Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Project
Shoshone National Forest, Sheridan Creek
For the past seven years Wyoming Wildlife Federation and the Red Canyon Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation have worked to remove old, obsolete fences from wildlife habitat. Elk, mule deer, moose, antelope, and other roaming and migrating animals benefit from no longer having gnarly, barbed fence wires to navigate, get tangled up in, or severely cut from.
locations on public land. Given our progress, this year the fence was located in the back country of the Shoshone National Forest along Sheridan Creek. From the entrance into the Forest, we drove 30 minutes along dirt roads that twisted and turned through portions of last year’s Lava Mountain fire. Where Sheridan Creek flows beneath the road, we parked the cars and started hiking for over a mile to the project site.
We were armed with fence pliers, bear spray, work boots, and a readiness to roll some wire. Although the project was not in a convenient location we had 32 people volunteer! The fence had fallen into deep over grown willows. We pulled three-strands barbed wire out of rotting posts to get the wire ready for rolling, swatting at mosquitos and horse flies as we went. The entire length of fence removed measured 1 ¾ miles.
I would like to thank our partners – RMEF, Bowhunters of Wyoming, Lander Art Center, Shoshone National Forest, and Artemis.
High five to the volunteers who joined us on this worth-while, effective project!