Living & Playing in Wyoming’s Wild Country
A Primer on Appreciating and Protecting
the Wild Country of Wyoming
the Wild Country of Wyoming
All Wyoming’s Public Lands support Wild Nature
Wyoming is blessed to have many kinds of public lands that are protected, in various ways, to support the wild character of the state. The stewardship of these land mangers is important to the future of wildlife and wilderness in Wyoming. Without the protection provided, the public would not have access to or benefit from the wealth of Wyoming wild places.
Many locals as well as visitors are confused by the different kinds of land bases in Wyoming – private, state, or federal and which agencies manage our public lands. There are four key federal, public land managers:
- National Park Service (National Parks and Monuments)
- U.S. Forest Service (National Forests)
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
- National Wildlife Refuges (FWS, Fish and Wildlife Service lands)
- State of Wyoming also manages some school sections and Game and Fish Wildlife areas and wild lands
- Private landowners/ranchers are good stewards of wild lands.
Learn about Wyoming’s National Forests
National Parks are another important protector of wild lands in Wyoming. The National Park Service is a branch of the Department of the Interior.
The National Park System is focused on ‘Caring for the American Legacy’:
"The mission of the park service is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." National Park Service Organic Act, 16 U.S.C.1.
The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.
Wyoming has several National Parks, Monuments and Recreation Areas.
Other Federal Lands in Wyoming
- Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area
- Bureau of Land Management Wilderness Study Areas
- National Wildlife Refuges
Wyoming National Historic Trails
During the 1800's, the area now known as Wyoming became the focus for western expansion. The discovery of the South Pass route over the Rocky Mountains was the primary reason for the location of the Oregon, Mormon Pioneer, California, and Pony Express Historic Trails in Wyoming.
BLM administered public lands in Wyoming are one of the few remaining locations where these national historic trails can be experienced in a setting relatively unchanged from the 1800s.
State Lands
Wyoming has many State Parks and Historic Sites.
Private Lands
Thanks to the efforts of many private landowners, protection on private land is also secure. The primary tool that landowners use for this protection is the purchase of Conservation Land Easements. These land easements put land under permanent protection even if the land trades hands. Groups that work to protect private land include: The Conservation Fund, Heart of the Rockies, Resources Legacy Fund, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Trust for Public Land, Vital Ground Foundation, Wilderness Land Trust, Jackson Hole Land Trust, Wyoming Stock Growers Agricultural Land Trust, and The Nature Conservancy.
