{"id":730681,"date":"2026-06-28T07:41:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T07:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/730681\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T07:41:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T07:41:17","slug":"letters-public-lands-honoring-patriots-and-mens-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/730681\/","title":{"rendered":"(LETTERS) Public lands, honoring patriots and men’s mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oil City News publishes letters, cartoons and opinions as a public service. The content does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Oil City News or its employees. Letters to the editor can be submitted by following the\u00a0link at our opinion section.<\/a><\/p>\n

Public lands and family traditions<\/p>\n

Dear Casper,<\/p>\n

In 1996, Wyoming was debating many of the same issues we still talk about today: energy, agriculture, federal land management and the future of our state.<\/p>\n

I was 10 years old and too young to care about any of that. What I cared about was the next weekend road trip. What amazing place were we going to see next? Would there be elk? Moose? Maybe even a bighorn sheep or a bear?<\/p>\n

Fast forward 30 years. Not much has changed in Wyoming. We are still finding new ways to make a living and debating the future of our public lands.<\/p>\n

As for this Wyomingite, I still can\u2019t wait for that next road trip.<\/p>\n

Today, I care a lot more about those issues. That\u2019s one reason I was grateful that Wyoming legislators passed Senate Joint Resolution 0009.<\/p>\n

The resolution affirmed the importance of keeping public lands public, opposed broad, indiscriminate sales or transfers and recognized that Wyoming communities deserve a meaningful voice in decisions affecting them.<\/p>\n

This resolution means a great deal to me and my family. My wife and I, second- and third-generation Wyomingites, were raised on Wyoming\u2019s public lands. With grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and friends, we learned to hike, fish, hunt and build lasting memories.<\/p>\n

Nearly every elk, deer and pronghorn I\u2019ve harvested came from public land. I proposed to my wife beside a remote mountain lake in the Bighorns. Her senior trip was a pack trip into the Wind Rivers. Every year, our family hikes BLM land near Casper to find the perfect Christmas tree. Our sons are already learning where to find trout and are always asking when we can go back to \u201cthe one place.\u201d<\/p>\n

We are not unique. Public lands belong to all of us. Whether your connection comes through hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, horseback riding or Wyoming\u2019s open spaces, these places help shape who we are.<\/p>\n

Thank you to Sen. Eric Barlow, the 38 co-sponsors, and Gov. Mark Gordon for affirming the importance of Wyoming\u2019s public lands, local voices and outdoor heritage.<\/p>\n

To join me in thanking the legislators who supported SJ 0009, visit wyomingwildlife.org\/sj9thankyou\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Chris Peterson
Casper<\/p>\n

Dear Casper,<\/p>\n

As we prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July and America\u2019s 250th anniversary, my heart is full from the powerful success we just witnessed right here in Natrona County.<\/p>\n

On June 20, Wyoming Patriots hosted our 4th Annual Confidence Course at Beartrap Meadow Park on Casper Mountain. Nearly 100 participants \u2014 families coming together across generations \u2014 spent the day immersed in hands-on survival skills, navigation challenges, team obstacles and unforgettable adventures. Children beamed with pride after mastering new abilities. Parents left stronger, more connected and inspired to build resilience in their own neighborhoods. These are the core memories that forge confident kids and unbreakable community bonds \u2014 the very spirit of self-reliance and neighborly strength our forebears won this country with.<\/p>\n

Watching neighbors learn, laugh and lift each other up reminded me why we do this work. As a grassroots 501(c)(3), every station, every volunteer hour, and every smiling face represents pure community investment. We pour our hearts into creating these free opportunities because Wyoming families deserve them.<\/p>\n

Yet we\u2019ve heard it repeatedly: some potential partners and local organizations shy away from supporting us simply because of our name \u201cPatriot\u201d sounds too political. In this season of remembering the bold patriots who declared independence and built a nation on courage and mutual reliance, that hesitation feels like a missed opportunity for all of us. Our mission has always been nonpartisan and practical: equipping families with real skills for real life, strengthening the very preparedness that local emergency efforts champion.<\/p>\n

