Meet Bob Budd

As the executive director of the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust and someone with deep family roots in the Green River Valley, Bob Budd understands the importance of conserving Wyoming's spectacular range. He also knows how to work with private landowners on easements that meet each family's unique needs.

I was born and raised in the Green River Valley. That's where my family settled in the 1870s, and I still have tons of cousins living up there.

I’ve been the director of the Wildlife Trust here in Wyoming for the past 19 years. Each year, the trust funds about $10 million of conservation work all over the state, everything from easements to wildlife migration corridors to river restoration to range improvement.

The conservation easements in the Green River Valley were some of the first ones we did. We continue to get those applications every year and have conserved thousands of acres in the valley, primarily historic agricultural operations.

Landowners in the Green River Valley have always had a strong conservation ethic. I grew up with that—it’s just bred into you.

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in the Green River Valley. It’s viewed as an investment in the future, so that another generation has the opportunity to make a living in agriculture, to raise their kids that way. And that's very, very powerful.

A lot of the development that occurred up there had people looking around and saying, “Wait a minute, we're losing our ground. We don't have a place that our kids can come back to for agriculture.”

Easements were a tool that they could use to pass on their family operation—and that was very attractive to them. Green River landowners were early adopters. They got in early and used the tool to their advantage.

Every individual has their own reasons for doing easements: some landowners want funds to expand. Some want to be out of debt. Some have other motivations. But I think it always starts with a very strong conservation ethic.

The benefit to the landowner is that they have some surety. Plus, easements are not mandated in any way, shape or form—it's totally voluntary. They are something landowners can do at their own pace and on their own terms.

"Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in the Green River Valley. It’s viewed as an investment in the future, so that another generation has the opportunity to make a living in agriculture, to raise their kids that way. And that's very, very powerful."

~Bob Budd

On top of easements, landowners in the Green River Valley are interested in numerous other conservation projects, like improving rangeland health or habitat leases to improve habitat for mule deer and other big game. One thing doesn't work for everybody, so it’s nice to have a suite of different options that people can choose from.

We continue to have very strong demand for easements up in the Green River Valley. People who have done them are very happy with them.

I think the really compelling thing about Wyoming is that we have tremendous partners across the board. They all pitch in when you need them. They do their part. Everybody plays a little different role at different times, between the state, the land trusts and other conservation organizations. It's the “Wyoming way”—roll up your sleeves, get the job done, do it together.

Rural residential housing is the big threat now. It's impacting the state everywhere, and that's probably the number one threat to wildlife habitat. There's plenty of other pressures, too, on the land. Every one of them reduces the amount of available habitat.

My vision for the future is that we have spectacular open space and room for wildlife to move. I think it's a shared vision of many. People in this state have a tremendous love for wildlife, for open spaces, for maintaining habitat. It’s sincere and it's real.

Agriculture is critical to that vision. If you look at what happens when a ranch goes away, it’s usually not good for wildlife.

Luckily, conservation is a priority for people in our state and always has been. That's something that we're proud of. And if you're a wild critter, you’ve got to feel pretty good about living in Wyoming!

Green River Basin Success Story

The Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust funds conservation easements around Wyoming, along with other projects that benefit landowners and wildlife. Executive director Bob Budd tells us about the strong conservation ethic and “can-do” attitude shared by people in Wyoming.