Wyoming Corner Crossing Fundraiser

From the beginning, Wyoming BHA has stood in firm defense of the four Missouri hunters who are being wrongly and egregiously prosecuted for civil and criminal trespass for accessing public lands by "corner crossing" in Wyoming. 

“Corner crossing” refers to the act of stepping from one corner of an accessible parcel of public land to the adjoining corner of an inaccessible parcel of public land. It’s akin to moving pieces across a checkers game board. Corner crossing is neither explicitly legal nor explicitly illegal in the state of Wyoming. It is a critical issue for BHA, however, given its implications for public access to our public lands.  

Initial Ruling: 

On May 26, the District Court of Wyoming found it legal to cross through private airspace when stepping from public land to public land over a shared public/private corner. While it is likely that this decision will be appealed, this is a massive win for public access in Wyoming, and for the 8.3 million acres of landlocked public land across the west. This ruling establishes the legality of “corner crossing," potentially opening up access to millions of acres in 11 Western states.  

BHA filed an amicus brief in this case as well, and that amicus brief was part of a victory this spring in the U.S. District Court of Wyoming. In its brief, BHA maintains that the plaintiff in this case “cannot secure for itself the value of public land interspersed with its property by threatening trespass, since the government and its licensees (the public) have an equal right to access their lands.” 

“A landowner with half the ownership of a corner does not have the right to restrict public access by the owner of the other half of the corner – namely the federal government, and by extension, the people of the United States of America,” said Land Tawney, BHA president and CEO. 

“BHA members rely on access to public lands and waters to pursue our passions,” Tawney continued, “and thus we are deeply invested in resolving the issues surrounding corner crossing.” 

Appeal Process:  

The landowner immediately signaled his desire to appeal the May 26 court decision in the 10th District Court of Appeals in Denver. As part of this ongoing legal process, two recent decisions have been handed down. First, on July 18th, the 10th District Court of Appeals court “identified a possible jurisdictional defect” that will stall, or possibly prevent the appeal from moving forward. Secondly, on July 31, Judge Scott Skavdahl refused to temporarily suspend the initial May 26 decision that corner crossing is not trespassing, thus denying a request from the landowner to do so as the appeal process works through the court system. 

Despite those recent decisions, the case was officially appealed to the 10th District Court of Appeals on July 26th. The appeals process will begin with briefs from both parties being submitted throughout August, September and the early part of October., so the fight is not yet over! 

What You Can Do: 

With contributions from public land owners across North America, more than $142,000 has been raised to aid in the legal defense of the hunters to get a fair and equitable trial in court. With the assistance of a fantastic group of lawyers for the Missouri Hunters and BHA, over $300,000 of donated time and legal support has been provided in this important public land access issue. 

We believe no single private landowner should have the right to claim exclusive access rights to your checker-boarded public lands. Thousands of BHA members and supporters likewise have pledged their support for corner crossing and the ability of members of the public to legally access U.S. public lands.  

Help us fight for public lands access goal by making a tax-deductible contribution today! All funds beyond the legal defense needs will be allocated to the continued support and efforts in the political fight in the legislature to make sure that corner crossing is a legal means of access between public land units for all hunters and anglers.