What do wildlife, mining, sacred sites, grazing and recreation all have in common? Public lands. In Wyoming, 54 percent of the land is public.

Those public lands and all of their uses will be celebrated at an upcoming series of lectures and discussions at the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area Visitor Center in Lovell. The first talk in the series arrives at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, when Wyoming State Parks will be discussed.

“Public lands affect each person in the state, emotionally and economically. Yet because different people have different priorities for the use of public lands (think: wolves, Native American lands and sacred sites, or wildlife migration corridors) discussions of public lands can be controversial,” said Christy Fleming, chief of interpretation at Bighorn Canyon. “Many Americans see public lands as a way to represent our society’s relationship to the natural world. Thus different forms of public lands are trying to capture different, and changing, societal values.”

Fleming said the series is meant to celebrate those different forms and values — and the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, which marked a dramatic shift in those values.

Bighorn Canyon is working with Powell Valley Community Education, Northwest College, public land agencies and public land experts to host the speaker series and panel discussion focused on the importance of public lands.

In January, February, March and April, experts will present information on different aspects of public lands.

“The hope is these programs will inspire open discussion of public lands, bring to light some issues and benefits of public lands we may not think about, and inspire a real appreciation for Wyoming’s public lands,” said Fleming.

Each event will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Bighorn Canyon visitor center. The schedule includes:

Thursday, Jan. 16, 6:30 p.m. — Brooks Jordan, Wyoming State Parks district manager, will discuss Wyoming State Parks, the renewed effort to promote recreation in the state, and his perspective on why public lands are important.

Thursday, Feb. 20, 6:30 p.m. — Matthew Kauffman with the U.S. Geological Survey will discuss the Wyoming Migration project and how public lands are essential to the movement of wildlife in Wyoming. 

Thursday, March 19 — Douglas Smith, senior wildlife biologist at Yellowstone National Park, will discuss the importance of public land to wolves, elk, birds and other wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. 

Thursday, April 9 — The speaker series will end with a dicussion featuring a panel of experts, including Montana-based nonfiction writer and historian John Clayton, Buffalo Bill Museum Curator Jeremy Johnston and Shane Doyle, an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe who holds a master’s degree in Native American studies and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction.

For additional information about the series, visit the Powell Valley Community Education website at https://nwc.edu/pvce/ or contact Fleming at 307-548-5402.