Wyoming Governors race
- Thread starter PrairieHunter
- Start date
PrairieHunter
Well-known member
So who impresses you?
BuzzH
Well-known member
The bigger question is why Mead didn't veto the legislation to start with...
PrairieHunter
Well-known member
PrairieHunter
Well-known member
almost time
PrairieHunter
Well-known member
Apparently this did not go well from a sportsmans perspective.
https://trib.com/news/state-and-reg...cle_549d10ea-b8b0-5365-917a-80f1183cb746.html
If the hunters and anglers gathered Thursday night at Casper College expected governors to pander to their love of public lands and support for protecting sage grouse and big game corridors, they were in for some surprises.
For the most part the candidates hoping to take Gov. Matt Mead’s seat next year stuck to their campaign messages, which were at times dissonant to the conservation-heavy audience.
Questions such as “What’s your vision for public lands?” were answered with calls to take the lands from the federal government. And a recent decision to stall oil and gas leasing in a big game migration corridor — at the behest of hunters — was called a mistake.
The purpose of Thursday’s forum was both to hear candidates’ positions and educate frontrunners on what their voters want, said Dwayne Meadows, executive director of the Wyoming Wildlife Federation, which hosted the forum.
“The main thing is I want people to be informed,” he said. “It is hard. We do need to find a balance in the state — oil and gas, which is super important — but I live in Jackson and that’s the heart of the other industry. It is the Casper of tourism.”
The debate wasn’t particularly heated, but the candidates were rarely of one mind on key conservation issues.
Natural resource lawyer Harriet Hageman went after current Gov. Matt Mead over a recent big game decision that was widely supported by hunting groups. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, with a nod to Mead, announced he would delay leasing for oil and gas development on 5,000 acres that intersect with mule deer migration.
The corridor is the only one designated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. It charts the 150-mile journey of mule deer from the Red Desert in western Wyoming to the Hoback area south of Jackson. It’s a treasured resource for some hunters and proposed oil and gas leases that would have nearly cut off the corridor in the middle sparked frustration.
Groups like the Wyoming Federation of Union Sportsmen lobbied for Zinke to hold off on leasing until the Bureau of Land Management had updated its land use plan in the area — which will include guidance on how to potentially develop in the corridor while limiting damage to the deer.
Hageman said the governor and the federal government failed to consult the locals who know the issue best before making their decision.
“I just don’t think that’s an acceptable way that government ought to be acting,” she said.
Others downplayed the importance of migration corridors. Rex Rammell, a third-party candidate who ran for Idaho governor in 2009, said most migration corridors are already known and protected. Perennial candidate Taylor Haynes, who shares a number of policy aims with Rammell, said he looks at the issue from a landowners’ perspective. It isn’t about designating corridors, but managing them well.
“It’s not a matter of establishing or finding out where they are,” he said.
Current state treasurer Mark Gordon said there are innovate ways to balance energy development, private property rights and wildlife, such as consolidating some management on the checkerboard of private, federal and state lands in the western part of the state.
“Maybe there are ways to block that up so that many of these decisions can be made better,” he said. “Also, it means we can work with energy companies.”
Public lands
The big game question bled into a discussion of public lands, which hunters noted are key to their values.
Rammell kicked the hornets’ nest immediately saying the feds shouldn’t be controlling those lands, which should be controlled by Wyoming.
Haynes, also a big proponent of seizing federal lands, said the full mineral income from public lands will benefit wildlife under state management, he said.
Democrat Mary Throne noted, with derision, that there is no way the federal government is going to hand over the land on top or the minerals beneath, while Jackson investor Foster Friess added that Wyoming couldn’t afford management anyway. More land comes with more costs, particularly during fire season.
Criticism of the federal land grab also came from Hageman, who said the discussion has become one of polar opposites. Some say there is no way Wyoming will ever get those lands, others posture over taking it back, she said.
“As long as we are talking in extremes, we’re not going to get anywhere,” Hageman said, laying out a proposal on her agenda for a pilot takeover of 1 million acres of federal lands for 20 to 25 years. These would be managed differently from state lands — where the main goal is to make money for schools — offering more recreation access as well as mineral development.
Hageman’s proposal does not include an explanation of how those lands will be wrested from Washington control, but noted that the status quo is not working.
Sage grouse
The discussion Thursday also turned to sage grouse — a bird with habitat spread across the state. The sage grouse came close to an endangered species listing nearly three years ago, but state and federal management plans staved off a listing.
