The Politics of Public Lands, a free, public and nonpartisan gathering of political candidates, public land advocates and community members from around the Big Horn Basin, will take place in Shell on Sunday.

Scheduled to run 2-5 p.m. on the lawn behind the Old Shell Store, the event was put together by local community members concerned about public land issues. Event organizer Luke Zeller said the casual setting means “no soapboxes, no speeches,” so the public is invited to come and have conversations “and walk away with an idea of whose policies best reflect their personal views.”

Zeller said he hoped the event would encourage attendees, and especially younger voters, to think about the impact of public lands on their lives as Wyomingites, noting how reliant much of Wyoming’s economy is on the lands.

“We want people to be informed voters,” he said. “So it’s a question of  ‘Is my representative going to actually represent me?’ and ‘Who’s on the people of Wyoming’s side when it comes to these issues?’”

On Monday, organizers confirmed the attendance of U.S. Senate candidates James Byrd, Sam Mead and Jimmy Skovgard; U.S. House candidates Kevin Christensen, David Giralt and Lisa Kinney; Wyoming gubernatorial candidate Eric Barlow; Secretary of State candidate Robert Short; State Treasurer candidate Curt Meier; Superintendent of Public Instruction candidates Steve Harshman and Sergio Maldonado Sr.; Wyoming Senate District 19 candidate RJ Kost; Wyoming State House District 28 candidate Allen Hogg; and Big Horn County Commissioner candidates Deb Craft and Mike Laird. Representatives from both Brent Bien and Megan Degenfelder’s gubernatorial campaigns are also expected to attend, and Secretary of State candidate Bryan McCarty is tentatively confirmed  

Protect Wyoming, Keep It Public, the Park County GOP and Park County Democrats are expected to attend. A voter registration table would also be on-site for those not yet registered for the Aug. 18 primary. Both the Old Shell Store and Havoc BBQ will offer meals for purchase. 

Rachel Surtshin, another organizer, said the event was inspired in part by Cody’s Politics in the Park in May. 

“That was a really beautiful event and we were so impressed,” she said. “We thought we’d like to do something similar, but also wanted to encourage people to talk about a major issue that so many voters care about. People can obviously come and talk to these candidates about anything, but we hope this inspires people to think critically about the lands we share and to maybe have a conversation with their neighbors that they otherwise wouldn’t have had.

“We hunt, fish, recreate and graze on public lands  they are a major part of our lives as Wyomingites.”