Cowboy Character, launched last summer, is Visit Laramie’s new responsible recreation campaign. The goal of the campaign is to help the Laramie area continue to promote but protect outdoor amenities in a sustainable way so that future generations can enjoy them as much as people do today.

The campaign was created through a partnership with the Haub School at the University of Wyoming. While the students at UW helped significantly with research on how best to roll out the campaign, the Visit Laramie marketing team came up with the tagline “Cowboy Character”. The inspiration for the idea comes from the Cowboy Code of Ethics where those 10 principles were blended with Leave No Trace and responsible recreation principles.

Through Visit Laramie’s partnership with the US Forest Service and local businesses, they were able to hang up the poster at over 50 local trailheads and campgrounds and distribute it to over 50 local businesses and public spaces downtown. Stickers were also handed out at the Farmers Market to promote the campaign, and a media campaign was launched through a partnership with Madden Media. In 2022, Visit Laramie is looking forward to rolling out the Cowboy Character Challenge and a winter version of the campaign, which they hope will incentivize responsible behavior by recreationists with prizes and gamify crowd dispersion at popular trailheads and camp sites.