Credit to Mead, who shepherded that work, abounded on the otherwise divided panel. Both Sam Galeotos, a Cheyenne businessman, and Friess, the Jackson investor, suggested they would best fit into the Mead legacy of collaboration.
“Why did Matt Mead have such success?” Friess asked. “He’s a kind, gentle man. He’s not combative.”
Throne noted that Mead also stood up to the Trump administration when Zinke suggested wholesale changes to federal plans that would impact Wyoming.
“I applaud Gov. Mead for saying, ‘We’ve got this under control,’” she said. “The next governor is going to have to continue to do that.”
Gordon offered his take on the Endangered Species Act from grizzlies — “thank god we can shoot those” — to sage grouse.
True to his habit so far in this election, Gordon plowed into the brush on sage grouse management and the role of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. But he peeked out long enough to share his personal experience working within those conservation plans and dealing with federal agencies.
Gordon’s ranch in the Powder River Basin includes a critical grouse breeding ground and the ranch has put in place conservation efforts that help insulate it from stricter regulations if the bird is listed. Administrations in Washington change, and both Wyoming and federal plans for the grouse need to stay consistent for stakeholders, he asserted.
“This is incredibly important,” he said. “Having Secretary Zinke suggest that he might just throw it all out caused a lot of alarm for us because we have a working process now.”
Rammell also stayed true to form on the sage grouse issue.
“We act like the federal policies are whatever they say … they know best. Well, that is not true,” he said. “The federal government needs to get out of our lives.”
At the beginning of the governor’s forum, the Wildlife Federation’s Meadows noted that about 70,000 people hunt in Wyoming and about 100,000 fish.
But, unlike the mining industries in Wyoming, conservation and tourism don’t have a lobbying group in Cheyenne every session, Meadows said in an interview after the debate.
To some degree, lack of common knowledge about these issues is the fault of hunters and angler groups, or individuals who’ve become so frustrated by politics that they don’t vote, he said.
“We’re not doing our part as an industry to lobby for what’s important for us,” he said. “Which is open space and wildlife.”
Follow energy reporter Heather Richards on Twitter @hroxaner
https://trib.com/news/state-and-reg...cle_549d10ea-b8b0-5365-917a-80f1183cb746.html
If the hunters and anglers gathered Thursday night at Casper College expected governors to pander to their love of public lands and support for protecting sage grouse and big game corridors, they were in for some surprises.
For the most part the candidates hoping to take Gov. Matt Mead’s seat next year stuck to their campaign messages, which were at times dissonant to the conservation-heavy audience.
Questions such as “What’s your vision for public lands?” were answered with calls to take the lands from the federal government. And a recent decision to stall oil and gas leasing in a big game migration corridor — at the behest of hunters — was called a mistake.
The purpose of Thursday’s forum was both to hear candidates’ positions and educate frontrunners on what their voters want, said Dwayne Meadows, executive director of the Wyoming Wildlife Federation, which hosted the forum.
“The main thing is I want people to be informed,” he said. “It is hard. We do need to find a balance in the state — oil and gas, which is super important — but I live in Jackson and that’s the heart of the other industry. It is the Casper of tourism.”
The debate wasn’t particularly heated, but the candidates were rarely of one mind on key conservation issues.
Natural resource lawyer Harriet Hageman went after current Gov. Matt Mead over a recent big game decision that was widely supported by hunting groups. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, with a nod to Mead, announced he would delay leasing for oil and gas development on 5,000 acres that intersect with mule deer migration.
The corridor is the only one designated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. It charts the 150-mile journey of mule deer from the Red Desert in western Wyoming to the Hoback area south of Jackson. It’s a treasured resource for some hunters and proposed oil and gas leases that would have nearly cut off the corridor in the middle sparked frustration.
Groups like the Wyoming Federation of Union Sportsmen lobbied for Zinke to hold off on leasing until the Bureau of Land Management had updated its land use plan in the area — which will include guidance on how to potentially develop in the corridor while limiting damage to the deer.
Hageman said the governor and the federal government failed to consult the locals who know the issue best before making their decision.
“I just don’t think that’s an acceptable way that government ought to be acting,” she said.
Others downplayed the importance of migration corridors. Rex Rammell, a third-party candidate who ran for Idaho governor in 2009, said most migration corridors are already known and protected. Perennial candidate Taylor Haynes, who shares a number of policy aims with Rammell, said he looks at the issue from a landowners’ perspective. It isn’t about designating corridors, but managing them well.
