CSD Staff

You Still Here

[{"type":"text","text":"Men and the parking lot strategy....."}]

Parking 2 21 26

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

<title>Today In Parking: Saturday, February 21, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Men and the parking lot strategy.....

Today In Parking: Saturday, February 21, 2026

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 Cara 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.

After the meeting, county commissioners directed MESA and 4-H to form a working group to review the proposed lease and develop an operating agreement that could allow both organizations to use the property.

Commission Chairman Lynn Bernard said commissioners hoped the groups could find a way to work together.

“We wanted a good-neighbor policy,” Bernard said, explaining that commissioners wanted to see whether the organizations could develop a working arrangement that would accommodate both programs.

In April, MESA provided 4-H with a draft lease and invited the organization to suggest changes.

According to public documents, 4-H did not propose changes or provide feedback.

Three days later, Seely received an email from Martin saying the 4-H members of the working group had canceled the next scheduled meeting.

Later that day, the working group received documents reflecting a unanimous decision by the 4-H Council to reject any possibility of MESA operating on the property.

Those documents included a cover letter and the memorandum of justification.

In its letter, 4-H acknowledged MESA's role in the community and the two organizations' shared purpose.

“Sublette County 4-H appreciates the important role MESA Therapeutic Horsemanship Program plays in serving youth in our community,” the letter states.

The organizations also share “a common commitment to supporting young people,” according to the letter.

But 4-H concluded that the donated property was not the appropriate location for MESA.

“We respectfully, but firmly decline, the proposed lease to MESA and intend to preserve this property in full for its intended purpose: the benefit of Sublette County’s 4-H, FFA, and youth agricultural programs,” the memorandum states.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"MESA Needs A Home"}]

MESA was established in 2012 as a nonprofit providing adaptive horseback riding to children with physical and mental limitations.

The organization currently serves roughly 18 to 20 children, ages 4 and up, depending on the season.

“There’s a huge need in our community to have services for kids with limitations and disabilities,” Seely said.

MESA has operated as a mobile organization since its founding, relying on private landowners who have allowed its instructors, students and horses to use their property.

“We’ve been a mobile organization working out of a horse trailer since we started,” Seely said.

That arrangement has allowed MESA to operate, but it has also placed a ceiling on its growth.

The organization cannot add more horses — and therefore more students — without a permanent place to keep them.

“We are trying to secure a more permanent facility for use to continue our programming,” Seely said. “There’s a lot of programming we want to do, but we aren’t able to do it.”

MESA is at capacity and is not actively advertising to attract more clients because it does not have the space or horses to accommodate them, Seely said.

“We certainly can’t try to grow right now,” Seely said. “We are not promoting growth until we have the horses and the capacity to do it.”

Seely said the county property appeared to offer an opportunity to solve that problem.

A portion of that property has sat vacant for years, she said. That’s the portion MESA was eyeing.

“It’s just a sagebrush flat and hasn’t been used since the donation of the land to the county,” she said. “4-H doesn’t use it. It’s just been vacant.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"4-H Sees A Future For The Property"}]

Bernard acknowledged that only part of the property is being used by 4-H, but he said the organization has plans for the remainder.

A letter from Martin to the county commissioners similarly said 4-H volunteers and community members had recently begun planning efforts to make fuller use of the property.

“Maintaining flexibility at this stage will help ensure the property can be developed in a way that reflects its intended purpose and evolving community needs,” the letter states.

[{"type":"text","text":"That is a central disagreement between the two organizations."}]

To MESA, the unused portion of the property represents an opportunity to provide services to children who need them now.

To 4-H, that portions of the property are vacant does not mean they are available for another purpose.

Bernard said commissioners recognized that both organizations provide valuable services.

“Of course we would have liked to have seen use of the property for people who would have been impacted by such an agreement,” he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What Happens Next?"}]

For now, the county commissioners have encouraged MESA to keep looking for another property.

Seely said MESA has also offered 4-H an alternative lease arrangement for consideration, but has not received a response.

Without an agreement from 4-H, Seely said there is no path for MESA to use the donated property.

[{"type":"text","text":"The nonprofit is now looking elsewhere."}]

“We sure have a vision of wanting to do more,” Seely said. “We would love 20 acres. But we would take anywhere from 10 to 20 depending on the ground.”

Bernard said the county remains open to a solution that would allow the property to serve both groups.

“As a county board of commissioners, we would always entertain individuals coming forward with plans that would be acceptable for joint utilization,” he said.

4h battle 8 10 26

<title>Sublette 4-H, Equine Therapy Group Clash Over Sharing 34 Acres Donated To County | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Sublette 4-H, Equine Therapy Group Clash Over Sharing 34 Acres Donated To County

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Outdoors

Some Wyoming outdoorsmen said they were surprised by the sudden resignation of Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Angi Bruce on Friday afternoon, amid longstanding rumblings of discontent with the department. 

