Wyoming

Opinion | Public land — land of the free — defines Wyoming

Published

6 months ago

June 25, 2025

Opinion | Public land — land of the free — defines Wyoming

I wasn’t born in Wyoming, but, as the old saying goes, “I got here as soon as I could.” For me, that was August of 1960 when my parents packed up the kids and headed west from St. Louis, a station-wagon version of Lewis and Clark. On our way home from the Pacific, we bent south, like William Clark, and found ourselves along his fork of the Yellowstone River in the Sunlight Basin. I was not quite 10 years old, and the North Absarokas were an obsidian-tipped arrow straight into my soul.

Up until that week, my idea of freedom was a hundred acres of timber along a creek that cut its way down a steep valley through the bluffs of the Mississippi, dove into a culvert under a four-lane highway, and found its way down the rip-rapped bank to join the Father of Waters. It was a marvelous place for a bunch of suburban kids — oak, hickory and wild cherry on the uplands, giant sycamore and soft maple along the creek, whose dappled waters trickled over limestone outcrops and lingered in gravel-bottomed pools — but it was a tiny spark of wildness in a landscape that had been thoroughly settled. Even the kids knew that.

If we left the creek and climbed up toward the ridges on either side, we ran into the back fences of suburban yards, carefully mowed and festooned with “No Trespassing” signs. Now and then, an irate householder would catch a glimpse of us in the woods and yell — we disappeared into the shadows like smoke.

So the water and timber and wildflowers and snowfields and peaks of the Shoshone National Forest were like a revelation of God to me. The family came back again and again over the next several years, and I was loosed with a flyrod, four Muddler Minnows and a smashed peanut butter sandwich to follow the creek as far as curiosity and gumption would take me.

After college, I settled down in the Midwest to start a family, but every summer, I was back for as long as the company could spare me, with a wife and two apple-cheeked little girls in tow, to taste the freedom we had somehow lost back east.

Then, I had a chance to come to Wyoming full time. The offer was exhilarating, but I thought it over before I accepted, not because of what the job entailed, but because of how I felt about the West. They say familiarity breeds contempt, or at least boredom, and I wondered whether the sage and mountains might lose some of their shine for me if they were always at the back door. I decided to take the chance.

That was 1983. In the years since, I’ve rambled around most of the state, from Devil’s Tower to the Bear River Divide, Jenny Lake to Vedauwoo. I’ve hunted, fished, canoed, hiked, photographed, picnicked and contemplated my navel, and I’m pleased — and relieved — to report that the big sky has never lost its shine for me. In fact, the love affair has deepened over time as I’ve come to appreciate the subtle charms of the sage as much as the flower-strewn meadows above timberline. It wasn’t until I moved to Wyoming that I experienced September and October here, arguably the best months of the year, not only in the West but anywhere.

All of this is set against the backdrop of public land. I own 34 of the BLM’s 1:100,000-scale maps covering Wyoming, 32 of the USGS quads, and an assortment of national park and forest maps on the side, all of them dog-eared and stained from days spent crammed into backpacks. I’m proud to say I’ve worn out two compasses, something that never could have happened behind the Midwest’s fences.

Wyoming is many things to many people. The boosters tout its minerals; the politicians brag on the rugged independence of its people. But, let me tell you: public land is what defines Wyoming. It’s why I came; it’s why I stay. I think I share that sentiment with many other residents.

You hang a “No Trespassing” sign on Wyoming, and it will be no different than Illinois, with a lot less rain and much longer winters. If all I have left is the view of the Tetons from a crowded parking lot and locked gates off every highway, I can think of better places to spend my time.

Back in the 1930s, America’s poet laureate, Archibald MacLeish, looked at the state of the nation and asked a penetrating question:

We wonder whether the great American dream
Was the singing of locusts out of the grass to the west and the
West is behind us now:
The west wind’s away from us
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We wonder if the liberty is done:
The dreaming is finished
Or if there’s something different men can dream
Or if there’s something different men can mean by
Liberty . . .
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Or if there’s liberty a man can mean that’s
Men: not land
We wonder
We don’t know
We’re asking
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I wonder whether there’s liberty a man can mean that’s men, not land. Here in Wyoming, I think there’s little doubt. Public land means my freedom.

Don’t you sell an inch of it.

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Wyoming

Former Wyoming Cowboys in the NFL: Week 16

Published

9 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

Former Wyoming Cowboys in the NFL: Week 16

LARAMIE — Marcus Epps hasn’t experienced the best injury luck over the last couple of seasons. After sustaining a season-ending knee injury a season ago, Epps has missed time this year with injury, as well.

That being said, when the former University of Wyoming safety is available, he produces. Sunday, with a lot at stake, was no different.

Epps had a pair of tackles in the Eagles’ 29-18 win at Washington. The victory clinched the NFC North Division crown.

For the season, Epps has recorded 12 tackles in 11 games played for 10-5 Philadelphia. The Eagles travel to Buffalo in Week 17.

Below is a list of all the former Wyoming Cowboys and how they performed in Week 16:

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (quarterback)
Allen got a little dinged up in the Bills’ 23-20 win at Cleveland. He was 12-for-19 for 130 yards, while adding 17 yards on seven carries via the ground. Allen sustained a foot injury during the game, but X-rays, fortunately, came back negative. For the season, Allen is 296-for-425 for 3,406 yards with 25 scores and 10 interceptions. On the ground, he’s carried it 105 times totaling 552 yards with a dozen touchdowns for 11-4 Buffalo, which clinched a playoff spot. The Bills host Philadelphia in Week 17.

