CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Roughly 100 to 150 ranchers, conservation advocates, local officials, and concerned citizens gathered Thursday, June 4, 2026, at the Wyoming State Capitol for a “Stop the Wall of Wind” rally. The event called 
for an immediate pause on new large-scale industrial wind development across Wyoming until officials complete a comprehensive landscape-level review of its impacts on golden eagles, wildlife habitats, rural communities, and Wyoming’s iconic landscapes.
Organized by CFACT together with Conservatives of USA, The Kim Monson Show, Loos Tales, and the Albany County Conservancy, the lunchtime rally marked a notable grassroots pushback against the rapid expansion of wind projects in southeast Wyoming.
Speakers Highlight Cumulative Impacts and Local Concerns
Attendees heard from a broad cross-section of Wyoming voices, including longtime residents, multi-generational ranchers, elected officials, and conservation leaders. Speakers repeatedly stressed that individual wind projects are being approved without anyone assessing the combined footprint of dozens of facilities stretching across more than 100 miles.
Craig Rucker, President of CFACT, pointed to declining golden eagle populations and the lack of big-picture oversight. “Project after project is being rubber-stamped one at a time. Nobody 
n Cheyenne or Washington is looking at the cumulative impact of this entire 100-mile-plus corridor on migration routes, breeding grounds, and eagle mortality,” Rucker said. “That’s why CFACT is demanding a full Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement — a real, honest, landscape-level review — before another blade starts turning.”
Wendy Volk, a Laramie County business owner and anti-wind activist, displayed a large handmade map showing existing, proposed, and planned wind projects layered together. She noted the absence of any official comprehensive map and warned that the scale of industrialization threatens to permanently alter the region.
Mike Stephens, a generational rancher from Converse County, described firsthand impacts on his land and 
community: “After seeing multiple wind projects already impact my ranch and surrounding community, I am speakingout against state and county agencies issuing wind farm permits without fully evaluating the long-term consequences for land, wildlife, water, and local heritage.”
Kim Monson, host of The Kim Monson Show, delivered a memorable line: “Humans can successfully coexist with nature while increasing human flourishing; however… government-subsidized industrial wind projects have become a Cuisinart for golden eagles, birds, and bats. We can do better!”
Additional speakers included Laramie County Commissioner Linda Heath; Anne Brande, executive director of the Albany County Conservancy; Lucinda Houtchens of a multigenerational ranching family tied to Chugwater; Bobby Giesse, a generational rancher from Glenrock; radio host Trent Loos; Kathryn Stevens, who raised health concerns related to low-frequency noise and turbine blade debris; and local farmer Tom Niichel, who shared observations from the decommissioning of the Ponnequin wind farm.
Strong Local Media Presence
The rally attracted significant coverage from local outlets, including the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cap City News, Your Wyoming Link (Fox/ABC), Wake Up Wyoming, Loos Tales Media, and The Kim Monson Show.
As the event concluded under the bright Cheyenne sky, participants left with a clear message: Wyoming’s wildlife, agricultural heritage, and way of life should not be sacrificed for subsidized energy projects that ship power out of state while leaving behind fragmented landscapes and dead eagles.
The rally represents a growing statewide sentiment that responsible energy development must include genuine environmental stewardship, full cumulative impact studies, and meaningful input from the people who call Wyoming home. CFACT and its partners say they will continue pressing for a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and greater transparency in the permitting process.
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