Ramirez Avatar

Michael P. Ramirez

Daily Cartoon

Cartoon 12 27 23

Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>Daily Cartoon: Wednesday, December 27, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Daily Cartoon: Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Kerry Drake

Crime & Courts

A Cheyenne woman who was added to Laramie County’s “10 Most Wanted” list last year was arrested earlier this month and waived her preliminary hearing Monday on a February 2023 charge of child endangerment for smoking methamphetamine and using fentanyl around her two children.

Ashley Nicole Bennett was also charged with two counts of forgery in 2023. Bennett, 40, skipped town after posting a $5,000 cash bond and was not arrested until Aug. 2 of this year. She is being held at the Laramie County Detention Center.

Bennett’s daughter, who is listed as “NB” in court documents, called the Cheyenne Police Department in February 2023, when she was 15 years old. 

According to an affidavit filed by police, who asked her if Bennett had smoked with her or provided her drugs, NB stated she overdosed in 2022 by taking her mother’s Suboxone and had intended to take her own life.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Not Taken To Hospital"}]

“Although Ashley did not provide the fentanyl or Suboxone on this occasion, Ashley did nothing to prevent the accessibility of these drugs to NB,” the affidavit states. The teen said her mother used Narcan on her but did not call emergency medical services or take her to the hospital.

Bennett was one of five fugitives added to the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office “most wanted” list in December.

NB’s 9-year-old brother, called “MM” in court documents, was allegedly also exposed to the two controlled substances. If convicted of this felony, Bennett faces up to five years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Try Fentanyl"}]

NB told police her mother let her use fentanyl after she said she wanted to try it, and her mother said it tasted like “burnt popcorn.” 

The daughter said Bennett took her to a convenience store and had her act as a “lookout” while her mother smoked drugs, and another time smoked drugs in a bathroom stall at a gas station while NB also served as a lookout.

NB told police Adam Schmidt, then 39, and James Dykema, then 50, also lived in the family’s trailer house and smoked methamphetamine there, according to the police affidavit.

When police attempted to do a welfare check on the children on Jan. 24, 2023, Dykema allegedly answered the door and said they needed Schmidt’s permission to enter, and he was not home. 

Police called Schmidt, who said he was at work and did not want them at the trailer while he wasn’t there.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Scared Of Arrest"}]

The next day NB contacted police and told them the two men were scared they would arrest Dykema because he had an outstanding warrant, and affidavit says. NB told police Schmidt hid the drugs in the yard but did not know exactly where.

She also said her mother had a lock box where she kept some drugs, pipes and Narcan.

The affidavit said Bennett allowed police to do a welfare check at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 25, 2023, and they asked if they could search for drugs. An officer said he could not complete a thorough search at that time.

The next day, the officer said he spoke with NB, who told him she took a photograph of her mother’s drugs. “I observed a small, partially melted blue pill on a piece of tin foil, with burnt residue around it,” he wrote. Through his training, he noted, he knew people often consume fentanyl pills by placing them on aluminum foil, heating the underside and inhaling the fumes.

The officer said that process was consistent with what he observed in NB’s photo.

On Jan. 26, 2023, police obtained a search warrant and said they found used drug paraphernalia commonly used to smoke methamphetamine and fentanyl, used plastic bags with methamphetamine residue, and burnt foil. The bags tested presumptively positive for methamphetamine, the officer wrote.

Bennett’s two children were then placed in protective custody.

On the two forgery charges, Bennett is accused of cashing two fraudulent checks made out to Otis Burchett, who died in November 2022. Bennett was identified by an employee at First Education Federal Credit Union as the person who cashed the two fraudulent checks. The account was drawn from WyHy Federal Credit Union.

The two checks cashed totaled $1,345. The forgery count are felonies and punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

Kerry Drake can be reached at: Kerry@CowboyStateDaily.com

Ashley bennett with cops 8 10 26

<title>Cheyenne Woman Who Allegedly Let Teenage Daughter Use Fentanyl Captured | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Cheyenne woman who has been wanted by the police since 2023 for child endangerment after allegedly letting her teenage daughter use fentanyl and acted as her mom's "lookout" was captured earlier this month and waived a preliminary hearing on Monday.

Cheyenne Woman Who Allegedly Let Teenage Daughter Use Fentanyl Captured

Mac Watson

Daily Video News

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, August 11th.  I’m Mac Watson.

This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas!

Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"–"}]

Climbing into a three-wheeler called "The Pantydropper" with a 50-year Sturgis veteran who boasted "it goes zero to 100 in a second," ended up with our reporter at the wheel and the flashing lights of a South Dakota patrol car behind them. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore wasn’t arrested, but her first experience at Sturgis was unforgettable, to say the least.

“Against my better judgment, I got into Manny Myer's tricked-out trike that he calls ‘The Pantydropper.’ It got its name because he says that's the toll to ride. But luckily, I got a ride for free. We got past the Boar's Nest when he pulled over and asked me to drive, so I took over and something happened. A cable snapped and I lost the throttle, so Manny figured out that he could kind of hang off the side and operate the throttle from under the hood while still kind of hanging on to this three wheeler, and that was going fine and well until we saw the flashing lights of a South Dakota highway trooper. The trooper said he pulled us over for driving recklessly. Luckily, Myers was able to talk him out of a ticket, and we figured out a way to jimmy-rig a set of jumper cables onto that lever so that we could fire up the horses and run it by the reins. We made it to the Buffalo Chip just as the sun was setting, and Sturgis was really waking up. It was loud, chaotic, and just a lot of fun for motorcycle enthusiasts. And I'm glad that I went.”

motorcycles pour in the town of Sturgis from every direction

, transforming the place into a temporary city of chrome, leather and humanity, with Main Street as its pulsing center. The South Dakota town swells from just over 7,000 people to half a million each year.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"},{"type":"italic"}],"text":"–"}]

Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak says the lawsuit two Cheyenne politicos are waging against him is at least partly political in nature, and tied to his investigation of the 'CheckGate' controversy. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the sheriff says recent search warrants have “stirred the hornets' nest.”

“Governor's candidate Rebecca Bextel, and he, also then in late June, was sued for alleged public records violations, where the plaintiffs Lichter Immigration and Kevin Lewis, represented by Attorney Drake Hill, are saying you did not hand over the proper documents so that we can get on with this immigration case. More recently, Thursday, the plaintiffs asked the court to consider holding the sheriff in contempt for allegedly not handing over the documents he was ordered to hand over in time by an August 5th deadline. So you have these moving pieces with people who do have deep political ties, but are on the one hand saying no, the sheriff broke the law, and the sheriff saying the people who are accusing me of breaking the law have political ties to the people I'm investigating.”

Colorado-based firm Lichter Immigration and its investigator Kevin Lewis 

 against Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak and his office June 30.

Wyoming sportsmen are saying the sudden resignation of Game and Fish Director Angi Bruce came as a surprise despite some misgivings about the department's direction. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that Bruce, the department's first female director, now has a job in the governor's office. 

“There has been some consternation with the department, but it wasn't necessarily personally against Angie Bruce. It was more just the direction they sense the department's been going now for a while, and also what they've noted. There's been a lot of notable high profile retirements lately that might have come a little early of the old guard, and maybe people aren't quite as happy with, you know, the shifting of the new people that are coming in, particularly people from other parts of the country. Game and Fish is going through a period of shakeups right now, but should I mean everybody's hoping it'll stabilize soon when a new governor comes in and and you know appoints a new director.”

There is no clear explanation as to why Bruce suddenly left the helm at Game and Fish for an appointment as director of special policy initiatives for Gov. Mark Gordon’s office, a job she started Monday. Prominent Wyoming outdoorsman Guy Eastman of Cody tells Cowboy State Daily, “I think that was a surprise to everybody. I didn’t see that one coming.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"– "}]

A new attack ad surfaced against gubernatorial candidate Megan Degenfelder this weekend, after independent groups attacked her opponent Eric Barlow for weeks. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Rep. Harriet Hageman condemns the ad and says Barlow created it, which he denies.

“We found a PAC buying attack ads on Megan Degenfelder, and so it's just becoming kind of a mudslinging, dark-money race. A PAC called ‘Keep Wyoming Working’ is saying that she helped a coal company get loopholes to avoid paying taxes, and then the company went bankrupt. She received a salary from the coal company. The ad does not point to any loopholes in particular.”

Barlow and Degenfelder, now both the targets of political action groups’ high-profile TV attack ads, both deny coordinating those ads.

I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"   "}]

Cowboy State Daily News continues now….

As of Monday, Jackson's Lindsay Woods is poised to win the Mongol Derby 2026, the longest and most arduous multi-horse race in the world. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports if she wins the 620-mile marathon, she'll become the second woman from Wyoming to do so.

