About

Encouraging conversations about Wyoming’s future

Building the Wyoming We Want (BW3), a nonprofit organization, encourages Wyoming residents to have a conversation in their communities on how we can handle growth and still protect our land and water, our outdoor way of life and the sense of community that makes Wyoming so special. Despite the recent economic downturn, Wyoming’s economy continues to grow due in part to rapid energy growth, and with growth comes challenges to our state’s wildlife, friendly communities, characteristic outdoor places, breathtaking mountain vistas and wild and pristine places.

BW3’s mission statement is: As Wyoming grows, Building the Wyoming We Want engages people in preserving healthy communities and outdoor spaces for future generations.

BW3 offers an inclusive visioning process and planning resources that enable residents to decide for themselves what they want their communities to look like and how to preserve what they value about living there for their children and grandchildren.

Promotes broad public discussion about Wyoming’s future.
Offers tools and resources to help residents envision what future growth might look like.
Empowers people to make decisions so that our children and grandchildren can enjoy the same great outdoors and neighborly communities that make Wyoming a special place to live.
Builds resources to assist local areas identify their shared values and their long-range regional vision.
Helps residents see what future growth might look like and understand the future consequences of the decisions they make today.

Why was BW3 created?

BW3 was created following a 2008 statewide conference that invited Wyoming residents to share what they love most about the state, and how those things can be preserved for future generations. Participants realized that Wyoming faces long-term challenges in the form of scarce water resources, declining air quality,shrinking open space, episodes of rapid development, and inadequate infrastructure in cities and towns. Wyoming residents also were concerned about the loss of ranches and agriculture, maintaining a strong economy, the rights of private property owners, pressures on world-class wildlife populations and shrinking habitats.

At the 2008 conference, more than 500 attendees voiced their opinions and expressed strong support for creating a statewide organization to assist communities develop a vision for the future in a way that protects what Wyoming residents value most highly – their access to the great outdoors, and their safe, small and friendly communities. This support was reaffirmed in a 2009 conference that presented the results of a statewide value survey, funded by BW3, of what Wyoming residents value most about their state. The Priorities and Values Study showed that Wyoming residents value most highly their access to the great outdoors, and their safe, small, and friendly communities.

Governance and Structure

BW3 is run by a Board of Directors. To read more about its governance and structure, please click here.