Even if all the lands were released from their Wilderness Study Area designations, they would still belong to the federal government, and would be managed under the same umbrella as nearby lands. They would not go to the state.

But concerns that this could be a land grab are not unfounded, said Nick Dobric, Wyoming Field Representative with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.

Efforts across the country have been made, and are being made, to turn federal land over to state control. Even Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican running for president, said recently he wanted to turn federal land in Nevada over to the state.

“There are two very separate efforts, one is very toxic and (one) could be very rewarding,” Dobric said. “The big red flag with us, and other sportsmen’s groups, is if this becomes an effort to make this a seizure of public lands and take over ownership, that will be dead on arrival, and we will fight that.”

If federal public land is transferred to states, it could more easily be sold or closed off to the public, say many in the outdoor recreation and conservation communities.

The group of people championing the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative say the lands will stay public in federal hands.