“As of Monday, Lindsay Woods was one of the top three riders. She had six stations between her and the finish line. A lot of people who have spoken to a lot of people who know Lindsay and are eagerly following her progress say she is in it to win it, she's been training for months. She's a very skilled equestrian. She has got the mental and physical fortitude to see this through, and it's possible we could have another Wyoming winner of the Mongol Derby before the end of the week.”

the Mongol Derby. She split the victory with fellow rider and now lifelong friend Willemien Jooste of South Africa in July 2022.

A 34-acre parcel of land donated to Sublette County more than a decade ago to benefit 4-H, FFA, and youth agricultural education has become the center of a bitter dispute between two organizations that both work with local children. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports that both organizations say they are committed to helping local youth, but they have been unable to agree on how — or whether — they can share the same ground.

“MESA is a local equine therapy organization that has asked to lease a portion of it that they believed were not being used by Sublet County 4-H. Sublette County 4H essentially said no. We need all 34 acres for what we're doing now and for future projects, and that's leaving Mesa kind of up in the air with how do we grow our program and where can we find a place to be permanently. MESA Director Carla Seely said that they are looking at alternative options right now and looking for 20 acre, 10-to 20-acre parcels of land that they could use on a permanent basis. This would be a place where they could not only carry out their programs but also house their horses permanently.”

According to Director Carla Seely, MESA is seeking a permanent facility to keep and increase its number of horses before it can serve more children. The county-owned parcel was a fitting place to look, she says, because MESA supports youth and agriculture through equine therapy. She also contended that 4-H uses only a portion of the 34 acres, while a portion of the donated land remains vacant.

Grizzlies are stuffing themselves with moths at higher elevations, but once the moths are gone food supplies could get scarce as bears move to lower elevations seeking protein for hibernation, one ecologist says. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that a poor chokecherry crop is one concern.

“I checked in with a couple people here in Wyoming, and one of them, you know, Chuck Neal. He's an old-school ecologist and knows bears pretty well. He says at least at the higher altitudes, they're doing okay. And he said, at least in his area, north north west Wyoming, he's noticed that the choke cherry crop is really hurting this year, and and the bears are highly dependent on that. And then when it comes to black bears, Dan Thompson with Game and Fish said, "Yeah, people are probably probably noticed a lot more black bear activity because they are out looking, you know, maybe looking in some unusual places to try to find food.”

While it’s been exceptionally dry at lower elevations, things have looked better for grizzlies farther upslope, says Neal, who frequently hikes in grizzly country in northwest Wyoming. 

The Farmer’s Almanac has released its winter forecast, and Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day calls it “voodoo magic.” However, Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that Day does believe a very strong El Niño is on the way but he's “not going to follow the herd into slaughter this time.”

“He's going to release his winter forecast later on in the year when we have a better idea of how the Super El Nino is interacting with everything else because that'll have broad implications. He called El Nino the quarterback and the head coach of this upcoming winter season, but there are other players on the field and on the bench, and those need to be considered before we put a three to four month outlook on the winter weather out there.”

With a Super El Niño on the horizon after several consecutive historically dry months, Day was willing to discuss the broad trends that could impact Wyoming this winter. As for the specifics, there’s such a thing as being too early. Day's message: trust these at your peril, especially when it’s still summer.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"—"}]

And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on 

 - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our 

 channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

News image 8 11 26

<title>Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Tuesday, August 11, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Tuesday's headlines include:
* Bad Decisions In Sturgis
* Why Did Game & Fish Dir. Quit?
* Kozak Says Lawsuit Due To CheckGate

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's Feature Reporter, Andrew Rossi.

Andrew Rossi

Wyoming Life

 on Saturday. Its prognosis for Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain region is “cold, snowy at times, and breezy.”

Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day is aware of this and other long-range forecasts coming out for the upcoming winter. He's not buying what anyone's selling.

“I'm not going to follow the herd into slaughter this time,” Day said. “The Farmer’s Almanac does what the Farmer’s Almanac does. The National Weather Service will do what they do, and people on social media can post every computer model that they want, but I’m not going there yet.”

With a Super El Niño on the horizon after several consecutive historically dry months, Day was willing to discuss the broad trends that could impact Wyoming this winter. As for the specifics, there’s such a thing as being too early.

Day's message: trust these at your peril, especially when it’s still summer.

