The current lease for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Lander will not be terminated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), at least for now.
This spring, the building’s lease was one of a handful in the state that were listed on the department’s “Wall of Receipts,” which first went online in March and includes cancellation plans for leases, grants and contracts.
The office specializes in tribal collaboration and has worked with the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes to help conserve big game and fish on the Wind River Reservation for decades. Uncertainty about its future brought up concerns from community members.
But that termination is now terminated.
As of July 1, only the lease for the Geological Survey office in Cheyenne and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration office in Cheyenne lease remain listed on the DOGE website.
Charlie Yardas is the owner of the building that currently houses the USFWS office. Last week, he shared the lowdown on the lease timeline.
“ They canceled it starting March of [20]26, but about two, three weeks ago, they rescinded that and now they're going to continue,” he said.
Yardas said he wasn’t given a reason for the change. When asked about whether the lease would be renewed next year, he replied “so far.”
Art Lawson is the director for Shoshone and Arapaho Fish and Game, which collaborates with the Lander office.
“ [The lease termination] has been terminated and we'll just keep moving forward and doing what we're doing,” he said.
Lawson said he’s “thankful” for the new development.
“ The support from the community on the reservation and off the reservation was a big help, and everybody stepping in with the assistance to keep these guys here has been real successful,” he said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not respond to a request for comment about the status of the lease.
