Teton County commissioners on Oct. 1 approved a letter to Wyoming’s congressional delegation and federal land managers asking that public lands in the Jackson Hole region remain open and staffed in the event of a federal government shutdown.

Commissioner Carman moved that the board "approve a letter to each of our federal congressional representatives, our two senators and our one representative, that follows precisely the language and phrasing approved by the Town of Jackson." Commissioner Gardner seconded the motion; the board voted to approve it (5-0 in attendance).

The letter, read into the record by Commissioner Carman, names Bridger-Teton National Forest, Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Grand Teton National Park, the National Elk Refuge and Yellowstone National Park and urges that "these public lands remain open even during a shutdown to protect the visitor experience and sustain our local economy." The board’s approved text said closures and partial closures cause "canceled trips, lost reservations, empty hotel rooms, and reduced revenues for guides, restaurants, outfitters, and small businesses," and noted that "more than 8,000 local jobs depend directly on park visitation" and that the region attracts "over 3,000,000 annual visitors."

Commissioners and local partners emphasized sending a unified message. Commissioner Macker said the community's message is clearest "when we have a singular message coming from the community instead of variable messages." Representatives of local organizations who helped draft the letter were acknowledged during the meeting, including the Town of Jackson, the Chamber of Commerce, the Travel and Tourism Board and town administrator Tyler Sinclair, who emailed the town-approved draft earlier in the morning.

Some commissioners urged the board to add stronger language about ecosystem stewardship. Commissioner Probst said the draft was "a little long on the visitor experience and short on the ecosystem," and several members agreed to place continued discussion of stewardship and staffing emphasis on the board’s Monday agenda while still approving the town’s draft as the county’s immediate communication.

The approved letter will be sent to Wyoming’s two U.S. senators and one U.S. representative and copied to the superintendents and supervisors named in the letter; meeting participants also discussed potentially copying the secretaries of the interior and agriculture in future correspondence. The board did not set additional binding conditions in this vote; commissioners agreed to consider a separate or follow-up letter that could emphasize resource stewardship and staffing levels in more detail.

Following the vote the chair opened the floor to public comment; Rick Howe of the Chamber of Commerce indicated the Chamber supported adding a single sentence about stewardship if the group decided to revise the unified draft later. The meeting adjourned after the board approved the letter and scheduled further discussion for the next meeting cycle.