Teton commissioners send SO 3434 “gateway communities” letter to Interior

The Teton County Board of County Commissioners’ April 13 voucher-meeting agenda included a proposed outgoing letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum related to Secretarial Order 3434 (“Strengthening Coordination with Gateway Communities”). The letter positions Teton County—home to all of Grand Teton National Park and about 42% of Yellowstone—as a gateway community and thanks NPS leadership for existing collaboration. (See the agenda and draft letter: Board of County Commissioners Meeting Agenda, Letter to Secretary of the Interior.)

In the letter, commissioners make three core asks: keep public lands “in public hands” (citing Wyoming’s SJ0009 opposing broad public-land sales); reverse federal “funding and staffing” cuts the board says have occurred since 2025; and protect the “inherent value” of Grand Teton and Yellowstone by resisting “amusement-based recreation” and instead prioritizing dispersed, nature-based activities and solitude. The letter is signed by Chair Mark Newcomb and copied to Grand Teton Superintendent Chip Jenkins and Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly.

Because the packet documents show the item as “proposed outgoing correspondence,” and not minutes, the agenda indicates the board was scheduled to decide April 13 whether to transmit the letter; residents could submit comment by email to commissioners@tetoncountywy.gov or via Zoom during the meeting.