Wyoming sportsmen oppose land transfer study bill

Muratore is one hunter in a long line of Wyoming sportsmen worried about a pending bill moving through the Wyoming Legislature. The bill, Senate File 56, would give $100,000 to the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments for the agency to study and identify federal lands that could be managed by the state. It was approved Wednesday on first reading by the Senate and needs two more Senate votes before it goes to the House. While the bill calls for a study of management of federal lands, and not ownership, Muratore and others worry it is just one movement toward a future land grab. State land, he said, is primarily managed for profit, such as grazing and oil and gas development, not multiple uses that include recreation. Sportsmen also worry that if Wyoming ultimately assumed control of federal land, the state would not be able to afford management and would begin selling portions to the highest bidder. “We would lose everything,” he said. “We need every bit of public land we have available to us.”...more