Dear editor:

I was born and raised in Park County, Wyoming. My mother’s family homesteaded over five generations ago in Marquette, Wyoming; my father’s side west of Red Lodge, Montana, six generations back. With these roots, two western values, freedom and independence, have been cornerstones of what makes me proud to be a Wyomingite. 

Except for a few years in college and a stint living in Arizona, Wyoming has always been home. I’ll be honest — the Park County I came back to in ‘24 is not the same place I left in ‘12. And nowhere is that more obvious than in what’s happening with the Park County Development Standards and Regulations. 

Over the past year, I’ve done my best to attend public hearings on the proposed DSR. These meetings have not been easy to attend. Many are held during the middle of the week and during working hours. Still, I made it to four — two in Clark and two in Powell. And what I’ve seen has raised serious concerns. 

During all the meetings, a leader stood up and said something to the effect: “When you drive to and from work and look out at our beautiful county, what do you want to see on that land?” That told me everything I needed to know. The county isn’t asking landowners what works on their own land and what needs to be revised. They’re asking people — many of whom live within city limits — to help decide what others should or shouldn’t be allowed to do with their private property. 

People who don’t own rural county land shouldn’t vote on rural county matters. Similar to how those in rural areas don’t get a vote for the mayor of Cody or Powell. 

Let me be clear: I believe in private property rights. What I want to see on land I don’t own isn’t relevant — and it certainly shouldn’t be the basis for sweeping regulation. 

Instead of simplifying and clarifying the existing rules, the county has created even more zoning categories with questionable uses and boundaries. Layers of “General Rural,” “Rural Residential,” “Estate Residential,” and “Community Residential,” among other categories. This is not simplifying — this is bloating. It feels less like planning and more like government control.

If wide open spaces are truly the public’s biggest concern, as stated in the county’s 2024 Land Use Plan (page 19), let us remember the vast majority of Park County — over 80% — is already managed by federal, state or local government agencies. That figure comes directly from the county’s 2024 Land Use Plan (page 58). So, when we talk about what “we want to see” in Park County, it’s worth remembering that very little, only 20% of the land we’re talking about, is private to begin with. 

To make matters worse, the planning and zoning director — who should be a neutral facilitator — has openly expressed disdain for the public. In one DSR work session, she said, and I quote: “I’m going to apologize if I sound a little catty, but how much are we supposed to cater to the public, who obviously they care so much that they aren’t even here. You see what I am saying?” That’s not leadership. That’s condescension. And it reflects exactly the kind of attitude that’s turned this entire process into a disaster. 

That’s the person guiding this process. That’s the tone being set. This isn’t how good planning works. This isn’t how you respect taxpayers, landowners, or the history of a place like Park County. 

If you feel the same way I do — if you value private property rights, if you’re tired of being talked down to, and if you want to see Park County run with transparency and accountability — I urge you to contact your county commissioners and let them know where you stand: parkcounty-wy.gov/county-commissioners/.

Zach Thiel  

Clark