This Independence Day, let\u2019s reclaim the unifying power of patriotism \u2014 not as a label, but as a living commitment to self-reliance, neighborly support and building a stronger Wyoming together. <\/p>\n

Wyoming Patriots will keep showing up with open hands and proven results. We invite every business, organization and neighbor who believes in resilient families to join us. Together, we can create more days like June 20 \u2014 days that fill hearts with pride and homes with confidence.<\/p>\n

Huge thanks to our dedicated sponsors, volunteers, and every family who made the Confidence Course shine. Your belief in this work fuels the mission. Learn more or get involved at wyomingpatriots.info<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Wishing all a joyful, grateful Fourth of July,<\/p>\n

Eric Paulson
President, Wyoming Patriots
Casper<\/p>\n

Addressing men\u2019s mental health<\/p>\n

Dear Casper,<\/p>\n

As Men\u2019s Mental Health Awareness Month draws to an end, I would like to talk about some disturbing statistics about an uncomfortable truth here in Wyoming.<\/p>\n

According to data from the Wyoming Department of Health from 2024, men accounted for 88% of all suicide deaths in Wyoming. Not only that, men in Wyoming tend to be more successful in their attempts, spiking the mortality rate for suicide attempts in men to about five times that of women.<\/p>\n

I would love to see both of those numbers fall through the floor. We need to watch out for both men and women in our community that are struggling. We need to better educate ourselves to help recognize the signs of suicidal behavior.<\/p>\n

In the state of Wyoming and throughout the west, we have a great culture that embodies self-reliance and rugged individualism. These are both very desirable traits, but we also need to do a better job of teaching our youth that seeking help is often necessary. That no one needs to be alone in their struggles. That it is OK to seek out people to support you and it is definitely OK and often necessary to talk to people about what is bothering you.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t always need to talk to a shrink, or even a formal support group. Reach out to the people you trust. They will be there for you. This is Wyoming, we have the best, most friendly, most neighborly people in the country living here, and they care about you. Most importantly, you are not alone.<\/p>\n

I personally am not one that likes talking about any problems that I have; I am not one that would seek help as a rule. It is not how I was raised. That is why this is a culture shift that needs to happen.<\/p>\n

We need to teach everyone that you can take care of yourself, you should do all in your power to not be a burden on other people, but there is a line that you need to never cross.<\/p>\n

You must seek help when these thoughts start entering your head. We need to fix this issue upstream of the problem. We need to offer both men and women non-clinical resources. We as a community and as a culture need to do better.<\/p>\n

Every dollar that we spend upstream to prevent a suicide can lead directly to a kid growing up with their dad, not without them. We do not want to develop a culture that just accepts suicide because \u201cthat is just the way things are.\u201d<\/p>\n

I am not calling for special government programs to solve this problem. I am asking you and myself to do our part to help our neighbors.<\/p>\n

Simply asking the question \u201cYou haven\u2019t been yourself lately, anything wrong?\u201d could be the difference that day between someone thinking that \u201cno one cares\u201d and \u201cthere is no longer a point to it all\u201d and them seeking the help or conversation they desperately need.<\/p>\n

The Wyoming CALM initiative offers a place for friends, family and neighbors to learn about the warning signs, communicate effectively and help connect their loved ones who they are worried about to support.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/health.wyo.gov\/publichealth\/prevention\/wivpp\/suicide-prevention\/wyoming-calm-initiative\/<\/a><\/p>\n

There are many other programs available. If anyone you know\u00a0is\u00a0having these problems or thoughts, please call 988, visit the\u00a0988lifeline.org<\/a>\u00a0website.<\/p>\n

If it is you, ask your brother, your friend, your coworker, use the resources available to you. I know you would help someone else, so please help yourself first so that you can help someone else later.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, make sure that the people you value most in life know that they are not alone and that you stand with them.<\/p>\n

You are not there to judge, you are there to listen. You may not be able to solve whatever is bothering them, but many times, all they need is an ear to bend and to know that someone cares.<\/p>\n

Cameron Savage
Casper<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Oil City News publishes letters, cartoons and opinions as a public service. The content does not necessarily reflect…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":730682,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[97,259,260],"class_list":["post-730681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=730681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/730682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=730681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=730681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=730681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}