills are stacking up!

Posted on by Alec Underwood

The 2025 General Session is off to an exciting, fast-paced start, and bills are stacking up quickly. We’re keeping an eye on legislation that would impact private property, nuclear waste, rooftop solar, and other conservation priorities in Wyoming — read on for key updates!

HB118 attacks future land exchanges

HB118 would effectively restrict any land exchanges or conveyances that increase the amount of federal public lands. Even worse, it would potentially prevent private landowners from selling their land for conservation purposes or public access — and stymie deals that often result in huge benefits to the state, such as the Kelly Parcel.

Last week, the bill easily passed the House Agriculture Committee. Read more about our concerns around this bad bill on our blog, and keep an eye on your email for action alerts!

Say “No” to Nuclear Waste Storage

We’re keeping a close watch on HB16, a worrisome bill about nuclear waste storage, as it moves towards a House Committee. This bill redefines “high-level nuclear waste” to exclude “spent nuclear fuel” from its definition in order to streamline a process for bringing hazardous waste from the country’s commercial nuclear reactors to Wyoming. Once this bill is assigned to a committee, we’ll need your help to speak against this bad idea — again! Keep an eye on your email for action alerts, and find more information about this troubling bill here.

On our latest blog, Big Wind Carpenter, WOC tribal engagement coordinator, outlines the long-term stakes of nuclear waste storage with a personal story about growing up in the shadow of the uranium industry. Read it here!

Rooftop Solar: Two (very different) bills

We are tracking two bills that promote very different visions for the future of rooftop solar in Wyoming. The first, SF111- Net metering revisions is the latest legislative attack on energy independence and rooftop solar. It continues a saga of uncertainty for rooftop solar customers — and is simply not needed given the tiny amount of rooftop solar and backyard wind in the state.

The second, HB183 – Net metering amendments is actually a good bill that would promote rooftop solar and help more ranchers, schools, and local governments take advantage of the sun to lower rising utility bills. Check out our factsheets for these two very different bills at the links above. We’ll keep you updated as they head to committee in the coming days or weeks.

Keeping Game & Fish’s budget healthy

To avoid a looming budget crunch, SF99 seeks to give the Wyoming Game and Fish Department a financial boost. By exempting a subset of Game and Fish properties from taxation, the bill could save the agency upwards of half a million dollars annually and put those dollars to work on behalf of Wyoming’s wildlife and people.

We testified in support of this bill last Thursday and are happy to report the Senate Travel, Wildlife, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Committee voted unanimously to advance it. Next up, Senate Appropriations. Stay tuned!

Upcoming: BEERS & BILLS

Join us January 30 at Black Tooth Brewing in Cheyenne (or via Zoom!) for a lively panel discussion with experts on the session’s most important topics.

If you’re curious about what to expect during the session or want to get more involved, this is an event not to miss. Doors open at 5 p.m., and the panel discussion (and livestream) begins at 5:30. This event is free and open to the public, but your RSVP will help us plan.

As we work to understand the many bills and priorities of this new legislature, we want to thank you for your support and engagement. The core values that have always guided us — clean air, clean water, and support for our public lands and wildlife — ring just as true today as they did nearly 60 years ago when we first entered the debate in Cheyenne.

This can be challenging work, but we are here for the fight. We couldn’t do it without support from people like you! Stay tuned for opportunities to leverage your voice to make an impact.

Want to stay in the loop on important legislation and opportunities to take action? Sign up for our legislative emails!

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Image: Meghan Riley

House Bill 118 attacks future public lands access and landowner rights

Posted on by Alec Underwood

The sale of the beloved Kelly Parcel, the former state section that has now been successfully incorporated into Grand Teton National Park, represented a win-win for wildlife and state trust beneficiaries. The $100 million generated from the sale will benefit Wyoming’s education system for decades to come. Unfortunately, some legislators are dead-set on preventing future deals with the federal government that could result in huge sources of revenue to the state — and also infringe on private property rights.

HB118 flew through the House Agriculture committee last week on an 8-1 vote, and without much debate, before passing the House Committee of the Whole shortly thereafter. The bill would essentially limit any land exchanges or conveyances that would result in a net gain of federal public lands. Even worse, the bill would potentially prevent private landowners from selling or conveying their land for conservation purposes or public access.

