Dear editor:
It's no secret that, like the rest of our country, Wyoming is suffering from the divisive nature of our current political reality.
But one issue that Wyomingites consistently agree on is the importance of public lands to the Wyoming way of life.
The wild and rugged nature of our landscape and our ability to access open space is important to nearly everyone.
Public lands belong to all of us, and yet, the federal government has the audacity to attempt to sell them off to the highest bidder, lumping this atrocious act into the budget reconciliation bill.
Just think of what we would lose if this is allowed to happen! Wyoming history and prehistory is etched into the landscape.
There are near pristine sections of the Oregon-California Trail where you can still see actual wagon ruts; petroglyphs intricately carved into sandstone cliffs by the people who inhabited Wyoming thousands of years ago; paleontological wonders across the state; thousands of miles of trails and roads used by hikers, mountain bikers, hunters, and ATV and dirt bike enthusiasts; essential grazing lands; fishing access points; not to mention wildlife habitat and critical migration corridors.
Our public lands are part of what makes Wyoming so unique and so magical - it is part of who we are.
The loss of public lands will devastate our economy. Thousands of Wyomingites could lose their livelihoods - not just government workers, but also business owners - folks who own guiding companies, lodges, motels, hotels, outdoor gear shops - and perhaps even our ranchers.
Ask yourselves who will benefit from this land grab. It won’t be regular Wyomingites; it will be wealthy developers coming in from out of state or even out of the country who will be lining their pockets in the end.
Once it's gone, it’s gone for good. Take a look at the east coast where public lands are very limited. Do you really want that for Wyoming?
We must unite on this issue. We must demand that Senators Barrasso and Lummis remove the sale of our public lands from the reconciliation bill.
Sincerely,
Leanna Flaherty & Brian Spicer
Laramie, Wyoming
