State-by-state connectivity policy guide: Wyoming

This digest is the second in a series of posts highlighting states that are leading the way in corridor and connectivity policies (see Colorado).

States that have connectivity policies enacted or introduced. More information can be found in the Corridor Policy Library. Credit: Center for Large Landscape Conservation. (Click to enlarge)

In Wyoming, concern for wildlife movement dates back to the 1970s, when researchers began studying the effects of fencing that funneled migrating mule deer toward underpasses. Since then, the state has led the way in setting protections for migratory wildlife and establishing wildlife corridors. Secretary of the Department of the Interior Deb Haaland has taken note, remarking that “Wyoming is a great model for how to advance collaborative, proactive work to conserve and restore important wildlife habitat and migration corridors.”

Protecting their healthy wildlife populations is a source of pride for many Wyoming residents, as is reflected by the many pieces of policy passed at the state level that set up such protections. Speaking about Executive Order 2020-1, which relates to Mule Deer and Antelope Migrations, Governor Mark Gordon emphasized that “Wyoming has been a national leader in the effort to develop a balanced, science-based approach to managing wildlife corridors.”

Efforts related to corridors and wildlife connectivity are widespread among various state agencies in Wyoming. The Game and Fish Department officially adopted a migration corridor strategy in 2016. The Department of Transportation set specifications for fencing and cattle guards in 2019 to accommodate animal migration routes. Interest in wildlife migrations has even reached the county level, with Teton County adopting an innovative Wildlife Crossing Plan in 2018. Finally, the Wyoming Migration Initiative, a partnership between these state agencies, the University of Wyoming, and conservation organizations has conducted some of the most extensive analysis and mapping of wildlife movement and barriers to migration of anywhere in the country. For more information on the various policies related to wildlife corridors and movement, check out the legislative summaries included below.

Policy Actions

2008

• Greater Sage-Grouse Core Area Protection Executive Order 2008-2 (August 2008): establishes a Core Area Protection strategy identified by the state’s Sage Grouse Implementation Team. The strategy establishes a ‘sound framework,’ according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for prioritizing activities to maintain and enhance habitats and sage-grouse populations. It also provides for the creation of incentives “to enable development of all types outside Core Protected Areas,” provided that such developments are “designed and managed to maintain populations, habitats and essential migration routes.”

2016

• Game and Fish Department Ungulate Migration Corridor Strategy (February 2016; revised January 2019): Wyoming Game and Fish Commission designates “ungulate migration bottlenecks and ungulate stopover areas as ‘Vital’ under the Commission’s Mitigation Policy. Accordingly, ‘The Department is directed by the Commission to recommend no significant declines in species distribution or abundance or loss of habitat function… [t]he Department…designate[s] Ungulate Migration Corridors in accordance with the Department’s Standardized Definitions for Seasonal Wildlife Ranges… and [t]he Department…work[s] cooperatively with stakeholders to identify related research and proactive conservation actions (e.g., conservation easements; fence modifications; habitat improvement projects) to conserve migration corridors.”

2018

• House Bill 39. Wildlife Conservation License Plates (March 2018): establishes a wildlife conservation license plate, annual fee, and specific account for the proceeds raised in order to fund “wildlife conservation efforts related to the transportation system, including signage, wildlife corridors, wildlife crossings and game fences.”
• Teton County Wildlife Crossing Master Plan (June 2018): county-wide plan  “aimed at reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions with large mammals, providing safe crossing opportunities for large mammals, and making stream crossings passable for fish species”; identifies wildlife-vehicle collision hot spots and mitigation options. Recommendations result from cost‐benefit analyses, prioritization, and investigation of wildlife‐vehicle collision mitigation methods of various types, including underpasses, overpasses, at‐grade crossings, fencing, lighting, and speed limits.

2019

• Greater Sage-Grouse Core Area Protection Executive Order 2019-3 (August 2019): updates and enriches the state’s 2008 Core Area Strategy and to “prioritize the maintenance and enhancement of Greater sage-grouse habitats and populations inside Core Population Areas, Connectivity Areas, and Winter Concentration Areas”; requires annual reporting to track progress, and states Wyoming will “seek opportunities to expand populations and habitats for Greater sage-grouse,” where feasible, through voluntary efforts.
• Department of Transportation Operating Policy on Fences and Cattle Guards (September 2019); under this policy, “[s]tandard fence plans can be modified to accommodate animal migration routes, specific land uses, or other unique situations. On primary and secondary highways, a 42-inch high fence may be allowed in select areas as recommended by the Wyoming Game & Fish Department if the landowner and any lessee involved that may be grazing livestock on adjacent land provide written permission.”

2020

• Mule Deer and Antelope Migration Corridor Protection Executive Order 2020-1 (February 2020); designates three mule deer migration corridors and establishes the process for designation of future corridors. The Order states: “[E]ach executive agency in Wyoming shall exercise its legal and regulatory authorities to protect the annual movement of mule deer and antelope between seasonal ranges in their respective designated migration corridors…while recognizing that adjustments to management may be necessary based upon local conditions, opportunities, and limitations.”
• House Bill 69. An Act Relating to Wildlife Conservation (July 2020); provides for “voluntary donations to support wildlife conservation efforts related to the transportation system” ; requires that “funds in the wildlife conservation account shall only be used to provide for wildlife conservation efforts related to the transportation system, including signage, wildlife corridors, wildlife crossings and game fences.”

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