“Last year was a good example of getting too far ahead of your scheme, but it's so easy,” he said. “I’ve learned the hard way, so I’m not seeing expectations when we’re still in August.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Super, But How Super?"}]

The “biggest player” this winter, according to Day, will be 

the much-anticipated “Super” El Niño

. Weather patterns and water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, which have been 

, are manifesting as one of the most intense El Niños in recent years.

“We're definitely going to have this very strong El Niño,” Day said. “It's going to be the dominant factor this winter, but it's not the only one.”

Many long-range forecasts circulating are relying on historical data from past El Niños to provide an outlook for how it will impact global weather.

Day is a huge proponent of using historical data, but there might not be a historical precedent for what’s coming. A strong El Niño can be great for Wyoming or miss it entirely.

“The El Niño can be so strong it shifts the storm track to our south,” he said. “The enhanced rain and snow you can get in the winter can bypass Wyoming. It can just miss.”

In other years, a strong El Niño has tracked farther north, inundating parts of Wyoming with precipitation.

A strong El Niño is a given this winter. At this point, its trajectory could take it either way, which is why Day isn’t giving into the pressure to release a long-range forecast.

“The north-south extent of the El Niño signal is a real concern I have,” Day said. “It's really too early to glob onto and go all-in on either a model-driven forecast or what we would call an analog forecast of looking at El Niños from the past.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Hangover"}]

The top reason to be skeptical of any long-range winter forecasts for this winter is the lessons still to be learned 

Day acknowledged how his long-range forecast for the 2025-2026 winter season, released in August 2025, was radically different from the winter Wyoming got. That stung, but his misery had good company.

“That’s the cautionary tale,” he said. “We had 90 blocking patterns this winter. Nobody anticipated that, and no models predicted it. Simply put, our models fail.”

Those “blocking patterns” were stubborn ridges of high pressure that essentially 

 from reaching Wyoming and siphoned it elsewhere. That’s why it was historically dry in the western U.S. and historically cold and snowy in the eastern U.S.

By November 2025, it was clear that the colder, snowier winter forecasted wasn’t going to plan. Nearly every month since then has been 

“This summer was a hangover from last winter, especially through July,” Day said. “Last winter, all our weather went north. A really strong El Niño can direct all the storms south. That is a concern.”

El Niño isn’t known for having frequent blocking patterns. Instead, it tends to have one blocking pattern that can last for several months without let-up.

According to Day, very persistent, stubborn blocking patterns are “a concern” with the incoming El Niño. Where those patterns could set up, and how it would impact the winter, remain to be seen.

That’s one area where Day had a sliver of confidence when looking ahead. Historically, the enduring block patterns have favored Wyoming.

“You can have a semi-permanent high-pressure system over central Canada that migrates back and forth,” he said. “El Niño patterns can lock in between December and February, which is a concern, but it's not in the Pacific, which was our problem last year.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Who’s On The Bench?"}]

For Day, putting out a long-range forecast for the 2026-2027 winter season would be like betting on the winner of a barely started chess game. The game’s afoot, and there’s no way to confidently say what the winning move will be.

However, Day can look at the board and see which pieces are and aren’t in play. Many of the factors that came together to make last winter so warm and dry aren’t a factor now.

“What we can say about the upcoming winter is that it does not look like we have all of the big players that we had last winter,” he said.

The 2025-2026 winter season started with a weak La Niña. Since the Super El Niño is already manifesting, La Niña won’t be a factor going forward.

The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is a cyclical pattern of wind directions in the troposphere, the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere. It has enormous impacts on global weather.

According to Day, the QBO was in “an easterly phase” last year. This year, winter will begin when the QBO is in its opposite, westerly phase.

Then there are the North and South Poles, which are already colder than they were at this point last year.

Several elements that affect long-range weather and seasonal forecasting are different this year. How it all plays out with a strong El Niño remains uncertain.

“El Nino is going to be the quarterback and head coach this winter, bar none,” Day said. “There are other players involved, but that's why we've got to understand these players and those that aren't going to come off the bench until a little bit later on.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Given"}]

Historically, El Niño has been favorable for Wyoming’s winter, bringing colder temperatures and precipitation. That’s a possible scenario for this winter, but there are no guarantees.

That’s another reason Day doesn’t want to make people more optimistic or pessimistic than they need to, especially in August. Many people who are seeking salvation from a strong El Niño might not get it.

“If you take a critical look at El Niños in Wyoming, it’s extremely rare that the entire state benefits from it,” he said. “If we do get into stubborn holding patterns, El Niños can be feast or famine, and Wyoming is a big state.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"No Voodoo That You Do So Well"}]

As Day was discussing his concerns about long-range winter forecasts in August, he didn’t even consider what the Farmer’s Almanac was forecasting.