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. 

“I think that was a surprise to everybody. I didn’t see that one coming. I thought she would at least be there until Gordon was gone, but I guess that’s not the case,” prominent Wyoming outdoorsman Guy Eastman of Cody told Cowboy State Daily. 

“I think it was getting really bad, and she had to get out of there (Game and Fish), for whatever reason,” added Eastman, who represents the third generation of the outdoors multimedia family behind Eastmans’ Hunting Journal. 

Bruce, the department's first female director, did not respond to a request for comment Monday morning. 

Gordon picked Bruce as Game and Fish director in July 2024 to succeed Brian Nesvik, who retired that September. She started with Game and Fish in 2019 after 17 years with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Nesvik was tapped by President Donald Trump as director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last year. 

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

Gordon’s office announced Friday afternoon that Bruce was resigning from Game and Fish and was set to take her new position. 

Game and Fish deputy director Eric Wiltanger was chosen interim director. 

A statement emailed from Gordon’s communication director, Amy Edmonds, to Cowboy State Daily on Monday provided a description of Bruce’s new job but no explanation why she left her old one. 

“The Director of Special Policy Initiatives in the Governor’s office will focus on leading the Governor’s key federal natural resources topics, including but not limited to grizzly bears, sage grouse, shared stewardship, and feedgrounds management. These are topics the governor has been focused on throughout his administration and has prioritized making significant progress on for the remainder of the year,” Edmonds wrote. “Bruce comes to this office with unique experience, talent and knowledge on such topics.” 

It wasn’t clear whether Bruce will retain the position after Gordon leaves office in January 2027. 

“Bruce will be responsible for working closely with our federal executive and congressional partners to ensure Wyoming continues our strong position on wildlife management, conservation, and state-led policies that benefit the people on the ground who work and live in the state,” Edmonds concluded. 

While Game and Fish has maintained an overall good reputation, Eastman said, aspects of the department’s direction have been troubling hunters and anglers, even before Bruce became  director. 

Bruce was among numerous newer Game and Fish employees from outside Wyoming and the West, he said.

“I can’t believe that they can’t bring in more Wyoming kids,” he said. “I’m not alone in thinking that, but I’m the one who will say it.”

Meanwhile, it seems that “a lot of the older, red-shirted guys” have been retiring or resigning from the department, Eastman said. 

Most recently, Cody region senior wildlife biologist Tony Mong resigned. 

He cited concerns over how the Wyoming Shooting Complex near Cody might affect mule deer habitat as one of his reasons for leaving, 

Eastman said he doesn’t have anything against Bruce personally, but rather the wider pattern of out-of-staters in the department’s leadership. 

“I think she was out of her league, coming from the Midwest, coming to Wyoming, where it’s a lot more complicated, where we have grizzlies and wolves,” he said.

Wyoming has one of the highest per capita percentages of hunters and anglers among the state’s population, which puts Game and Fish under considerable scrutiny, he said. 

While not everyone is pleased with the department’s administration, its field personnel are highly respected, Eastman added. 

“Wyoming has the best game wardens in the country, I believe, and I feel comfortable saying that,” he said. 

While it’s not unusual for Game and Fish directors to be replaced with a new governor taking office, it was highly unusual to see Bruce suddenly resign while the governor who appointed her is still in office, avid hunter Buzz Hettick of Laramie said. 

“She (Bruce) wasn’t hard to work with, or anything like that,” Hettick, co-chair of the Wyoming chapter of Backcounty Hunters and Anglers, told Cowboy State Daily.

Among rank-and-file Wyoming hunters, there’s an impression that Game and Fish has started to favor landowners and outfitters, he said, adding that he didn’t blame Bruce personally for that.

Like Eastman, he said Game and Fish field personnel remain highly respected, but many hunters question the direction of department administration. 

“There’s been this shift away from doing what’s best for wildlife and best for people,” he said. 

Game and Fish should focus on thriving wildlife populations, and not only for hunters and anglers, but also for wildlife viewers, birdwatchers, and the like, Hettick said. 

Outfitters have also watched shifts in Game and Fish with some trepidation, said Dustin Stetter of Dubois, president of the Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association.

“As an industry, we’re sorry to see so much of the old guard leaving all at once,” he told Cowboy State Daily. 

Stetter said he doesn’t blame Bruce for that. 

“I liked Angi personally. She was good to work with,” he said. 

Angi bruce 8 11 26

<title>Angi Bruce's Resignation As Game and Fish Director Catches Sportsmen By Surprise | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Wyoming sportsmen said the sudden resignation of Game and Fish Director Angi Bruce came as a surprise despite some misgivings about the department's direction. Bruce, the department's first female director, now has a job in the governor's office. 

