 - The Wyoming Legislature’s Select Natural Resource Funding Committee received an update this week on the work of the new Wyoming Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Trust Fund Board - which Fremont County Commissioner Mike Jones vice-chairs.){kind=link}
(Buffalo, WY) – The Wyoming Legislature’s Select Natural Resource Funding Committee received an update this week on the work of the new Wyoming Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Trust Fund Board – which Fremont County Commissioner Mike Jones vice-chairs.
The ORTTF was created to support outdoor recreation infrastructure projects across Wyoming through funds generated from the statewide lodging tax, according to the informational materials that were presented during the committee meeting.
“The ORTTF was initially seeded with $6 million in 2023 and received an additional $6 million the following biennium,” the document states. “The fund will continue to receive an additional $6 million each biennium going forward, of which $2 million, plus accrued interest, can be immediately made available for projects.”
The fund has already accrued more than $1.5 million in interest, according to the meeting materials – including about $234,300 this biennium and about $1.3 million last biennium.
Board appointments
The ORTFF Board will oversee the trust fund and award competitive grants from the fund for outdoor recreation infrastructure projects across the state, the meeting materials state.
The nine board members were appointed by Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and confirmed by the Wyoming Senate earlier this year.
In addition to Jones, who represents Fremont, Sublette, and Teton counties, the board includes Jerimiah Rieman (Laramie County), Matt Burkhart (Albany and Carbon counties), Mark Lyon (Sweetwater, Uinta, and Lincoln counties), Luke Thorkildsen (Sheridan and Johnson counties) Wes Allen (Park, Big Horn, Washakie, and Hot Springs counties), Katie Ford (Campbell, Crook and Weston counties), Rachel Spear (Natrona County), and Shawna Reichert (Platte, Goshen, Niobrara, and Converse counties).
The group was chosen to reflect “a broad spectrum of outdoor recreation perspectives, interests, and experiences statewide,” according to the meeting materials.
Those interests range from mountain biking to motorized sports, tourism, hunting, retail, and trail development, but Rieman said the board would also work with “a bunch of collaborators” – particularly “wildlife advocates,” who are “very interested in how we protect wildlife resources as we build out tourism and recreation infrastructure.”
“I (have) taken it upon myself to make sure that their voices are heard – that we’re adopting language that can ensure that we consider those issues and work with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and others to really benefit all of the aspects of our important public and open spaces,” Rieman said.
For example, he said the criteria the board will use to rank proposed projects will incorporate metrics weighing the impact each project might have on local wildlife and other natural resources.
“(We) have a populace that is really invested in looking for recreational opportunities – ways to get out on the landscape and enjoy the great outdoors,” Rieman said. “What we need to do is provide (a) product that allows for them to do that appropriately, so that we’re not creating user trails that are going to ultimately hurt our wildlife, the plants, and other native species. …
“We really have an opportunity to build this up and to get some resources on the ground to help preserve and enhance both aspects of what we have so abundantly in Wyoming.”
The board has met twice so far, beginning with an initial meeting this spring in Lander, where Rieman was elected chair and Jones was elected vice-chair, Board Secretary and Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation Manager Mark Tesoro said.
During that meeting, Tesoro said the board also heard from state officials and lawmakers who were involved in creating the trust fund, then “set up some basic rules,” which they continued to hone during their second meeting in May in Newcastle.
The board also established two working groups this year, Rieman said – one to focus on rules and regulations, and another to start developing the criteria that will be used to rank proposed projects.
Asked about the types of projects the board might fund, Rieman mentioned trail systems, archery, gun ranges, and boat docks, while Tesoro talked about parking areas, shade facilities, and equestrian trails.
“We will see a broad variety of opportunities come our way,” Tesoro said. “There’s a lot of different aspects that we could be looking at.”
The board hopes to finalize its rules and processes soon so it can start accepting grant applications in January, he said, with “the possibility of granting out money in July of 2026.”
Grants over $200,000 must be approved by the Select Natural Resource Funding Committee, he noted.
The third ORTTF Board meeting is set to take place in August, but Tesoro said the date has not yet been finalized.
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