In addition to an attack on landowners’ rights, this bill is shortsighted because it stymies deals that often result in more benefits to the state. Even the Office of State Lands and Investments testified on the draft bill, indicating that it runs counter to the state agency’s existing rules and regulations and current efforts to find and shepherd deals to maximize state lands revenues. That’s because within state land sales or exchanges, valuation is not calculated solely on acreage.

In the case of the Kelly Parcel, a tract that has high conservation value, a combination of private and federal funding resulted in a sale to the federal government that was $38 million more than the parcel’s appraised value. So why would legislators want to shackle our own state agencies, infringe on private property rights, and prevent future deals that result in more public lands? We have no idea — but what we do know is that bills like HB118 are an affront to Wyoming values.

Most Wyomingites can agree that finding ways to conserve land while also generating revenue for the state is a benefit to all Wyomingites, and our wildlife, too. That’s why we need YOU to speak out against shortsighted legislation like HB118. In the coming weeks, we’ll be asking you to take action on a variety of bills, including this one and other draft legislation that impact the values we care about most. We hope you’re ready for the challenge and stay tuned for more, very soon.

Image: Charles Stirum

Nuclear waste storage and the 2025 Wyoming Legislature: What you need to know

Posted on by Max Owens

Should Wyoming become the nation’s dumping ground for radioactive waste? HB16, a bill being considered by state lawmakers, would open the door for a high-level nuclear waste storage facility within state boundaries. Storing this waste comes with risks to Wyoming’s environment, public health, and economy — which is why we’re tracking this bill closely.

Read on for recent updates and more information.

LATEST NEWS

READ MORE

Click below to read more information on nuclear waste storage and HB16.

TAKE ACTION

If you share our concerns about nuclear waste storage in Wyoming, we could use your help. Tell your legislators that you oppose nuclear dumps in Wyoming, and sign up here to be notified with alerts as this bill moves through the legislature.

Image: ShinRyu Forgers | Wikimedia Commons CC

Wyoming’s 68th Legislature begins this week!

Posted on by Alec Underwood

And … we’re off! The 2025 Wyoming Legislature kicks off this week, ushering in a jam-packed two months of debate, amendments, and votes on hundreds of bills impacting all aspects of life in Wyoming.

Many of these bills concern our lands, waters, wildlife, and climate. We’ll be following the action closely and keeping you updated every step of the way. Read on for an overview of what to expect from WOC, details about our upcoming Beers & Bills event, and more.

Updates on Important Bills

We’re keeping a close eye on bills related to public lands transfer, nuclear waste storage, limited mining operations, and rooftop solar — and those are just the topics we already know of. In the next several weeks, many more bills in other areas will be introduced.

For the best and most up-to-date information about the bills we’re keeping an eye on, visit the bill tracker on WOC’s legislative webpage. There you’ll also find resources for contacting legislators and much more.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION

Our staff on the ground in Cheyenne (wildlife program manager Meghan Riley, energy and climate policy director John Burrows, and myself) will share frequent updates and opportunities for you to take action. Keep an eye on our emails, and sign up for text messages from WOC, which we’ll reserve for the most urgent issues.

When you see action alerts from WOC, be ready to add your voice to the conversation — it truly makes a difference!

YOU’RE INVITED: BEERS & BILLS

Join us January 30 at Black Tooth Brewing in Cheyenne (or via a Zoom livestream!) for a lively panel discussion with experts on the session’s most important topics.

If you’re curious about what to expect during the session or want to get more involved, this is an event not to miss. Doors open at 5 p.m., and the panel discussion (and livestream) begins at 5:30. This event is free and open to the public, but your RSVP will help us plan.

Know who your legislators are, and how to contact them?

Sending your legislators a message or calling them ahead of votes on important bills is the best way to participate during the session. Find your legislators’ contact info here. When you do reach out, keep your messages simple, tell the story behind your stance, and personalize the subject line of your message if sending by email.

That’s a wrap for now, but we’ll be in touch with more soon. If you have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Want to stay in the loop on important legislation and opportunities to take action? Sign up for our legislative emails!