“It’s not a matter of establishing or finding out where they are,” he said.
Current state treasurer Mark Gordon said there are innovate ways to balance energy development, private property rights and wildlife, such as consolidating some management on the checkerboard of private, federal and state lands in the western part of the state.
“Maybe there are ways to block that up so that many of these decisions can be made better,” he said. “Also, it means we can work with energy companies.”
Public lands
The big game question bled into a discussion of public lands, which hunters noted are key to their values.
Rammell kicked the hornets’ nest immediately saying the feds shouldn’t be controlling those lands, which should be controlled by Wyoming.
Haynes, also a big proponent of seizing federal lands, said the full mineral income from public lands will benefit wildlife under state management, he said.
Democrat Mary Throne noted, with derision, that there is no way the federal government is going to hand over the land on top or the minerals beneath, while Jackson investor Foster Friess added that Wyoming couldn’t afford management anyway. More land comes with more costs, particularly during fire season.
Criticism of the federal land grab also came from Hageman, who said the discussion has become one of polar opposites. Some say there is no way Wyoming will ever get those lands, others posture over taking it back, she said.
“As long as we are talking in extremes, we’re not going to get anywhere,” Hageman said, laying out a proposal on her agenda for a pilot takeover of 1 million acres of federal lands for 20 to 25 years. These would be managed differently from state lands — where the main goal is to make money for schools — offering more recreation access as well as mineral development.
Hageman’s proposal does not include an explanation of how those lands will be wrested from Washington control, but noted that the status quo is not working.
Sage grouse
The discussion Thursday also turned to sage grouse — a bird with habitat spread across the state. The sage grouse came close to an endangered species listing nearly three years ago, but state and federal management plans staved off a listing.
Credit to Mead, who shepherded that work, abounded on the otherwise divided panel. Both Sam Galeotos, a Cheyenne businessman, and Friess, the Jackson investor, suggested they would best fit into the Mead legacy of collaboration.
“Why did Matt Mead have such success?” Friess asked. “He’s a kind, gentle man. He’s not combative.”
Throne noted that Mead also stood up to the Trump administration when Zinke suggested wholesale changes to federal plans that would impact Wyoming.
“I applaud Gov. Mead for saying, ‘We’ve got this under control,’” she said. “The next governor is going to have to continue to do that.”
Gordon offered his take on the Endangered Species Act from grizzlies — “thank god we can shoot those” — to sage grouse.
True to his habit so far in this election, Gordon plowed into the brush on sage grouse management and the role of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. But he peeked out long enough to share his personal experience working within those conservation plans and dealing with federal agencies.
Gordon’s ranch in the Powder River Basin includes a critical grouse breeding ground and the ranch has put in place conservation efforts that help insulate it from stricter regulations if the bird is listed. Administrations in Washington change, and both Wyoming and federal plans for the grouse need to stay consistent for stakeholders, he asserted.
“This is incredibly important,” he said. “Having Secretary Zinke suggest that he might just throw it all out caused a lot of alarm for us because we have a working process now.”
Rammell also stayed true to form on the sage grouse issue.
“We act like the federal policies are whatever they say … they know best. Well, that is not true,” he said. “The federal government needs to get out of our lives.”
At the beginning of the governor’s forum, the Wildlife Federation’s Meadows noted that about 70,000 people hunt in Wyoming and about 100,000 fish.
But, unlike the mining industries in Wyoming, conservation and tourism don’t have a lobbying group in Cheyenne every session, Meadows said in an interview after the debate.
To some degree, lack of common knowledge about these issues is the fault of hunters and angler groups, or individuals who’ve become so frustrated by politics that they don’t vote, he said.
“We’re not doing our part as an industry to lobby for what’s important for us,” he said. “Which is open space and wildlife.”
Follow energy reporter Heather Richards on Twitter @hroxaner
Coach Chris
Member
Right to Roam podcast Q&A session with the 2018 Wyoming Gubernatorial Candidates hosted by Wyoming Wildlife Federation
https://righttoroampodcast.com/2018...ubernatorial-forum-on-public-lands-8-09-2018/
I haven’t had a chance to listen to this yet
https://righttoroampodcast.com/2018...ubernatorial-forum-on-public-lands-8-09-2018/
I haven’t had a chance to listen to this yet
PrairieHunter
Well-known member
Sounds like none of the candidates really are looking out for our interests as sportsmen and many have extreme opinions on the matter. Not sure who to vote for now.
