Dear Supporter,
With the state legislative session and presidential inauguration looming, the start of the year might feel less exciting and more ominous, but we can’t lose sight of the strides we’ve made -- and will continue to make -- in the face of adversity. Read on to hear about one of our latest wins, along with an opportunity to be in community with us in Laramie, and resources for the upcoming legislative session.
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Help the planet thrive in 2025!
Please join us for a 2025 Climate Resolution New Year's Party! Sierra Club Wyoming is excited to host an event with community partners, including the Alliance for Renewable Energy, Feeding Laramie Valley, UW Extension Office, Jackrabbit Workshop, and the City of Laramie. At this event, you can learn about composting, reducing emissions, fast fashion, gardening, reducing food waste, sustainable eating, and how to hold industries accountable and take community action with SCWY. Free food and drinks are provided. Please RSVP and invite your friends to learn how to implement sustainability practices in 2025. |
A Win for the Red Desert
In case you missed it, the BLM finalized its Record of Decision for the Rock Springs Field Office RMP. Among other things, this final version of the plan will close over one million acres, or roughly one-third of the field office, to new oil and gas leasing. Additionally, 936,193 acres will be designated as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs). Kaycee Prevedel, our lead organizer on this issue, offered the following reflection:
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Working for and in the Red Desert for the past four years has been fun! This landscape has it all: sagebrush steppes, sand dunes, sandstone outcroppings, and forested mountains. The entire Red Desert is an ancestral landscape; this summer, we saw numerous ancient Native American lithics still on the surface, petroglyphs, and a historic wild horse corral! The Red Desert is one of the last holdouts for Sage Grouse and an essential habitat for mule deer, antelope, and migratory birds. Plus, it hosts a resident elk herd. Please stay tuned for an invite for a 2025 Red Desert outing.
My most memorable work was partnering with the Indigenous Land Alliance of Wyoming to submit a Tribal co-management proposal for three landscapes in the Red Desert. Sadly, that was not added to the ROD, but it was the first co-management proposal sent to the BLM in Wyoming.
One incredible place, Cedar Canyon, lost its protections, so we still have work to do!
Thanks again!
Kaycee
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Coming soon: 2025 Legislative Session
The newly-seated Wyoming state legislature will convene the 2025 general session on January 14th. Our newest staff member, Emma Jones, will be keeping tabs on all the happenings, and you can, too! Click here to sign up for legislative updates, and receive weekly updates on priority bills as they move through the legislative process.
You can also read bills as they're filed here.
I hope to see you on the trail soon!
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