Voters plan meeting on public land issues

All invited to Shell, regardless of political party

A “Politics of Public Land” community gathering will be held in the park space behind the Old Shell Store Sunday, Aug. 9, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. off Main Street in Shell.  The nonpartisan, family-friendly, all-ages meeting will bring together political candidates, public land advocates and Big Horn Basin community members in a casual setting -- “no soapboxes, no speeches,” contributing organizer Luke Zeller of Greybull said.

The event has been put together by local people working to make local voices heard on public land issues. Most of the event’s organizers and volunteers are under 35 years old, a voting bloc that does not typically show up in primary elections. Zeller hoped the event would serve to answer the questions, “Is my representative going to actually represent me?” and “Who’s on the people of Wyoming’s side when it comes to these issues?” 

“The focus is on public lands and adjacent issues,” Zeller said. “We’re lucky to live in a place that has very accessible representatives.”

Confirmed attendees as of Tuesday include U.S. Senate candidates James Byrd, Sam Mead and Jimmy Skovgard; U.S. House candidates Kevin Christensen, David Giralt and Lisa Kinney; gubernatorial candidate Eric Barlow; Secretary of State candidate Robert Short; Superintendent of Public Instruction candidates Steve Harshman and Sergio Maldonado Sr.; Wyoming Senate District 19 candidate R. J. Kost; Wyoming State House District 28 candidate Allen Hogg and Big Horn County Commission candidate Mike Laird. Representatives from Brent Bien and Megan Degenfelder’s gubernatorial campaigns are also expected to attend; State Treasurer candidate Curt Meier and Secretary of State candidate Bryan McCarty are tentative.

“The people we put into office work for us and they answer to us, and over 70% of Wyomingites believe that public lands should remain in public hands,” event organizer Victoria O’Brien, who lives outside of Basin, wrote in a statement to the Standard. “This primary election is a pivotal moment. We get to choose whether or not we want to stick with what’s broken, or if we want to change course and elect leaders who will listen to us when we say we talk about the lands we love.”

On top of political candidates, Protect Wyoming, a political action committee led by Wyoming hunters that advocates for public land, will participate; Chairman Zach Lentsch has confirmed his attendance. Booths will be set up for participants to wander through, learn more about the issues pertaining to Wyoming’s public lands, meet candidates and ask questions. Representatives from Big Horn, Park and Washakie County Democrats and Republicans are expected to make an appearance. A volunteer table for voter registration will also be available. 

Zeller explained that, regardless of political affiliation, public land issues affect Wyoming’s outdoor recreationalists, local businesses and tourism industry. He maintained that the event will be “for people who don’t consider themselves political.” Those who didn’t vote in the last election, people who want to get involved, local business owners who are affected by public land access and people who just want to be more educated on public land issues are all invited to attend. 

“We, as organizers and volunteers, feel these lands that bind us together — across party and generational divides — have become a political flashpoint. Our public lands are an enormous part of what make Wyoming so special, and we recognize that any change to them is a political action that demands the public’s voice and input,” O’Brien said.