Andrew Wingard, Jacksonville Jaguars (safety)
Wingard had a mild game in the Jaguars’ 34-20 win at Denver. He laid claim to one tackle. For the season, Wingard possesses 79 tackles, two tackles for loss, one interception, eight passes defended and one quarterback hit for 11-4 Jacksonville. The Jaguars travel to Indianapolis in Week 17.

Frank Crum, Denver Broncos (offensive line)
Crum participated in the Broncos’ 34-20 loss to Jacksonville. He played 15 snaps, four on offense and 11 on special teams. For the season, Crum has played 114 snaps, 48 on offense and 71 on special teams for 12-3 Denver. The Broncos travel to Kansas City on Christmas.

Logan Wilson, Dallas Cowboys (linebacker)
Wilson put forth his best game since joining the Cowboys mid-season. He registered five tackles in Dallas’ 34-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. For the season, Wilson has 62 tackles, four passes defended and one fumble recovery between his time in Cincinnati and now with the 6-8-1 Cowboys. Dallas travels to Washington in Week 17.

Carl Granderson, New Orleans Saints (defensive end)
Granderson boasted a good game in the Saints’ 29-6 win over the New York Jets. He made three tackles. For the season, Granderson owns 46 tackles, 4.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, three passes defended and six quarterback hits for 5-10 New Orleans. The Saints travel to Tennessee in Week 17.

Chad Muma, New England Patriots (linebacker)
Muma, who was signed by New England from Indianapolis’ practice squad, played in the Patriots’ 28-24 win at Baltimore. He didn’t record a stat. For the season, Muma has made five tackles in six games played between the Colts and now the 12-3 Patriots. New England travels to the New York Jets in Week 17.

Treyton Welch, New Orleans Saints (tight end)
Welch has yet to be elevated from the practice squad.

LOOK: Pokes’ unis through the years

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Wyoming

GOP Rep. Harriet Hageman launches Senate run in Wyoming

Published

21 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

GOP Rep. Harriet Hageman launches Senate run in Wyoming

Rep. Harriet Hageman, a Republican, is running for Senate in Wyoming next year, seeking to replace retiring GOP Sen. Cynthia Lummis, who announced last week that she would not run for re-election.

Hageman, 63, was elected to be the state’s lone representative in Congress in 2022 after ousting then-Rep. Liz Cheney in a primary. Hageman had Donald Trump’s endorsement against Cheney, a vocal critic of the president, and the congresswoman name-checked the president in her three-minute launch video on Tuesday.

“I stood with President Trump to deliver the largest tax cut in American history, helping working families keep more of their own money,” Hageman said, later adding, “We worked together to secure the border and fund efforts to remove and deport those in the country illegally.”

“We must keep up this fight, and that’s why today I’m announcing my campaign for United States Senate,” Hageman said. “This fight is about making sure the next century sees the advancements of the last while protecting our culture and our way of life. We must dedicate ourselves to ensuring that the next 100 years is the next great American century.”

Hageman had been eyeing a run for governor, but ultimately decided to run for Senate, noting in an interview with Cowboy State Daily published Tuesday that “it’s important that we have someone who can hit the ground running the moment [Lummis] retires. That’s not the place for on-the-job training.”

Hageman added that Trump is “well aware” that she is running for Senate, and she would welcome his endorsement.

It’s not yet clear if Hageman will face a tough fight for the GOP nomination. There are multiple opportunities for other Wyoming Republicans to run statewide, given the open governor’s race and Hageman’s campaign opening up her at-large House seat.

The winner of the GOP primary would be in a strong position to win the Senate seat in the deep-red state. Trump won Wyoming by nearly 46 percentage points last year. Hageman won her second term in 2024 by 48 points.

Although Wyoming is a solidly Republican state, Hageman faced a rowdy crowd at a town hall earlier this year. She was met with boos as she commented on federal government cuts, the Department of Government Efficiency and the future of Social Security.

Hageman called the outbursts “over the top” and said, “It’s so bizarre to me how obsessed you are with federal government.” Her adviser dismissed the disruptions as “pre-planned” and “political theater.”

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Wyoming

After Strong Demand, Wyoming Childcare Provider Grants to Reopen in 2026

Published

1 day ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

After Strong Demand, Wyoming Childcare Provider Grants to Reopen in 2026

A statewide grant program supporting childcare providers drew 90 applications in just two rounds of funding earlier this year. For the Wyoming Interagency Working Group on Childcare, which launched the initiative, the response affirmed that the program is addressing a significant community need. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has more.

In 2025, the Wyoming Interagency Working Group on Childcare worked collaboratively to award $183,537 to 24 providers. In an effort to build on that success, the grant program will reopen January 2 with applications closing March 1, 2026. Administered by the Wyoming Community Foundation, grants of up to $20,000 per applicant will be awarded with a renewed focus on communities with the greatest childcare shortages.

Grant awards will be prioritized based on requests from high-needs communities as will be outlined in the application and on the Wyoming Community Foundation’s website, along with plans to increase the number of children and families being cared for and engagement or planned engagement with business support services through the Small Business Development Center. Funding for this round of grantmaking includes the Wyoming Maternal and Child Health Unit, Wyoming Department of Family Services, the Wyoming Community Foundation, and the Business Studio at LCCC. To apply for a grant or if you have questions about the application process, you can click here.

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