SIGN UP

Beers & Bills is coming to a town near you!

Posted on by Alan Rogers

The Wyoming Legislature’s 2023 session is over. What comes next?  

Join the Wyoming Outdoor Council staff to learn about key bills, review our Conservation Vote Report, and find out what’s to come for the legislature in the months ahead. 

All events begin at 7 p.m. and drinks will be provided.

Please come out to say hello to the WOC team, enjoy a cold beverage with your fellow members, and hear all the latest news from the legislature!

CASPER | MONDAY, APRIL 10

Frontier Brewing, 150 W. 2nd StREET
RSVP

LANDER | WEDNESDAY, MAY 3

Cowfish, 148 Main StREET
RSVP

BITES & BILLS

JACKSON | MONDAY, MAY 8

Hansen Hall, St. John’s Episcopal Church
170 Glenwood StREET
RSVP

CODY | THURSDAY, MAY 11

Trailhead Restaurant, 1326 Beck AveNUE
RSVP

ANOTHER SEASON IN THE RED DESERT

Posted on by Kyle Elmquist

This spring, John Mionczynski a local ethnobotanist, biologist, and historian, accompanied Citizens for the Red Desert into the landscape to help educate and inform tour participants about the natural wonders and uses of the desert ecosystem. Above, you can see him pointing out the geological anomalies of the Great Divide Basin as tour participants take in the dramatic expanse of badlands throughout the Honeycomb Buttes Wilderness Study Area. Off in the distance, stand the Oregon Buttes, another WSA. Part of Mionczynski’s knowledge includes the abundance of edible and medicinal foods that grow throughout the Red Desert. Pictured above, he digs up biscuit root for tour participants and explains how this root vegetable was a staple for an Indigenous diet, often ground into flour and made into bread. Later on the tour, near a bubbling spring, Mionczynski explained how water is a precious resource. This spring, and others like it, are scattered across the desert and attract wildlife from miles around and support a thriving habitat.

In late May, CfRD joined Southwest Wyoming Off-Road Trails on a tour to explore the motorized recreation potential of the area. This is one of many groups who add value to the desert and show that working together can simultaneously support the landscape, stimulate local economies, and empower our communities. Above, you can see the way these ORV enthusiasts spent their day in the desert, taking in the scenes near Oregon Buttes and the White Mountains.

On June 28, members of Citizens for the Red Desert spent another day in the desert, visiting three sacred petroglyph sites and the Boars Tusk. Yufna Soldier Wolf, the Tribal advocacy coordinator for the Indigenous Land Alliance of Wyoming, is pictured above, discussing ways in which we can better manage and protect these sites, especially within the context of the forthcoming Bureau of Land Management’s Rock Springs Resource Management Plan.

Plug in to the People’s House

Posted on by Kristen Gunther

Each winter, members of the Wyoming Legislature gather in Cheyenne. The halls and side rooms of the (now newly-remodeled) Capitol buzz with conversations between legislators, lobbyists, staff, citizens, and journalists. Committee meetings are often standing room only, and people pack the public galleries above the House and Senate floors. 

Each winter, that is, but this one. Almost a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, Wyoming still has a challenge left to tackle: how to conduct the 66th Wyoming Legislature’s 2021 general session.

The reality that citizens will be able (or, at times, required) to attend the session virtually brings some complications. Some are unique, such as roadblocks to public participation for people without reliable high-speed internet. Other ongoing issues, like the challenging pace of tracking bills, will be magnified. But there are also new opportunities: Virtual legislative meetings have given citizens the opportunity to participate in a meaningful way without having to miss work or drive across the state. And the state is installing video equipment in the Capitol’s legislative meeting rooms, so we hope that the public will have improved access to important committee deliberations.

This year at the legislature, we at the Wyoming Outdoor Council will be continuing our 54-year history of advocacy for public lands, wildlife, clean air and water, and quality of life. And we invite you to do the same! No matter how different this legislative session is, one thing remains unchanged: Your voice matters. 

