WYOMING — In light of the many attempted incursions on public lands last year, a group of sportsmen and women in Wyoming are banding together to form a political action committee (PAC) that aims to help voters sift through candidates based on their support for public lands and land management.
The official launch of the Protect Wyoming PAC was announced in a Tuesday press release from its Chairman Zach Lentsch, of Cody, and Treasurer Chris Allen, of Clearmont. The Wyoming Secretary of State’s website shows the PAC was formed on Dec. 10, 2025. According to the PAC’s mission, it seeks to help eligible Wyoming voters understand which state-level candidates in the upcoming election cycle will uphold the values of preserving public land.
“Over the past year, we have seen increasing attacks on our public lands and our wildlife,” reads the PAC website. “Efforts to sell off our public lands, privatize our wildlife, and abandon scientific management threaten our livelihoods as sportsmen and women.”
According to the press release, Protect Wyoming is not funded by special interests. The PAC’s goal is to educate voters about candidates for the Wyoming Legislature and hold current politicians accountable if they attempt to “sell off our lands” or approve transferable hunting tags. The website states that Protect Wyoming is not intending to be an advocacy organization. Instead, it plans to assist hunters, anglers and the general public in understanding how electoral politics shape the landscape in which they recreate.
“We are not funding or endorsing candidates, rather we are using our resources to educate and mobilize voters,” Allen told Buckrail in an email. “Our goal is to inform the public with facts about the past and current political landscapes as it relates to public lands. We want our committee to provide clear and necessary information about candidates and legislation.”
Lentsch is the son of a game warden, and has been an avid outdoorsman in Wyoming his whole life. He owns Wyoming Mountain Guides, a climbing guide company based in Cody. Allen is a lifelong hunter, angler and horseman.
“Zach and I are both avid outdoorsman and have been hunting on our public lands since we were both young; they have shaped us and provided tremendous value to our lives,” said Allen. “Our common desire to protect our public lands for this generation and future generations has connected us through a special group of individuals across the state who value the lands like we do.”
