The WYldlife Fund was pleased to help expand Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Access YES Program thanks to a generous grant from the Williams Foundation.
As stated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the goal of the Access Yes Program is to enhance and/or maintain public hunting and fishing access onto Wyoming private and landlocked public lands. This is accomplished by enrolling private landowners into one of the access programs (Hunter Management Area, Walk-in Hunting, and/or Walk-in Fishing). The landowner and Department personnel negotiate the terms of an agreement including: agreement length (one to five years), the species that can be harvested, the geographic location, dates access will be allowed, and any other specific rules or stipulations. In return for access, landowners benefit in several ways including:
- A modest monetary payment based on the number of acres or stream length enrolled;
- Increased law enforcement presence;
- Increased wildlife management (population control and damage prevention); and,
- Management of sportsmen, alleviating phone calls and other disruptions to landowners (access maps, hunter instruction on ranch rules, etc.).
The WYldlife Fund is committed to working towards creating further access to private and landlocked public lands to all individuals who enjoy exploring the great outdoors.