Outdoor Recreation

The Interior Department is facing criticism for putting up barriers to conservation projects nationwide funded through the new Great American Outdoors Act.

More than a million more people visited Wyoming state parks so far this year compared to last. The Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources reports those record breaking numbers are continuing into the fall.

Starting this December, Antelope Butte Mountain Recreation Area will be hosting AmeriCorps members who will work on broadening access to outdoor activities and recreation for kids in Sheridan and Big Horn counties.

The mountain, located near Shell, reopened two years ago.

A small portion of the Pilot Hill parcel is now open to the public. The parcel, located on the eastern edge of Laramie, is part of a collaborative effort to protect nearly 4,344 acres for nonmotorized recreation and wildlife habitat.

The Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners closed a land exchange on Friday that secures 4,343 acres of land for the Pilot Hill Project. The exchange has been in the works for more than two years and traded 11,668 acres of isolated state trust land for the area now in Pilot Hill.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is encouraging kids and their families to get outside and learn more about the state's wildlife with their "Inspire a Kid" program. The program kicked off in June with the release of the "Wyo-100" checklist which features 100 outdoor activities to do across the state.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed the Great American Outdoors Act, a bipartisan bill being hailed as the biggest public lands and conservation legislation in a generation.

After a heated and lengthy meeting last Tuesday, the Sublette County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 against the construction of a luxury resort in the small ranching community of Bondurant. The resort would have required a change in local zoning rules, with 43 acres of agricultural land reclassified as recreational.

The National Park Service has partnered with Grand Teton National Park Foundation to improve access to the Snake River.

Wyoming state park campgrounds open to residents only on May 15. Antler hunting will begin on May 1 as usual. Fishing nonresident daily and five-day licenses are under temporary suspension till May 8. No planned date to reopen Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

A recent partnership between the Pilot Hill Project and Occidental Petroleum will help protect the 5,500 acre parcel of land east of Laramie from future mineral development. 

Last weekend, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) sold 153 nonresident fishing licenses, about the same number it sold during the same period of time last year.

The call for social distancing in the state is leading many people to the outdoors. But a high number of people are going to the Teton Pass west of Jackson, which is causing some public health concerns.

"With the current restrictions in certain places, we've got an extra amount of traffic that's going on up here. And generally speaking, we're okay with folks that are coming here as long as they're cooperative on our on our safety issues," said John Pistono, a Teton Pass ambassador.

Recreation-based counties are seeing higher rates of COVID-19 than other rural counties, according to an analysis from the Daily Yonder, a non-profit publication that focuses on rural issues.

Girls who want to learn how to mountain bike in Cody will soon have the space to do that. This summer, Cody will be the first community in Wyoming to have a mountain biking organization dedicated to young women. Little Bellas is a national mountain biking organization with the goal to empower women through cycling.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is looking to open access on public lands for more recreation opportunities.

This fall, the Wyoming Business Council hosted community review meetings in Cody. The goal was to target what residents wanted to improve in the community.

Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone youth will soon have access to more parks and playgrounds, outdoor trips, and recreational facilities on the Wind River Reservation.