A HYBRID APPROACH TO THE SESSION

In early January, we finally learned details about the 2021 session. The legislature briefly gaveled in on January 12, just as Frontline was going to press. Committees met the week of January 18, and the full legislature will consider bills that pass out of those committees during an 8-day virtual session January 27 to February 5. Additional committee meetings will be held the week of February 22 and, if COVID-19 restrictions allow, the legislature will reconvene in person for the month of March.

There are only a handful of conservation bills that we know about right now. The most important is a bill sponsored by the Corporations Committee, SF 16, New Net Metering Systems. This bill would effectively kill the small-scale renewable energy sector in Wyoming, including rooftop solar. We will work to oppose this legislation and you can count on us to provide you with more details and action alerts on this topic in the coming weeks. We’re sure we’ll see more wildlife, energy, and environmental quality-related bills arise during the session and will keep you updated. 

Here’s what you should know about testifying to legislative committees online, based on how it worked during the interim. The good news is that, regardless of whether you’re at the Capitol or on your couch, you can be a voice for conservation in Wyoming by following the same basic approach.

SIGN UP. Committee meeting schedules are available at www.wyoleg.gov. To sign up, click the “Testify” button next to the scheduled meeting.  The button will take you to a form to register for that specific committee and meeting date. 

GET INSTRUCTIONS FROM LSO. You’ll receive an email from the Legislative Service Office with information about how to join the meeting. 

PREPARE YOUR TESTIMONY. Outdoor Council staff are always happy to offer advice if you aren’t sure where to start. More on this below!

LISTEN IN. When the meeting starts, you can join using the link provided by the LSO. You’ll enter the meeting as a webinar attendee.  It’s always good to show up early so that you are aware of the committee’s discussion prior to the public comment opportunity. When public comment is announced, you will have the option to indicate you wish to make a comment. And when it is your turn to speak, you will be able to turn your camera and audio on so that the committee can see and hear you. Make sure your Zoom profile displays your full name. 

BE STRATEGIC WITH SIGN UPS. If there’s a topic of interest to you that you may want to weigh in on, go ahead and sign up to testify. You can always decide not to comment. 

TIPS FOR TESTIFYING

GET COMFORTABLE WITH THE PROCESS. If you’re able, attend or listen to committee meetings before your bill is discussed to get a feel for the members and their priorities. Most importantly, sitting in will help you feel more confident when it’s your turn.

IT HELPS IF YOU CAN BRING SOMETHING NEW TO THE TABLE. Your case will be more compelling if you introduce a new perspective or find a new way to make a point instead of repeating comments that have already been made. Explain how you, or values important to you, will be impacted. 

HAVE AN ELEVATOR PITCH. You might be asked to limit your testimony if there are a large number of people speaking. Be prepared to make your point in under three minutes. 

IT’S OK TO BE NERVOUS! Citizen speakers have far more clout with legislators than paid lobbyists. These elected officials see the professionals often, but authentic citizen voices can be rare, so you’ll get special attention. Remember, however, to always be respectful in your demeanor and comments.

TIPS FOR WRITING AN EFFECTIVE EMAIL

Sending an email to your legislator only takes a minute or two and can be a meaningful way to connect. But make sure it’s personal: If a group provides you with a pre-written form email, ignore it and write your own message. 

During the interim, legislators may benefit from a detailed letter or email to help them understand your position on an issue. That’s not the case during the session — there simply aren’t enough hours in the day and legislators get hundreds of emails. To ensure your message gets read, keep it brief, straightforward, and respectful.

We suggest this three-sentence formula:

Introduce yourself and make a connection. (This is important to legislators who will read the first line and possibly discard the message if they think it’s a form email.)

State the position you want them to take (i.e. to oppose or support the legislation) and provide the title or subject of the bill as well as the bill number.

Explain why. Cite your personal experience or values. 

Example:
“Hi Rep. Jones, I live in Sheridan and recently installed solar panels on my shop. I’m writing to ask you to please vote no on SF 16, the net metering bill. This bill would unfairly raise my utility costs and punish hard-working people like me who have invested in rooftop solar.” 

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Your legislators work long and hard on behalf of their constituents, but they can’t represent your values if they don’t hear from you. Whether you email your senator, testify to a committee, or offer to meet your representative for a cup of coffee once you’re able to do so safely, you can help give them the information and insight they need to be effective. 

