Uniquely situated where prairie, playas, and plains meet, southeastern Wyoming is home to a vibrant conservation partnership. On a hot, dry day in mid-July, I had the privilege to tour the region with some amazing partners, looking at success stories and talking about conservation opportunities. Ian Tator with Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) and Mindy Meade with the USFWS’ Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (PFW) were our visionary tour guides. We were joined by representatives from Wyoming Stockgrowers Land Trust, Ducks Unlimited, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Laramie County Conservation District, and additional dedicated WGFD and PFW staff.
Over the course of a 12-hour day afield, we visited with Darrel and Marilyn Repshire, progressive ranchers reinvigorating riparian and upland habitats and serving as a model to their neighbors. We stopped at Table Mountain Wildlife Habitat Management Area (WHMA), which provides migration habitat for waterfowl, snow geese, and Canada geese, and serves as a staging area for 10% of the entire mid-continent population of sandhill cranes. Ducks Unlimited has been instrumental in bringing millions of North American Wetland Conservation Act funding to the area, more than anywhere else in Wyoming and recently facilitated the acquisition of an adjacent parcel by the state to expand management options. WGFD also manages a pheasant breeding facility nearby, providing upland hunting opportunities on the WMHA in addition to waterfowl hunting.
The tour then traveled through Torrington, the site of the largest cattle sale barn in the region. We also visited Guernsey State Park and learned about important Conservation Corps dam and road projects from the 1930s. Tour participants discussed opportunities for conservation work, such as conifer encroachment management to reduce wildfire risk for the nearby community of Hartville. To close out the day, we visited North Glendo WHMA including ~2,000 acres of riparian habitat along the North Platte River that the Bureau of Reclamation is currently in the process of transferring to WGFD. Once the transfer is completed, WGFD will work to maintain and enhance the habitat value of this already rich area.
We finished the day tired yet inspired. The hope and optimism of the people stewarding southeastern Wyoming is palpable and infectious. I was grateful to all the partners who spent a long day in the field sharing success stories, and some heartbreaks. I can’t wait to get back there and go a little deeper—with the people and the place.