Angi Bruce's Resignation As Game and Fish Director Catches Sportsmen By Surprise

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

Andrew Rossi

Wyoming Life

Sports

Another Wyoming woman is leading the herd in 

Lindsay Woods of Jackson is one of the 43 riders participating in the Mongol Derby 2026, a 620-mile horse race in Inner Mongolia. As of Monday, she’s made her move and is poised to win it all.

 as "a washed-up Pony Clubber now cowgirlmaxxing in Wyoming" on the Mongol Derby website. She put a positive spin on her prospects, saying that if she does get "lawndarted" by a semi-feral Mongolian horse, "she might at least get a nose job out of it."

“I came to compete with the variables within my control and hopefully have a couple giggles with the things that aren’t,” Woods said in a video filmed before she started the arduous race. “I’m really looking forward to coming off the start line, seeing a little carnage. I’m excited to see what the steppe’s got in store.”

Dozens of friends are supporting her from afar. Nobody’s heard from Woods since the race started Aug. 4, but the updates they’re getting are extremely promising.

“She’s one of the toughest, most positive women that I know, and she is a top-notch equestrian,” said Amberley Baker with the Jackson Pony Club. “She is in it to win it.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Race So Far"}]

According to the Mongol Derby’s official website, Woods was 

She and Rangna Roux from South Africa, pushed beyond Horse Station 15 to “some extra kilometers between themselves and their closest rivals.”

 puts Woods at Horse Station 19, with Roux and Laura Van Laar of the Netherlands. Only six stations remain between Woods and a potential first-place finish.

[{"type":"text","text":"Woods’s friends and family are extremely excited about her progress."}]

“Nobody wants to jinx it,” Baker said. “It’s like the Super Bowl of horse races. She’s been in the lead for a few days now, but we don’t know if she’s teamed up with the other riders. Everyone at the barn has seen how much she's put into this, both physically and mentally.” 

Baker and her daughter have been taking riding lessons with Woods for years. Many other young women in the Jackson Pony Club are eagerly following her progress, confident she has what it takes to succeed, she said.

“I would say she's inspiring the next generation of endurance riders,” Baker said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Dangerous Derby"}]

The Mongol Derby follows the "postal route" established by Genghis Khan across the Mongolian Steppe in 1224. Horse messengers used the route so the leader of the Mongol Empire could communicate with the far-flung corners of his conquests.

Today, the Mongol Derby holds the record for the longest multi-horse race in the world. Participants ride "semi-wild" Mongolian horses between 25 stations along the 620-mile route.

Riders change horses every 25 miles, which amounts to 25 horses for the entire race. They can only ride for 11 hours a day, or they incur penalties that affect their time and place in the highly competitive 10-day endurance race.

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

"The ride itself is really about physical fitness, not necessarily horse ability," Griffith said. "You need to be a good rider, but it's really about physical and mental endurance. You have to be prepared for 10 days of long hours in the saddle. If you're mentally prepared for that, you can do anything."

[{"type":"text","text":"Physical and mental fortitude is critical, but it can only do so much."}]

The Mongol Derby is notoriously treacherous. Riders have gotten lost and injured, sometimes to the point that they can't continue.

[{"type":"text","text":"One rider has already dropped out of the 2026 race due to an injury."}]

Griffith said she met with Woods a few times before she departed for Mongolia and shared what wisdom she could, mostly about equipment, the horses, and strategy.

“I tried to give her all the knowledge I could, but her race will be different than mine,” she said. “It will be her own race with her own challenges.”

Having followed her entire journey to this point, Griffith said Woods is “doing wonderfully, so far.”

“With some good luck and good horses, I think she should continue to do really well,” she said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Strength And Strategy"}]

Woods did everything she could to prepare for the Mongol Derby when she got one of the highly coveted spots in the 2026 race, Baker said. She said she rode through the Wyoming wilderness at every opportunity.

“She was out on her mustang pretty much daily, putting in the miles in the mountains to get ready for this race,” Baker said. “I encouraged her to rest, recover, hydrate, and sleep before she left, because she was training very hard.”

Griffith said one key element to a successful race is strategy. With the limitations imposed on riders, they have to outthink as well as out-ride the other participants.

“I would say the most difficult part was trying to balance wanting to be competitive and ride as quickly as you could, while trying to balance the health and welfare of the horses," she said. “The ‘semi-feral’ horses have been ridden plenty, but they’re grumpy and might bolt or gallop off, so picking the right horse is important.”