I'm hesitant to vote for evangelical anything as they have some extreme views and Foster is very pro Trump.
I can't really picture Harriet as governor and do not like what she has had to say so far. Her attacks on Gordon made me want to vote for him and turned me off her.
Sam seems alright but again not really an friend of sportsmen.
Gordon seems to be a little more moderate in his views but who knows if that's how he really feels and again does not seem to be pro sportsmen.
The Dr doesn't even live in Wyoming so I would not vote for him based on that alone. And he is a full land transfer guy.
The Democrat has not had much exposure on so far so I really don't know much about her. I suspect she probably has more in common with sportsmen but I am doubtful that she could win, But I was also doubtful Oklahoma would essentially legalize cannabis, and they did recently so anything is possible.
Not really sure who has sportsmen interest in mind at this point.
PrairieHunter
Well-known member
Just got an e-mail. Looks like Mark Gordon got the endorsement.
https://wyominghuntersandanglers.org/our-gubernatorial-endorsement/
Republican Primary Gubernatorial Endorsement
This fall Wyoming citizens will go to the polls to elect our next governor. This election is extremely important for the future of outdoor recreation opportunities in the state. The next governor will lead Wyoming on critical issues such as public lands access, water management, and wildlife migration corridors. Hunters and anglers around the state are paying close attention to the candidates and their views on key issues.
The race for the Republican nomination is competitive and crowded. Since it can be difficult for sportsmen to stay informed on individual candidates’ positions, Wyoming Hunters and Anglers Alliance has been reaching out to gubernatorial campaigns, tracking interviews, and reviewing candidates’ records on important issues for sportsmen.
Based on the information we have collected, we believe that Bill Dahlin and Mark Gordon are the most sportsmen friendly candidates in this race. While Foster Friess and Sam Galeotos support some important issues for sportsmen, we are concerned with their stances on others. Taylor Haynes supports a transfer of federal public lands to the state and Harriet Hangman’s plan is an attempt to pave the way to do something similar. This position is disqualifying for WYHAA since a public lands transfer would be disastrous for hunting and fishing in the state.
Here is our analysis of the information we have gathered. Criteria we considered include:
Commitment to 2nd Amendment rights
Support for maintaining federal lands, public access, and ensuring adequate management of those lands
Commitment to ensuring Wyoming Game and Fish Department has sufficient funding
Experience in dealing with key issues
We asked the candidates for governor (and state legislature), questions about these issues and more through a survey. We invite you to read the results of that survey on our website here.
2nd Amendment: We are pleased that all Republican candidates for Wyoming governor are strong supporters of the 2nd Amendment. No candidate has differentiated him or herself on this issue.
Public Lands: Access to, and management of, public lands differentiates the candidates. Wyoming hunters and anglers rely on public lands to fish, hunt, and recreate. Proper management of, and access to, these lands is vital to maintaining Wyoming’s hunting/fishing opportunities and the state’s unique culture.
We were pleased to see that four GOP gubernatorial candidates (Bill Dahlin, Foster Friess, Sam Galeotos, and Mark Gordon) oppose transferring ownership of federal lands to the state. Unfortunately Taylor Haynes supports a federal land transfer, an action that would be disastrous for hunting and fishing in the state. Ms. Hageman’s openness to a large scale federal lands transfer and her long affiliation with federal lands transfer advocates are disqualifying factors for us. Ms. Hageman has suggested a pilot program to transfer 1,000,000 acres of federal land to state control for 20-25 years. Her proposal is for the state to select the highest value lands and to take over the management and revenues. This approach is not only unfeasible (why would the federal government ever agree to this?) but is problematic for sportsmen on two fronts: first, while she has pointed out a willingness to allow hunting and fishing access on these lands, Wyoming’s track record of managing lands for sportsmen means that the QUALITY of hunting and fishing would be significantly reduced. Second, Wyoming taxpayers already paid tens thousands of dollars for an evaluation of a federal land transfer which concluded it would cost the state millions of dollars each year. A pilot program that stacks the deck to show that it would be profitable is disingenuous and appears to be an attempt to pave the way for a large scale transfer.