“I'm not going to include the Farmer’s Almanac,” he said. “They're either taking models verbatim, or they're taking El Niños that have occurred in the past. These approaches aren't necessarily wrong, but I don't think that's the right way to approach the winter forecast when we're still on the backside of summer.”

Day’s hoping to have his winter forecast ready by mid-September, when the impacts of the Super El Niño are starting to roll in. It’s going to be so critical that its impact shouldn’t be anticipated so soon.

“A lot of things that are going to drive this winter, in addition to El Niño, aren't going to really start showing themselves until we get deeper into fall,” he said. “I am not going to go there yet. I’m not setting expectations. We need to be patient.”

Day’s word of caution to Wyomingites was to be extremely skeptical of any long-range winter forecast they might see for the next month or so. Any person or agency that’s confident in their forecast, in his opinion, doesn’t have enough critical information to be credible.

“The problem with doing long-range weather forecasts is that weather is so dynamic,” he said. “If you make a graphic that's good for three or four months, and subtle things change, then you have to throw it out the window. That’s why we have to be careful.”

That goes double for the Farmer’s Almanac. While it still has its uses in the 21st Century, long-range weather forecasts aren’t one of them.

“I don't know what voodoo magic they use to get their forecasts,” he said. “I don't think we should be talking about any detailed winter forecast till maybe mid to late September. Until then, it’s not helpful for anybody.”

Don day winter 8 11 26

<title>Meteorologist Don Day Calls New Farmer's Almanac Winter Forecast 'Voodoo Magic' | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The Farmer’s Almanac has released its winter forecast, and Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day calls it "voodoo magic." However, he does believe a very strong El Niño is on the way but he's "not going to follow the herd into slaughter this time."

Meteorologist Don Day Calls New Farmer's Almanac Winter Forecast 'Voodoo Magic'

A Colorado woman has been charged with a felony for allegedly injuring a Wyoming Highway Patrol officer by kicking him during a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 85 in Laramie County last week.

Hannah Nicole Roudani, 45, of Castle Rock, Colorado, was also charged Friday with five misdemeanors, including simple battery to her mother, Barbara Ingles, who was driving, and resisting arrest.

Roudani appeared in the First Judicial Circuit Court of Laramie County on Friday. She was released on a $3,000 cash bond.

[{"type":"text","text":"The incidents occurred at about 4:30 p.m. this past Wednesday. "}]

WHP Trooper Nick Haller wrote in his affidavit that Ingles, also of Castle Rock, called 911 at the urging of her toddler grandson, who was in the back seat and allegedly witnessed his mother hitting her in the arm while she was driving, at about mile marker 45.

Haller caught up with the black Dodge Ram pickup at mile marker 29 and stopped it two miles later for having expired registration and not maintaining a single lane. He noted that Roudani was slumped over in the passenger seat, apparently asleep.

The trooper said Roudani appeared heavily under the influence of alcohol and became agitated when he questioned her about the altercation with her mother, so he asked her to exit the truck. 

“She became erratic and kicked me when I attempted to remove her from the vehicle,” Haller wrote. 

After she swung her fists at him and another trooper, he took her to the ground and placed her in handcuffs, he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Kick To Trooper’s Face"}]

Three troopers tried to lift her into the back of the WHP vehicle while Roudani flailed her legs, Haller's affidavit said. He also recounted that “she kicked me in the face with her heel as we attempted to close the transport door.” 

The suspect continued to yell and scream while kicking the cage window, and was reportedly uncooperative when several deputies carried her into a cell at the county jail.

Haller said Ingles told him her daughter had been distraught and was having issues with anxiety and “acting out” before their car was stopped.

Ingles gave the officer permission to search Roudani’s luggage, where he allegedly found several bags of THC edibles. Haller noted Ingles said her daughter used medical marijuana.

Roudani was also charged with possessing open containers with alcohol in two water bottles. 

The felony charge of interference with a peace officer-injury is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine upon conviction.

Roudani was also charged with two separate counts of interference with Trooper Austin Barker and Trooper Rebecca Monnett, both misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. Barker and Monnett backed up Haller at the scene.

Roudani also could see a year in jail for the THC possession and six months for battery against her mother. 

