Wyoming Land Trust will scale back or close

Citing a decline in donations, the Wyoming Land Trust has laid off 3 of its four employees and will transfer conservation easements to other land trust groups. The Wyoming Land Trust board will decide this year whether to operate as a leaner organization or close its doors. The trust has 58 existing easements spanning more than 32,000 acres throughout the state. Most are in Sublette County. Trust executive director Lara Ryan says that it has contacted all landowners to tell them of the organization's changes and that protection of the easements could be transferred to another group. The trust originally was formed in 2000 by ranchers, educators and business owners as the Green River Valley Land Trust. It changed its name in 2010 and expanded statewide.