Out of the four candidates opposed to a federal lands transfer, three candidates (Friess, Galeotos, and Gordon) have indicated support for moves that would give the state management of significant portions of federal lands. While Mr. Friess has pointed to specific federal legislation to support this stance, Mr. Galeotos has more broadly discussed supporting more state control. We invite him to clarify what this would look like for sportsmen. Given the state’s poor track record of managing public lands for hunters and anglers, WYHAA opposes giving the state more control over federal lands.
While Mr. Gordon has also suggested more state control of lands (which we disagree with), he has more broadly supported seeing more local input into management of federal lands (which we are very much in favor of). Bill Dahlin has articulated the most sportsmen friendly views on this issue and would do the best job of protecting public lands and access for hunters and anglers across the state.
WGFD Funding: The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) must be adequately funded to properly manage our wildlife herds and fisheries. Not only do healthy herds and fisheries provide quality hunting and fishing, but watchable wildlife brings in significant tourism to the state, helping our economy. In the face of budget cuts, there is increasing concern that WGFD will see reductions in funding, which will hamper wildlife management across the state.
All of the candidates who responded to our questionnaire have voiced support for ongoing funding of WGFD. Unfortunately, Ms. Hageman’s campaign has not responded about her views on this important issue. Mr. Friess, Mr. Haynes, and Mr. Dahlin have all voiced strong support for looking at funding WGFD out of the state’s general fund an option, which WYHAA supports. While Mr. Gordon is more ambivalent about using the general fund, we were impressed by his nuanced answer that highlighted the importance of seeing full funding for WGFD but called for looking at a wider range of funding sources.
Knowledge and Experience: Supporting and improving the quality of hunting and fishing in Wyoming can be complicated. While any candidate can say they support hunters and anglers, actually doing so as governor requires understanding complex issues and finding balance between industries. We also believe that being an actual hunter/angler who uses Wyoming’s public lands is the single best way to inform one’s views.
Mark Gordon clearly has the most experience and deepest understanding of the issues that matter to Wyoming sportsmen. Beyond his current role as State Treasurer, Mr. Gordon previously served on the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Board and a number of agriculture and energy related boards that regularly engage on balanced approaches to wildlife and industry.
Harriet Hageman has significant experience in the legal realm around many of these issues, most specifically around the regulatory side of Wyoming’s natural resources and water rights. That said, her engagement on these issues has been as an attorney representing clients, so it is unclear how she has personally engaged with these issues. We have not seen specific instances where she has worked to strike a balance between sportsmen and industry, but invite her campaign to provide that information. None of the other candidates appear to have significant experience with these issues at the state level.
With regards to actual experience hunting and fishing on Wyoming’s public lands, Bill Dahlin and Mark Gordon have both clearly stated on their respective websites that they are hunters and both hunt Wyoming’s public lands. Unfortunatly, hunting is the extent of Bill Dahlin’s experience with our wild game and this is a limiting factor in supporting his campaign for Governor. Foster Friess has articulated in interviews that he is a hunter, though it is unclear if he hunts on Wyoming’s public lands. We have been unable to find information about whether or not Sam Galleotos, Taylor Haynes, or Harriet Hageman hunt or fish. We invite all of the candidates to clarify this information.
The Bottom Line: In the Republican primary for the governor’s race there are significant differences between the candidates that sportsmen need to be aware of. We believe Mark Gordon has the best experience and offers the most achievable positive path forward for Wyoming Hunters and Anglers. Bill Dahlin and Mark Gordon have expressed the strongest positions for Wyoming sportsmen and would both be strong advocates for hunters and anglers in the governor’s office. Both Harriet Hageman and Taylor Haynes are advocates for public lands transfers which would significantly reduce hunting and fishing options in Wyoming. We oppose this position and cannot support the candidacy of either. Foster Friess and Sam Galeotos have provided a mix of positive, negative, and neutral stances on sportsmen’s issues.
We would like to thank all of the candidates who have responded to our requests for information about their stances. If candidate would like to clarify his or her position on any issue, we welcome additional information and will do our best to update our website in a timely fashion.
Support Mark Gordon Tuesday, August 21st
https://wyominghuntersandanglers.org/our-gubernatorial-endorsement/
Republican Primary Gubernatorial Endorsement
This fall Wyoming citizens will go to the polls to elect our next governor. This election is extremely important for the future of outdoor recreation opportunities in the state. The next governor will lead Wyoming on critical issues such as public lands access, water management, and wildlife migration corridors. Hunters and anglers around the state are paying close attention to the candidates and their views on key issues.
