Outdoor opportunities would mean nothing without clean water and intact landscapes. Our vision is a Wyoming with clean water and healthy habitat to help support the wildlife and fish species that depend on them. We work for policy and management initiatives that benefit the species, habitats, and people of Wyoming through protecting the land and water resources that are the foundations to healthy wildlife populations and a strong, sustainable economy.
The Federation has doubled down on landscape connectivity with habitat coordinator, Sam Lockwood on the WWF team. A lifelong Wyomingite, Sam’s wildlife biology background and community-building nature make him a great fit to organize habitat projects with landowners and agencies across the state. The Federation is continuing to grow habitat projects to improve wildlife habitat and landscape connectivity. WWF is especially looking for ways to improve habitat for wildlife and our members along the eastern half of Wyoming.
Upcoming Habitat Projects
Elk Ridge Fence Removal, Dubios, WY | July 30, 2022
The longest-running WWF habitat project, this year’s Fremont County fence removal project with the Red Canyon Chapter of Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is on Elk Ridge in the Spence & Moriarty Wildlife Habitat Management Area. Volunteers meet at the Upper Bear Creek Campground at 8:00 am on Saturday, 30, 2022, and are encouraged to bring fence pliers, good gloves, long sleeves, and a great attitude!
If you or someone you know would like to work together on a project, contact Sam Lockwood at slockwood@wyomingwildlife.org or call 435-729-0951.
Beaver dam analogs (BDAs) are crucial in fighting bank erosion, fast run-off during drought years, improve riparian vegetation, and help promote more beaver to build deeper pools of water that are good for native cutthroat trout. Over 60 people built 40 BDAs to help the flows of the Trout Creek near Little Mountain with this project.
Located on the northern end of the Snowy Range, this project included taking down a mile of woven sheep fence with another four strands of barb wire on top of the woven wire, as well as taking out all posts and poles to improve movement for wildlife in the area.
Located in the backcountry near Union Pass, this project took place in June with over 30 volunteers. The project removed several miles of fencing off of Bridger-Teton Forest Service and private lands. WWF provided water and lunch for all volunteers.
The Federation teamed up with the folks from Jonah Energy for a field day on August 6, 2021 to add clips to the existing fences in the area. This project modified four miles of the non-wildlife friendly fence into a wildlife-friendly fence. The lower wire can now be lifted higher off the ground in times when the allotments are not in use to make it easier for the Sublette pronghorn herd to get across the landscape for migration.
The Wyoming Wildlife Federation worked together with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s local habitat biologist Dean Clause others to organize the volunteer day near Farson to make passage across Highway 28 a little easier for pronghorn moving through the area. The lower wire can now be lifted higher off the ground in times when the allotments are not in use to make it easier for the Sublette pronghorn herd to get across the roadway. This work is especially important during winter months when they migrate to the winter range south and east of the highway. Volunteers and staff noted multiple pronghorn carcasses in the right-of-way from previous years of pronghorn getting stuck between fences and being struck by vehicles.
The yearly Shoshone National Forest project is our oldest and is in partnership with the Shoshone National Forest staff, Bowhunters of Wyoming, and the Red Canyon Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. This year, we removed 3/4 mile of old fences from the landscape on public lands near Dubois to improve ungulate movements across the landscape.
The Wyoming Wildlife Federation joined with local landowners at the Diamond H, and members of SOS Well Services to install let-down fencing on the La Barge livestock common allotment. The fencing is laid down to improve migration movements for deer and elk.
