conservation efforts

The Sheridan Community Land Trust recently bought more than a hundred acres just a few miles outside of town. The Big Goose Natural Area will open up opportunities for recreation, historical preservation, conservation and community-building.

The new specialty plates are getting an update – from mule deer to pronghorn. Most of the funds collected from conservation license plates go toward preventing wildlife and vehicle collisions.

Last week, President elect Donald Trump nominated North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum to head up the Department of the Interior – which includes the Bureau of Land Management. Wyoming’s Governor Mark Gordon said this is great for the Cowboy State’s economic interests.

The federal government’s plan for managing a large chunk of land in southwest Wyoming is going through its final edits. And whether or not they reflect Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon’s latest feedback will likely shape any future litigation.

Formal opposition trickled in this week over a federal proposal for managing millions of acres in southwest Wyoming. The general consensus? Not enough local input and federal overreach.

The long-awaited final Bureau of Land Management plan for the Rock Springs area was released this week. It attempts to appease stakeholders on all sides, after unprecedented controversy.

Wyoming is at odds with a lot of federal conservation efforts, but Wyoming lawmakers, ranchers and wildlife advocates recently celebrated the areas where the state, feds and private landowners agree. They highlighted a ranch in Big Piney.

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) draft plan for millions of acres in southwest Wyoming is drumming up attention almost everyday – in everything from Wyoming interim legislature committee meetings to conversations at the grocery store to a recent New York Times article. It was also the subject at a recent Wyoming Outdoor Council meeting held in Pinedale.

Several bills that would protect public lands and waters around the Mountain West have recently been reintroduced in Congress, and two in particular seem to have a decent shot at reaching the president's desk.

The Biden administration is keeping the cost of grazing a cow and calf on federal land at $1.35 per month. Conservation groups say this low fee – the minimum it can be under federal law – comes at a high cost to Western lands and the climate.