The race for the Republican nomination is competitive and crowded. Since it can be difficult for sportsmen to stay informed on individual candidates’ positions, Wyoming Hunters and Anglers Alliance has been reaching out to gubernatorial campaigns, tracking interviews, and reviewing candidates’ records on important issues for sportsmen.
Based on the information we have collected, we believe that Bill Dahlin and Mark Gordon are the most sportsmen friendly candidates in this race. While Foster Friess and Sam Galeotos support some important issues for sportsmen, we are concerned with their stances on others. Taylor Haynes supports a transfer of federal public lands to the state and Harriet Hangman’s plan is an attempt to pave the way to do something similar. This position is disqualifying for WYHAA since a public lands transfer would be disastrous for hunting and fishing in the state.
Here is our analysis of the information we have gathered. Criteria we considered include:
Commitment to 2nd Amendment rights
Support for maintaining federal lands, public access, and ensuring adequate management of those lands
Commitment to ensuring Wyoming Game and Fish Department has sufficient funding
Experience in dealing with key issues
We asked the candidates for governor (and state legislature), questions about these issues and more through a survey. We invite you to read the results of that survey on our website here.
2nd Amendment: We are pleased that all Republican candidates for Wyoming governor are strong supporters of the 2nd Amendment. No candidate has differentiated him or herself on this issue.
Public Lands: Access to, and management of, public lands differentiates the candidates. Wyoming hunters and anglers rely on public lands to fish, hunt, and recreate. Proper management of, and access to, these lands is vital to maintaining Wyoming’s hunting/fishing opportunities and the state’s unique culture.
We were pleased to see that four GOP gubernatorial candidates (Bill Dahlin, Foster Friess, Sam Galeotos, and Mark Gordon) oppose transferring ownership of federal lands to the state. Unfortunately Taylor Haynes supports a federal land transfer, an action that would be disastrous for hunting and fishing in the state. Ms. Hageman’s openness to a large scale federal lands transfer and her long affiliation with federal lands transfer advocates are disqualifying factors for us. Ms. Hageman has suggested a pilot program to transfer 1,000,000 acres of federal land to state control for 20-25 years. Her proposal is for the state to select the highest value lands and to take over the management and revenues. This approach is not only unfeasible (why would the federal government ever agree to this?) but is problematic for sportsmen on two fronts: first, while she has pointed out a willingness to allow hunting and fishing access on these lands, Wyoming’s track record of managing lands for sportsmen means that the QUALITY of hunting and fishing would be significantly reduced. Second, Wyoming taxpayers already paid tens thousands of dollars for an evaluation of a federal land transfer which concluded it would cost the state millions of dollars each year. A pilot program that stacks the deck to show that it would be profitable is disingenuous and appears to be an attempt to pave the way for a large scale transfer.
Out of the four candidates opposed to a federal lands transfer, three candidates (Friess, Galeotos, and Gordon) have indicated support for moves that would give the state management of significant portions of federal lands. While Mr. Friess has pointed to specific federal legislation to support this stance, Mr. Galeotos has more broadly discussed supporting more state control. We invite him to clarify what this would look like for sportsmen. Given the state’s poor track record of managing public lands for hunters and anglers, WYHAA opposes giving the state more control over federal lands.
While Mr. Gordon has also suggested more state control of lands (which we disagree with), he has more broadly supported seeing more local input into management of federal lands (which we are very much in favor of). Bill Dahlin has articulated the most sportsmen friendly views on this issue and would do the best job of protecting public lands and access for hunters and anglers across the state.
WGFD Funding: The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) must be adequately funded to properly manage our wildlife herds and fisheries. Not only do healthy herds and fisheries provide quality hunting and fishing, but watchable wildlife brings in significant tourism to the state, helping our economy. In the face of budget cuts, there is increasing concern that WGFD will see reductions in funding, which will hamper wildlife management across the state.
All of the candidates who responded to our questionnaire have voiced support for ongoing funding of WGFD. Unfortunately, Ms. Hageman’s campaign has not responded about her views on this important issue. Mr. Friess, Mr. Haynes, and Mr. Dahlin have all voiced strong support for looking at funding WGFD out of the state’s general fund an option, which WYHAA supports. While Mr. Gordon is more ambivalent about using the general fund, we were impressed by his nuanced answer that highlighted the importance of seeing full funding for WGFD but called for looking at a wider range of funding sources.
