The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
GILLETTE — A new requirement by the Wyoming Division of State Parks and Historic Sites has upset many campers around the state.
Moorcroft resident Jordan Webb describes herself as a “super avid camper.” She and her family camp all summer long, mainly at Keyhole State Park. For Webb, camping is a way to enjoy life and nature away from technology.
But this summer, she won’t be camping at a state park to protest a new requirement that all campsites must be reserved in advance.
She’s written an online petition that has more than 30,000 signatures and organized a protest at Keyhole State Park. The protest will take place at the entrance on the marina side of the park.
“We want things to go back to the way they were,” she said.
On May 1, the state announced that state parks would partially reopen to camping for Wyoming residents in two weeks, but all campsites would require a reservation.
The reservation system will ensure that only in-state residents can make reservations, provide instant communication through information on the reservation, and reduce cash handling by staff, according to the state. The reservation adds a $7.75 fee on top of everything else.
Webb said she was “very upset” when she heard the news. She thought something needed to be done, so she started a petition on change.org.
“Let›s take back one of our freedoms of being able to do something as simple as camp without asking permission,” the petition reads. “If this law stays in place it will make it harder for families and friends to get together and enjoy the easy life that is camping. We need to stick together and demand that things go back to the way they were.”
It’s since garnered nearly 37,000 signatures. Webb said she didn’t expect the petition to take off like it has.
“When I first started, I thought it’d be really cool if we got two or three thousand,” she said, adding that she’s now more motivated to bring about change.
The Wyoming State Parks have had a reservation system for several years, but it only included about 40% of the state’s campsites. Now, about 95% of the campsites are on the system, and everyone who wants to camp must make a reservation.
When a reservation is made, a $7.75 fee is required. That fee goes to the third-party reservation system, ReserveAmerica.
“People already spend quite a bit of money to buy the park passes, so to have to tack on another fee with this down economy is kind of a downturn of events,” Webb said. “I know a lot of people aren’t too pleased with that whatsoever.”
But the new fee is the least of Webb’s worries.
“We as a group feel it’s a total overreach of power,” she said.
She liked the way it worked before the pandemic. People could decide whether they wanted to make a reservation. But now, she said, the state is basically forcing campers to make a reservation.
“The reservation system also decreases the stress of not knowing if you have a campsite to stay in before you leave your home,” the state’s press release reads.
Webb said she personally has never had that issue, even on Fourth of July weekend.
Webb has spoken with a couple of senators, and one told her that the state is under contract with ReserveAmerica through the end of this camping season, so if anything changes, the earliest it could happen is next year.
Until then, Webb will be boycotting the state parks.
“I refuse to make a reservation,” she said. “And I refuse to show support for the state parks.”
