{"id":852,"date":"2026-02-13T13:23:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T13:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sleepystork.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/13\/crossing-the-corners-of-private-land-to-access-public-land-won-in-courts-now-laws-must-follow-opinion\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T13:23:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T13:23:26","slug":"crossing-the-corners-of-private-land-to-access-public-land-won-in-courts-now-laws-must-follow-opinion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sleepystork.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/13\/crossing-the-corners-of-private-land-to-access-public-land-won-in-courts-now-laws-must-follow-opinion\/","title":{"rendered":"Crossing the corners of private land to access public land won in courts, now laws must follow (Opinion)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last summer, hunters and anglers stepped up in a huge way to help defeat a proposal by Utah Sen. Mike Lee to sell off millions of acres of public land.<\/p>\n

In the end, public land defenders won. Confronted by an outpouring of grassroots opposition, Senator Lee removed his amendment to the Trump administration\u2019s \u201cBig Beautiful Bill.\u201d But the struggle demonstrated that we need to act sooner.<\/p>\n

Four elk hunters in Wyoming showed us what stepping up can look like. Instead of sitting back and looking sadly at a huge chunk of prime elk country blocked by a billionaire\u2019s ranch, they built a special ladder. By climbing over it, they crossed from one corner of public land to another, setting in motion a legal process that freed up millions of acres of public land in six states.<\/p>\n

They also shot some nice bulls.<\/p>\n

The hunters\u2019 creativity in the field has become an inspiration. That\u2019s why the two of us — state legislators in Wyoming and Montana — are teaming up to fight for public land access, just as the hunters on Wyoming\u2019s Elk Mountain did.<\/p>\n

Across the West, millions of acres of public land are still legally open but practically inaccessible. At checkerboard corners where public and private land meet, a person can stand on public ground, look directly at more public ground just an inch away, and still be told they cannot step from one to the other.<\/p>\n

In Wyoming, the question of corner crossing dragged through the courts for years. Last October, the Supreme Court refused to hear a case challenging a lower court decision allowing corner crossing. The ruling establishes that crossing between public land corners without touching private property does not constitute trespass.<\/p>\n

That means corner crossing remains legal in the 10th Circuit states<\/a> of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico.<\/p>\n

In other states, a legal gray area remains.<\/p>\n

In Montana, Gov. Greg Gianforte and the director of Fish, Wildlife and Parks say that corner crossing remains unlawful under state law. That declaration puts political clout behind the status quo, where public land remains accessible to those who can buy control of key parcels and hire fancy attorneys.<\/p>\n

The consequences are not abstract. For working families in Montana and Wyoming, access to public land is a necessity, not a luxury. It is how people put meat in the freezer as grocery prices rise. It is how parents take their kids outdoors without paying fees. It is how rural communities hold on to traditions that are increasingly out of reach.<\/p>\n

We, as elected leaders, need to act. We can\u2019t let confusing court decisions or laws that don\u2019t serve the people be the last word on any issue dealing with public land.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the two of us support state legislation in both Wyoming and Montana that will clarify the law and protect public access.\u00a0The stakes are high and rising. Land prices have become astronomically out of reach for most people, outside wealth continues to pour into our states, and politicians in Congress and our state legislatures increasingly side with wealthy landowners.<\/p>\n

Unless public land supporters in office act to clarify corner crossing in law, access will continue to shrink. The result will be a two-tiered system: a West for people who can afford exclusive access, another West that\u2019s diminished for everyone else.<\/p>\n