When Wyoming became a state on July 10, 1890, the federal government granted approximately 4.2 million acres of land to the State of Wyoming. The law requires state lands be held in trust to produce income to support public schools and other state institutions named in the original grants.
State trust assets are managed for two key purposes consistent with traditional trust principles: (1) long-term growth in value, and (2) optimum, sustainable revenue production.
In the years since the privilege to recreate on State Trust Lands was granted by the Board of Land Commissioners (Board) to the general public, the Office of State Lands and Investments (OSLI) has encountered numerous situations in which requests to restrict specific activities on certain State Trust Lands have been made.
Those requests have been submitted by state lessees, adjacent landowners, other state agencies, and the general public. Additionally, OSLI may also initiate a restriction upon the discovery of a detrimental situation occurring on State Trust Lands.
The most common restrictions placed on State Trust Lands by the Board have been Walk-In Areas and Habitat Management Areas (in conjunction with Wyoming Game and Fish Department), closure to motorized vehicles (due to resource damage, dumping of refuse, etc.), and firearms restrictions (due to safety concerns).
June 26, 2026
Notice: All State Trust Lands within Camp Guernsey are under consideration for Closure to All Public Use without prior authorization from the Wyoming Military Department (WMD). At its April 2nd regular meeting, the Board of Land Commissioners approved a land transaction with WMD to exchange state trust lands interior to Camp Guernsey for WMD lands consolidated on the southern end. The recreation use restriction is necessary to protect public health and safety within the Camp Guernsey boundary. The state trust lands under consideration are listed below. If you would like to provide comments, please use the form to the right.