Local Conservation Groups Host Event at Welch Ranch
Conservation groups in Sheridan County are hosting a Sheridan County Public Lands Day Celebration on Saturday, September 28th, at the Bureau of Land Management’s Welch Ranch Special Management Area on Decker Road.
The groups welcome the public to attend the event which starts with trail cleanup at 10:30 a.m., followed by a picnic lunch, and then afternoon activities of hiking, floating on the Tongue, and birdwatching. For more details on the event, including the option to RSVP, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1383471545155201/ Directions to Welch Ranch are available at https://www.blm.gov/visit/welch-ranch .
The event is one of several across the state on the first Wyoming Public Lands Day, recognized by the Governor in a proclamation signed September 4th following the passage of a bill in this year’s legislature. The fourth Saturday in September has also been long-recognized as National Public Lands Day with events occurring across the country in partnership with the BLM, Forest Service, and National Parks Service. The day celebrates the value of public lands in providing recreational and economic opportunities for a variety of multiple uses.
Statements from the supporting groups are as follows:
“Public lands are part of the lives for so many of us in Wyoming. After all, you can’t live in the shadows of the beautiful Bighorns without seeing public land every day. Sheridan Community Land Trust is excited to help more people find new ways to experience, enjoy, and care for public lands.” – Chris Vrba, Sheridan Community Land Trust
“As landowners along the Tongue River, we believe that public access to nature and the outdoors is vital to building understanding of the natural world and the necessity of protecting our water, land, and air. That’s why we have opened most of our property to public access and we appreciate the numerous opportunities to use public lands in the area.” – John and Vanessa Buyok, Powder River Basin Resource Council Members
“Bighorn Audubon is a grassroots community organization that works for the protection of birds and habitats for the benefit of our communities and the region. Our public lands provide the habitats necessary for those birds, and it provides our communities with a sense of natural and cultural history, and a sense of belonging, to the lands we use and love.” – Dr. Jackie Canterbury, President, Bighorn Audubon
“The Bighorn Native Plant Society members truly appreciate the benefit of Wyoming’s public lands. The accessibility and preservation of these natural environments allow us and everyone else to seek out and experience Wyoming’s beautiful landscapes, wildlife and unique vegetation.” – Ami Erickson, Bighorn Native Plant Society
“Public lands are an invaluable and irreplaceable asset for all Americans.” – Bob Ahrens, Cloud Peak Chapter of Wilderness Watch
“Our Wyoming Public Lands provide critical habitat, clean water, resources, intact ecosystems and can be a bulwark against extreme climate change.” – Rob Davidson, Council for the Bighorn Range
“It is important to come together and celebrate something all Americans have in common: public lands! With half of our incredible and unique landscape being public land, it is exciting that Wyoming is joining the momentum in highlighting the value and benefits that can connect all people.” – Khale Century Reno, Wyoming Wilderness Association