Knowledge and Experience: Supporting and improving the quality of hunting and fishing in Wyoming can be complicated. While any candidate can say they support hunters and anglers, actually doing so as governor requires understanding complex issues and finding balance between industries. We also believe that being an actual hunter/angler who uses Wyoming’s public lands is the single best way to inform one’s views.
Mark Gordon clearly has the most experience and deepest understanding of the issues that matter to Wyoming sportsmen. Beyond his current role as State Treasurer, Mr. Gordon previously served on the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Board and a number of agriculture and energy related boards that regularly engage on balanced approaches to wildlife and industry.
Harriet Hageman has significant experience in the legal realm around many of these issues, most specifically around the regulatory side of Wyoming’s natural resources and water rights. That said, her engagement on these issues has been as an attorney representing clients, so it is unclear how she has personally engaged with these issues. We have not seen specific instances where she has worked to strike a balance between sportsmen and industry, but invite her campaign to provide that information. None of the other candidates appear to have significant experience with these issues at the state level.
With regards to actual experience hunting and fishing on Wyoming’s public lands, Bill Dahlin and Mark Gordon have both clearly stated on their respective websites that they are hunters and both hunt Wyoming’s public lands. Unfortunatly, hunting is the extent of Bill Dahlin’s experience with our wild game and this is a limiting factor in supporting his campaign for Governor. Foster Friess has articulated in interviews that he is a hunter, though it is unclear if he hunts on Wyoming’s public lands. We have been unable to find information about whether or not Sam Galleotos, Taylor Haynes, or Harriet Hageman hunt or fish. We invite all of the candidates to clarify this information.
The Bottom Line: In the Republican primary for the governor’s race there are significant differences between the candidates that sportsmen need to be aware of. We believe Mark Gordon has the best experience and offers the most achievable positive path forward for Wyoming Hunters and Anglers. Bill Dahlin and Mark Gordon have expressed the strongest positions for Wyoming sportsmen and would both be strong advocates for hunters and anglers in the governor’s office. Both Harriet Hageman and Taylor Haynes are advocates for public lands transfers which would significantly reduce hunting and fishing options in Wyoming. We oppose this position and cannot support the candidacy of either. Foster Friess and Sam Galeotos have provided a mix of positive, negative, and neutral stances on sportsmen’s issues.
We would like to thank all of the candidates who have responded to our requests for information about their stances. If candidate would like to clarify his or her position on any issue, we welcome additional information and will do our best to update our website in a timely fashion.
Support Mark Gordon Tuesday, August 21st
JM77
Well-known member
Just to keep this in context; this group WHAA has virtually no membership(you can like their Facebook page) and is largely funded by a philanthropic organization headed by one person.
Most meaningful sportsman conservation organizations have large memberships and can't endorse candidates do to 501C3 status.
shootbrownelk
Well-known member
Mark Gordon is/was a Sierra Club member & donor from what I've heard. He also donated money to John "Ketchup" Kerry's failed presidential run. Looks like a RINO to me.
PrairieHunter
Well-known member
So who do you like so far?
PrairieHunter
Well-known member
Who do you like so far?
JM77
Well-known member
Galeotos or Harriet(less her million acre pilot program idea for management of federal land)
Schaaf
Well-known member
So there’s not another Mead in the field? Damn.
PrairieHunter
Well-known member
On what issues did those 2 separate themselves from the rest of the candidates in your eyes?
I really didn't like any of the answers I read regarding sportsman issues as none of the candidates really seemed to have sportsmen at the top of their priority list. Both of the candidates you mentioned have talk about getting government regulations out of the way which was a big red flag in my mind as letting coal or O&G companies have more freedom on public land rarely results in benefits for the wildlife.
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JM77
Well-known member
It comes from actually speaking to them about the issues. I think Sam is genuine and has a lot to learn about wildlife conservation, but was willing to ask us questions too. My previous experiences with Treasurer Gordon on access issues with state land went poorly. Of course he wasn't running for Governor then. He's changed his tune considerably since.
PrairieHunter
Well-known member
Again, what specific issues do you feel set Sam and Harriet apart from the rest in the election? I really want to understand where you are coming from on this as I am up in the air on who to vote for.
Education? Spending? Health Care? O&G? Coal? Public Lands? Land Transfer? Federal regulations?
