The People's Mountain Range
The Wyoming Range’s natural values are a key underpinning to Wyoming’s increasingly diversified economy. Visitors are drawn by the wildlife, mountain vistas and recreational opportunities, particularly the hunting and fishing. In 2004, almost 12,000 hunters were issued licenses for elk, mule deer and moose in the Wyoming Range. The economic return from their harvests totals more than $4 million for local economies.
The growing economic importance of hunting, hiking, skiing and other outdoor activities is reflected in national trends. Outdoor recreation generates $730 billion annually, supporting 6.5 million jobs, according to a recent study. About a third of that total is related to travel expenses. According to a recent report developed for the Wyoming Business Council, revenues generated by travel spending in Sublette County reached $12.5 million in 2004 and $10.2 million in Lincoln County. Tourism is an increasingly important part of the economic picture, now Wyoming's second-largest industry. Sublette County saw the state’s highest increase in travel spending, increasing by 9.3 percent each year since 1997.
The exceedingly high cost of exploration and development in the Wyoming Range can’t be justified in light of the important contribution that the Wyoming Range makes to the economics of the region’s recreation and tourism industry. 
—Jennifer Lamb, National Outdoor Leadership School
There’s no question that outdoor recreation is at the center of Wyoming’s economic future. Retail sales in Wyoming related to fishing, for example, totaled over $221 million in 2001, according to the American Sportfishing Association. The economic "output" due to fishing in the state was more than $326 million. State wildlife officials report that wildlife-related activities in the Bridger-Teton National Forest generate $51 million a year and support 1,132 jobs. Deer hunting alone generates $6.3 million, much of that centered on the Wyoming Range.