Hannah roudani 8 10 26

<title>Colorado Woman Charged With Kicking Wyoming Highway Patrol Officer In Face | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Colorado woman faces up to 13 1/2 years in jail for allegedly kicking a Wyoming Highway Patrol officer in the face after a traffic stop in Laramie County last week. The woman was pulled over after reportedly punching her mother while driving.

Colorado Woman Charged With Kicking Wyoming Highway Patrol Officer In Face

Employee kate meadows cropped

Kate Meadows

Around Wyoming

A 34-acre parcel of land donated to Sublette County more than a decade ago to benefit 4-H, FFA and youth agricultural education has become the center of a bitter dispute between two organizations that both work with local children.

MESA Equine Assisted Services, a Sublette County nonprofit that provides adaptive horseback riding for children with physical and mental limitations, wants to lease part of the county-owned property to establish a permanent home for its growing program.

Sublette County 4-H opposes the proposal, arguing that allowing MESA exclusive use of a significant portion of the property — including space to house horses long-term — would conflict with the donor’s intended purpose and could limit 4-H’s future use.

According to Director Carla Seely, MESA is seeking a permanent facility to keep and increase its number of horses before it can serve more children. The county-owned parcel was a fitting place to look, she said, because MESA supports youth and agriculture through equine therapy. She also contended that 4-H uses only a portion of the 34 acres, while a portion of the donated land remains vacant.

4-H says it needs to preserve the entire property so it can eventually develop the agricultural programs for which the land was donated.

[{"type":"text","text":"Both organizations say they are committed to helping local youth."}]

But they have been unable to agree on how — or whether — they can share the same ground.

“We’re really trying to be proactive,” Seely told Cowboy State Daily. “We want to do some succession planning (and) make sure MESA is as successful as possible.”

According to a Sublette County 4-H memorandum of justification viewed by Cowboy State Daily, “Sublette County 4-H has no workable path forward for a lease arrangement that can accommodate both programs while allowing each to effectively carry out its very different missions.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Land"}]

The property was donated to Sublette County by QEP Resources more than a decade ago. QEP, which played a major role in Sublette County’s natural gas development, donated the land specifically to support 4-H, FFA and youth agricultural education.

The donation was secured by Robin Schamber, who was then director of Sublette County 4-H. She is now running for Sublette County commissioner.

[{"type":"text","text":"Schamber told Cowboy State Daily the story hurts kids."}]

“I don’t see a great path forward, as ugly as it’s gotten,” she said.

QEP sold its Sublette County assets to Pinedale Energy Partners in 2017. Those assets were later integrated into PureWest Energy.

MESA eventually began looking at the property as a possible home for its program.

The nonprofit first contacted PureWest to ask whether its proposed use would be consistent with the deed restrictions attached to the land.

PureWest initially indicated it believed MESA's use would be permissible, Seely said, although the final decision would rest with the county commissioners.

According to a letter from PureWest’s general counsel included in public records, however, that position was later clarified.

PureWest's non-objection was based on the assumption that MESA’s presence would not materially interfere with or limit 4-H’s use of the property, the letter said.

[{"type":"text","text":"MESA then approached the Sublette County commissioners."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Commissioners voted 4-1 to allow MESA to use the property."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"But 4-H objected."}]

According to a memorandum of justification, Sublette County 4-H first learned of MESA’s request during a county commissioners meeting, when a 4-H representative happened to be participating online.

The memorandum says the property was not specifically identified during the initial discussion, meaning 4-H leadership did not immediately realize the significance of the proposal.

“A process that begins with this degree of exclusion and lack of transparency does not inspire confidence that the interests of the program this property was donated to serve are being adequately considered,” the memorandum states.

Seely said she believes the anger stemmed in part from MESA approaching county officials before approaching 4-H.

The memorandum of justification acknowledges that initial discussions about the possible lease occurred between county leadership and MESA's executive director without 4-H's knowledge or involvement.

“We had no intentions of upsetting 4-H in any way,” Seely told Cowboy State Daily.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Trying To Find Common Ground"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The dispute eventually moved into an effort to find a compromise."}]

This spring, Seely met with staff at the Sublette County 4-H Extension Office to hear their questions and concerns about MESA's proposed use of the property. The meeting was facilitated by Lucy Pauley, program coordinator for the Wyoming Department of Agriculture’s Mediation Program.

Sublette County currently does not have a 4-H director. Mary Martin, a Teton County community development extension educator, has served as a spokesperson. She did not respond to Cowboy State Daily requests for comment.

Daily Cartoon: Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Michael P. Ramirez

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