Bill to expand WY Wilderness areas

[winmag]

S.1750 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Wyoming Public Lands Initiative Act of 2021

Summary of S.1750 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Wyoming Public Lands Initiative Act of 2021

www.congress.gov

I’m normally pro-Wilderness, but it’s hard to get excited about more WY lands becoming unhuntable to non-guided nonresidents. Wilderness study areas are currently able to be hunted by non-guided nonresidents. Converting them to federally designated Wilderness will make them inaccessible to non-guided NRs. Unless I’m missing something with USFS vs BLM Wilderness as it relates to non-guided NR hunting in WY.

The timing of this bill, weeks after Carbon County’s loss on the corner crossing case, makes me suspicious. But maybe I’m being paranoid.

 

[Jdp010]

WY shouldn't get a single acre of more US Wilderness as long as their state legislature is wielding it as a a discrimination tool.

At least Wyoming's 90-5-5 proposal is honest discrimination rather than hidden pretext.

 

[Irrelevant]

S.1750 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Wyoming Public Lands Initiative Act of 2021

Summary of S.1750 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Wyoming Public Lands Initiative Act of 2021

www.congress.gov

I’m normally pro-Wilderness, but it’s hard to get excited about more WY lands becoming unhuntable to non-guided nonresidents. Wilderness study areas are currently able to be hunted by non-guided nonresidents. Converting them to federally designated Wilderness will make them inaccessible to non-guided NRs. Unless I’m missing something with USFS vs BLM Wilderness as it relates to non-guided NR hunting in WY.

The timing of this bill, weeks after Carbon County’s loss on the corner crossing case, makes me suspicious. But maybe I’m being paranoid.

I think there's more to it, but I'd have to dive deeper. Looks like it's also removing a portion of WSA and making it a specific motorized recreation area.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Woo-hoo! More wilderness areas!

 

[Ben Lamb]

I'd be glad for more wilderness regardless of whether or not I personally benefit from it.

Trout Unlimited is offering some support. Any other groups out there supporting or opposing?

News Releases

www.barrasso.senate.gov

 

[wyoelkfan15]

I'm down for more protected wilderness areas. Serves a dual purpose, more protected federal lands and it keeps all you scummy non-residents out of my honey holes

 

[Jwill]

The legislation includes:

- 5 wilderness designations totaling 20,381 acres
- 3 designations of a “Special Management Area” totaling 27,711 acres
- 10 release and manage as multiple-use totaling 99,750 acres
- 2 policy directives

 

[Deleted member 20812]

The legislation includes:

- 5 wilderness designations totaling 20,381 acres
- 3 designations of a “Special Management Area” totaling 27,711 acres
- 10 release and manage as multiple-use totaling 99,750 acres
- 2 policy directives

Facts are good for perspective.

 

[Scott85]

At this point I’m for making all federal land wilderness to protect it from becoming a solar farm.

 

[WYelker]

I hate wilderness designation and do not support any expansion. Screw that, all it does it create pressure, increase idiots in the woods and limit the use of the land.

 

[rogerthat]

Yup. I am a firm nope on this one.

 

[appaloosa]

I hate wilderness designation and do not support any expansion. Screw that, all it does it create pressure, increase idiots in the woods and limit the use of the land.

Look up the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative if you have any questions about why these are being proposed and how they were decided. This was a collaborative effort that involved many stakeholders and was an attempt to address the perpetual uncertainty of wilderness study areas. Though not perfect, there were a few positive outcomes that gave all the interested parties a little of something they wanted. Some new designations, some released, some special management areas, etc.
What this didn't involve was one single interest saying "no" to everything.

 

[Irrelevant]

Barrasso-sponsored Wyo wilderness bill gets a Senate hearing - WyoFile

A federal lands bill that would diminish protections on more Wyoming acreage than it would protect is up for discussion Tuesday by a subcommittee of the

wyofile.com

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

a BIG NO on this one,,wyoming wanting to block off more to the non res diy hunter..why cant they just leave it as it is now.

 

[Cornell Cowboy]

My sense on this is that it was less about Wyoming wanting more wilderness areas and more about giving conservation groups a "win" (but they're not happy because they want significantly MORE wilderness) while releasing the "study" areas from effective wilderness designations. I suspect that the goal from Wyoming was the opening up of some of the study areas to oil/gas. But maybe I'm reading the situation wrongly.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

My sense on this is that it was less about Wyoming wanting more wilderness areas and more about giving conservation groups a "win" (but they're not happy because they want significantly MORE wilderness) while releasing the "study" areas from effective wilderness designations. I suspect that the goal from Wyoming was the opening up of some of the study areas to oil/gas. But maybe I'm reading the situation wrongly.

Seems like one one of the areas is in an OG basin.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

a BIG NO on this one,,wyoming wanting to block off more to the non res diy hunter..why cant they just leave it as it is now.

That’s an interesting conspiracy theory.

I can pretty much guarantee that hunting opportunities as they relate to wilderness access were not remotely part of any equation on this.

 

[ZBB]

This might seem like a really dumb question, but why do most of the wilderness areas need to be in mountain terrain? Why can’t it be on the prairie? I like mountains as much as the next person but man I love me some prairie. Also I feel that I need to clarify I like wilderness in the mountains it would just be cool to see some on the prairie. Is it different controlling bodies NFS vs BLM? Genuinely curious not trying to get someone’s banana hammock in a bunch.

 

[schmalts]

This is more about benefitting certain people, but not the federal land owners, meaning nonresidents included. The DIY nonres hunting restriction is pure BS. I would not support Wyoming getting one more square foot of wilderness until they drop the bullshit.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

This might seem like a really dumb question, but why do most of the wilderness areas need to be in mountain terrain? Why can’t it be on the prairie? I like mountains as much as the next person but man I love me some prairie. Also I feel that I need to clarify I like wilderness in the mountains it would just be cool to see some on the prairie. Is it different controlling bodies NFS vs BLM? Genuinely curious not trying to get someone’s banana hammock in a bunch.

Same thing with National Park… a lot of rock and ice has protections while very few acres of prairie or sage flat do… partially I think it has to do with Wilderness needing to be a continuous undisturbed swath of land and most prairie is littered with roads.