If you haven’t already done so, please take a moment to register for Outdoor Council email alerts by visiting www.wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org/signup. Like always, we’ll send timely updates about the legislature and let you know when you need to take action on a particular bill. And please reach out to our staff if you’d like any help preparing testimony or have questions:

Steff Kessler
stephanie@wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org
Kristen Gunther
kristen@wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org

See you at the legislature!

Filling in the connection gap left in the wake of COVID-19

Posted on by Alan Rogers

One day in mid-March, all of us on the Wyoming Outdoor Council staff found ourselves sitting at home. The safest thing to do was to stop all work-related travel and work remotely rather from the Lander office. Our office remained open a few hours a day for our administrative staff (thank you Maureen and Misti) to process mail, pay bills, and acknowledge new and renewing memberships, but things had changed. 

Like you, we stayed awake at night worrying about the health of our vulnerable family members and friends. We tried to make sense of a rapidly evolving global pandemic while facing new, everyday challenges, like kids who could no longer go to school or how to safely get groceries. Overall, we did our best to stay positive. 

Fortunately, most of our work continued from home offices, but other aspects — holding public events, attending legislative and state agency meetings, getting together with members and partners — evaporated overnight, and we were left wondering how to fill that gap. It quickly became apparent this situation wasn’t going to resolve itself anytime soon, and after just a few days of self-isolation our staff was eager to connect with one another and our members. 

The first step was the easiest. 

Even in normal times, the Outdoor Council offers a variety of trainings and resources for citizens who want to be better informed about conservation issues in Wyoming and empowered to participate in public processes that affect our public lands, wildlife, and environmental quality. We’d already planned to bring our citizen outreach and engagement work under a single banner, and took the opportunity this spring to launch FIELD: Fostering Impact through Environmental Leadership Development.

We dove in headfirst with a brand-new offering: a continuing series of video lessons for kids and teenagers that we dubbed Live from the FIELD. In each installment, students had the opportunity to learn from a Wyoming expert, then participate in a live Q&A session over Zoom. We heard about mule deer, big game migration, and wildlife ecology from University of Wyoming research scientists Samantha Dwinell and Rhiannon Jakopak, wildlife disease from Hank Edwards of Wyoming’s Wildlife Health Laboratory, the sagebrush ecosystem from Gina Clingerman of the Bureau of Land Management, and healthy streams from fly fishing guide and longtime member George Hunker. When we noticed many adults were tuning in as well, we took a bigger creative risk and put together a live, online variety show about the National Environmental Policy Act.

Was there an occasional technical difficulty? Of course. Was using a fireside monologue, game show-style trivia, and puppets to explain federal environmental law a bit corny? Maybe. But the response these events elicited showed us that people in Wyoming are eager to learn and excited to engage in new ways. If you missed the sessions, you can find recordings on our YouTube channel.

The next step was slightly more daunting. 

What was to become of our flagship conservation leadership program — the newly renamed FIELD Training — if we couldn’t assemble the eight weeks of class meetings in person? As was so often the case during the first months of the pandemic, taking the program online was the solution. This proved to be as much of a benefit as it was a hurdle. Nothing compares to a face-to-face conversation, but delving into remote learning allowed many people from around the state to participate. How else could a dozen passionate citizens from communities as far-flung as Lusk, St. Stephens, Alpine, and Wapiti all get together for twice-weekly workshops? 

It was evident from the start that the value of engaging with people through these online platforms went far beyond a temporary workaround. It’s not a perfect solution, but in this big, sparsely populated, mostly rural state, it’s a step toward bringing us all a little closer together. It’s our intention that these online offerings will continue and expand. 

The past months have shown us new opportunities to reach people in Wyoming who care about conservation, and strengthen the type of community building we’ve always done. We’re proud to have a resourceful and energetic staff that can adapt and react quickly. And none of this would be possible without the unwavering support of members like you who took a chance with us and tuned in, demonstrating your commitment to protect Wyoming’s environment and quality of life. Thank you. When the next unexpected challenge arises, as it inevitably will, we’ll rise up to meet it together.