October 24, 2016 

Regarding my Democrat opponent’s recent mailer, here are THE FACTS: 

The group responsible for this mailing only supports “candidates who say NO to the public lands seizure movement.”  They are political activists.  They do not support REAL hunters and anglers who have seen their hunt areas closed or the roads to their hunt areas closed/obliterated or the wildlife herds decimated or habitat destroyed by catastrophic fires or rivers and lakes poisoned due to federal neglect and mismanagement. 

(1)  I “voted YES to transfer ownership of federal lands to the state and to private individuals.” // Half true – but, actually, there was absolutely NOTHING in the bill about transferring ownership to private individuals. 

(2)  I “voted YES to Wyoming legislative control over federal lands.”  // True.  You all know my position on this issue. 
 
(3)  I “voted YES to wasting $75,000 in taxpayer money to study the issue.”  // True.  And the just-released study confirms that outright TRANSFER is the only solution.  (Compare to $500,000 Utah spent on its study). 

(4)  I “voted YES to selling public lands, including national forests.”  // False.  HB 209, which PASSED the House, called for transfer of the public lands to the state, with two pages of exclusions.  Any “sale” of our public lands, even if transferred to the state, would only benefit the federal government, not the state (see the 95/5 provision in our Act of Admission and HB 209). 

(5)  I “voted YES to prohibiting camping on state lands.”  // This is a pants-on-fire lie.  I voted YES on HB106, which would have actually REPEALED the criminal misdemeanor imposed on state land campers. Fact – every Democrat in the House, save one, voted NO, keeping the prohibition against camping on state lands in place. 

The whole point of transfer is to enable Wyoming to work toward healthy air, water, wildlife, abundant outdoor recreation and safe, vibrant communities – to keep public lands in public hands – to reverse the public land closures and destruction being committed by the federal government – to stop the intentional damage by the federal government on our forests, waters and rangelands. 

I live in a valley dominated by outdoorsmen.  My neighbor, mentor and former state senator Delaine Roberts was recently inducted into the Outdoor Hall of Fame.  I am a member of Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife.  Claiming that I am opposed to multiple-PUBLIC-use of our land is a fear tactic – a preposterous and desperate lie.  Unfortunately, it is typical of the shenanigans being played out by Democrats all over Wyoming this year.  (And for which they are now being investigated by the Attorney General's office.) Opponents of transfer have much to lose if public lands are transferred to the state – after all, Wyoming has no Equal Access to Justice Act money pot, through which anti-hunting, anti-ranching radical environmentalists launder your tax dollars to spend on attack mailers.