Throughout Wyoming, ranchers and ag families have long been the backbone of our communities. In Sublette County, we carry on work started generations ago stewarding the same land our parents and grandparents ranched. We’ve weathered droughts, price swings, and shifting policies, always adapting with grit, creativity, and a deep commitment to the land.
Now, that way of life is under threat, not because of market forces or environmental pressures, but because a small group of residents from Bondurant and Hoback Ranches are pushing changes that would affect every landowner in the county.
The Planning and Zoning Board, under direction from the Board of County Commissioners, is proposing a redefinition of “Agricultural/Agricultural Use” under Sublette County’s A-1 zoning regulations. The new language would require that ag activity “support the land’s productive capacity” and limit any non-agricultural use unless it is deemed “incidental to ag.” That means if you outfit, rent a cabin, sell fishing access, or host seasonal workers—you may soon need county approval. Worse yet, you might be forced to disclose your ranch’s income just to prove your way of life is valid.
So, we have to ask: who exactly asked for this?

Was there a flood of complaints from residents demanding more restrictions on what landowners can do? Were ranchers begging for tighter regulations and income reviews? No—and certainly not from the ag community, which was largely left out of the conversation.
Instead, this effort seems driven by a narrow group of Bondurant and Hoback Ranch residents, frustrated by past decisions made by the County Commissioners. Rather than accept those decisions, they’ve quietly turned to the Planning and Zoning Board to rewrite the rules.  Rules that would reshape how people across Sublette County use their land, who they can rent to, and whether they can sustain their operations with supplemental income.
Were these proposals drafted with input from working ranchers, the Stock Growers Association, or local landowners? It doesn’t appear so. Many of us had no idea these changes were even being considered until they were well underway.
This isn’t minor housekeeping, it’s a sweeping regulatory overhaul. These rules would make it impossible to build housing for our aging parents or adult children on our land, regardless of need. It could limit seasonal worker accommodations. It might force us to justify time-honored practices like charging for access or renting cabins. All in the name of “protecting” a rural character that we, the ranching families and landowners, have preserved for generations.
Ironically, the very people being targeted by these changes are the ones who’ve kept this county open, wild, and working. If you don’t fill out the right forms or meet new, vague standards, your legacy and livelihood may no longer count.  That certainly benefits a few part-time Bondurant residents who don’t want change but what about the rest of the County?
Let’s be clear: charging for fishing access isn’t abuse, it’s additional income in a tough industry. Renting a cabin isn’t sprawl, it’s survival. Building modest homes for family or workers isn’t overreach, it’s how generational ranches survive.
We don’t need more bureaucracy in Sublette County. We need to help those who live here full-time and care about the future. We need land-use policies shaped by those who work and live on the land. We don’t need additional government rules and regulations quietly imposed on an entire county by a few dissatisfied voices from Bondurant and Hoback Ranches.
It’s time to hit pause. Let’s ask: who is this serving? And let’s get back to what’s worked for generations: trusting the people who’ve kept Sublette County running, not tying them up with governmental red tape to benefit a few privileged individuals. Call and email your county commissioners and ask them why they threw away years of work on zoning regs only to require the County P&Z Board to start again with an abandoned version that considerably restricts property rights. Get involved before it is too late.