A few weeks ago felt like one of those rare moments when all the miles, meetings, and late-night strategy sessions finally paid off.
First, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission voted unanimously to recommend designating all ten segments of the Sublette Antelope Migration Corridor, a decision that safeguards the world’s longest pronghorn migration, stretching from the Red Desert to Grand Teton National Park. Years of science, outreach, and coalition-building led to that vote, and it was inspiring to see the Commission embrace a future where pronghorn can continue moving freely across Wyoming’s wide-open country.
A few days later, I headed south from Jackson in my truck to celebrate another milestone: the groundbreaking for the U.S. 189 Kemmerer South Wildlife Crossing project. The drive itself was a road trip through Wyoming’s conservation success story. I passed over the South Highway 89 crossings, six underpasses and smaller culverts that now keep deer, elk, and moose off what was once a dangerous stretch. Farther on, I rolled over and under the Trappers Point project, with its two graceful overpasses and six underpasses guiding pronghorn and mule deer across a busy 12-mile corridor. Near La Barge, the Dry Piney project offered another reminder of progress: nine underpasses and nearly seventeen miles of fencing on U.S. 189 that have already cut wildlife collisions dramatically.
Standing at the Kemmerer South site, where seven new underpasses and an overpass will soon take shape, it was impossible not to feel hopeful. Each of these projects represents years of collaboration among state agencies, local communities, hunters, ranchers, and conservation groups like the Wyoming Wildlife Federation and The WYdlife Fund. Together, we’ve shown that science-based solutions and common sense can save lives, protect herds, and keep Wyoming’s roads safer for everyone.
The Road Ahead
Even with these wins, the work isn’t finished. Two projects rise to the top of what’s next:
Wind River to Grand Tetons (Highway 26/287 near Dubois)
This stretch (mileposts 24–73) has been a collision hotspot: between 2015 and 2019, nearly three-quarters of reported crashes were wildlife-vehicle incidents, costing local communities about $791,000 each year. The proposal is clear: replace outdated fencing, construct three underpasses and one overpass, and upgrade existing crossings in the most dangerous segment (MP 58–67). State agencies, Tribes, and nonprofit partners are already working together to secure the funding, which is exactly how we get things done in Wyoming.
Halleck Ridge (I-80 near Elk Mountain)
Here the goal is to reconnect ancient mule deer and elk migration routes long severed by Interstate 80. Plans call for overpasses, strong fencing, and potentially additional underpasses, designs now being refined through the “over, under, around, or through” planning process. Securing funding would close a critical gap in Wyoming’s growing network of wildlife-friendly highways.
Why It Matters
Driving from Jackson to Kemmerer, past project after project, I was reminded that this is exactly what the Wyoming Wildlife Federation exists to do: bring people together across boundaries to make practical, science-driven conservation real. These successes aren’t accidents; they’re the result of Wyomingites rolling up our sleeves, listening to one another, and staying focused on solutions that work for both wildlife and people.
The Sublette corridor designation and the U.S. 189 groundbreaking show what’s possible. Now it’s time to keep the momentum and the herds moving.