If anyone rides past 7 p.m., they incur a 2-minute penalty for every minute beyond it. After careful planning and “an agonizing walk,” Griffith and Jooste crossed the finishing line at 6:52 p.m. on July 31, 2022, with eight minutes to spare.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"It’s stressful, adventurous and lots of fun,” Griffith said."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"In It To Win It"}]

Because of the intensity and remoteness of the Mongolian Steppe, nobody’s heard from Woods. Baker, Griffith, and others are clinging to every update on the Mongol Derby’s website and live map, along with any Instagram posts.

“I expect her to finish in a few days,” Baker said. “She could be done in two days.”

Having a partner is a good strategy for a successful race, but that’s another thing nobody knows about Woods’ progress. She might have teamed up with Roux and Van Laar, or she could be riding solo.

According to Griffith, having a partner can be “pretty fluid”, depending on the person and the horses.

“I think it is easier to ride together if you can, but it’s also hard to stay together,” she said. “Your horse might pulse down at the same rate, or you might be ready to leave, or somebody might get a penalty.”

The landscape itself is a constant challenge. That’s why Griffith said one of the most important factors is also one that nobody can control or prepare for.

“You need a fair bit of good luck,” she said. “What if you get a penalty? What if your horse goes lame? What if you get bucked off and lose a horse? There are just so many variables in the steppe that you can only do so much.”

Still, that might be where Woods has an inherent advantage. The Mongolian Steppe is rugged, dangerous, and treacherous, but not dissimilar from where Woods lives and has been training.

“Mongolia itself is a lot like southern Wyoming with its rolling hills and breaks, but it's covered with grass instead of sagebrush," Griffith said. "The terrain is super similar. The temperature is very, very similar. The nights are chilly, but the days can be hot, and the weather blows through quickly. For Wyoming riders, there’s comfort in that terrain.”

Finishing the Mongol Derby is enough of an accomplishment, but everyone following Woods knows how tenacious she can be. 

Regardless of the success of her strategies and alliances, Baker is excited for Woods, as are Griffith and all the people cheering her on from afar. She’ll be hailed as a hero when she returns to Wyoming, no matter what, they say.

“No matter how it turns out, she'll make Wyoming proud, but she’s in it to win it,” Baker said.

Lindsay woods plus closeup 8 10 26

<title>Jackson Woman On Track To Win 620-Mile Mongol Derby | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Jackson's Lindsay Woods was one of the top three riders Monday and is poised to win the Mongol Derby 2026, the longest and most arduous multi-horse race in the world. If she wins the 620-mile marathon, she'll become the second woman from Wyoming to do so.

Jackson Woman On Track To Win 620-Mile Mongol Derby

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's general assignment reporter, Clair McFarland.

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

Laramie County’s sheriff says the public records lawsuit two Freedom Caucus-aligned Cheyenne residents have filed against him is at least partly a political maneuver – and that his investigation of the February “CheckGate” controversy has “stirred the hornets’ nest.”

Colorado-based firm Lichter Immigration and its investigator Kevin Lewis 

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

The lawsuit accuses Kozak’s office of wrongly withholding body camera video and information that a Mexican national, Mario Fabian Valenzuela Robles, needed for his ongoing immigration case.

The plaintiffs through their attorney Drake Hill filed a Thursday motion asking Laramie County District Court Judge Robin Cooley to hold Kozak in contempt of court. They allege Kozak’s office hasn’t obeyed Cooley’s order to turn over documents pertaining to Robles.

“The situation presented here creates the potential for the sheriff to face serious legal consequences, including contempt of court charges, as in this motion, fines, or removal from office,” the filing says.

[{"type":"text","text":"Kozak bristled at the filing and cast the case’s motivation as dubious."}]

He told Cowboy State Daily on Friday his office has turned over the body camera video, which he indicated was initially withheld to ensure it could be released according to the narrow provisions allowed in public records law.

As for other documents, Kozak said his counsel, Laramie County Attorney Mark Voss, had already conferred with the plaintiffs and worked out a time extension, since the search terms the plaintiffs requested returned around 7,700 generally irrelevant emails.

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. Recent search warrants have "stirred the hornets' nest," he said.

Today In Parking: Saturday, February 21, 2026

In case you missed it

CSD Staff

Writer

More in You Still Here

Bonus Video 1: Monday, August 10, 2026

You Still Here? Monday, August 10, 2026

Today In Fine Dining: Monday, August 10, 2026

Today In Marriage: Monday, August 10, 2026

Most read

Today In Parking: Saturday, February 21, 2026

In case you missed it

Authors

CSD Staff

Writer

More in You Still Here

Bonus Video 1: Monday, August 10, 2026

You Still Here? Monday, August 10, 2026

Today In Fine Dining: Monday, August 10, 2026

Today In Marriage: Monday, August 10, 2026

Most read