Richard “Dick” Loper
September 9, 1944 – January 6, 2026
Richard “Dick” Loper, 81, of Lander, Wyoming, passed away on January 6, 2026, in the community he proudly called home for decades.
Dick was born on September 9, 1944, to Robert Henry Loper and Virginia Loper. He was raised among the tall grass of the Flint Hills of central Kansas, a landscape that shaped his lifelong respect for land, stewardship, and the working people who depend on it. Those early years laid the foundation for a career devoted to rangelands, agriculture, and public service.
After graduating from Emporia High School in 1962, Dick proudly served his country in the United States Navy. Following his military service, he pursued higher education with purpose and determination, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Range Science from Colorado State University and a Master of Science degree in Range Management from Kansas State University.
In 1979, Dick established a rangeland management consulting business in Lander, Wyoming, where he became widely respected for his expertise, integrity, and practical approach to land stewardship. Over more than four decades, he focused his work on public rangeland management issues affecting family ranches dependent on federal grazing lands. His clientele included individual ranching families, local, state, and national livestock organizations, law firms, and multiple-use resource organizations.
Dick worked directly with, and on behalf of, clients who shared his conservative principles and strong belief in private property rights, responsible land use, and common-sense conservation. He also collaborated extensively with county, state, and national elected officials and their staffs on legislation, regulations, and policies related to public rangeland planning and management.
A dedicated leader in his field, Dick was a life member of the Society for Range Management (SRM) and a founding member of the Association of Rangeland Consultants. He served on the SRM Select Task Force on Unity in Concepts and contributed nationally through his work with the National Research Council. He was a committee member involved in the development of the landmark publication Rangeland Health: New Methods to Classify, Inventory, and Monitor Rangelands, published in 1994 by the National Academy of Sciences. He also served on the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), which produced the publication Grazing on Public Lands.
Dick’s influence extended well beyond Wyoming. In 2013, he was inducted into the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame for his substantial and lasting contributions to agriculture, rangeland health, and public lands policy. In 2024, he was honored as the Friend of the PLC Award recipient by the Public Lands Council, recognizing his leadership, advocacy, and lifelong dedication to responsible land management and conservation practices.
Despite his many professional achievements, Dick remained deeply grounded in community and family life. He and his wife made their home in the west-central mountain foothills of Lander, Wyoming, where they enjoyed outdoor pursuits and shared a love for Plains Indian beadwork, Old West cowboy collectibles, and antique Colt and Winchester firearms.
Dick Loper will be remembered as a principled advocate, a trusted consultant, a devoted steward of the land, and a man whose quiet determination left a lasting mark on rangeland management across the American West. His legacy lives on in the landscapes he helped protect, the ranching families he supported, and the many colleagues and friends who valued his wisdom and friendship. Family survivors include his wife Gail, his daughter, Jenny Gramelt, and his stepdaughter, Laurie Summers, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son, Christopher Richard Loper.
At Dick’s request, there will be no services. Those who wish to honor his memory are invited to remember him when you are out in the vastness of Wyoming and its public lands—walk them, enjoy them, and experience them as he did.