Wildlife projects funded through signature program

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from The WYldlife Fund! Thanks to our incredible supporters we are grateful to make another big funding announcement for Wyoming’s wildlife.

Wildlife Tourism for Tomorrow, a signature program of The WYldlife Fund, inspires businesses and individuals who depend upon Wyoming’s Wildlife to help fund on-the ground projects that make a difference. This visionary program led by Wyldlife Fund Board Member, Taylor Phillips has already yielded great success for wildlife. This movement puts tourism related dollars directly into projects you select and support our shared wildlife legacy today.

To date, this program has raised $203,000 for Wyoming’s wildlife with over 70 businesses supporting through charitable contributions!

This past week at the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission meeting in Rock Springs, we announced $84,900 in gifts for ‘on the ground’ wildlife conservation projects through this signature program!

Read more information on these projects below!

New Fork River Restoration

Restoration strategies will restore channel dimensions to reference conditions (narrow and deepen channel cross sections), alleviate highly erosive stream banks, and provide additional cover for fish within the channel. Click here to learn more.

South Park Wetlands Enhancement

The effort will reconnect old channel scars in the cottonwood gallery to the Snake River, helping raise the water table and increase the complexity of the forested habitat. Additional shallow water wetlands will be built to provide more filtering, as well as more habitat for migrating waterbirds. Click here to learn more.

Grand Teton National Park Sagebrush Restoration

As the project has progressed, so too has the park’s experimentation with different management techniques to yield better outcomes overall—including greater diversity of native plant species and higher quality habitat, which together are key to supporting wildlife and a balanced ecosystem. Click here to learn more.

Beaver Holding Facility

Beavers can drastically alter river ecosystems by impounding water through dam construction, which can greatly benefit habitat. Dams create higher water tables, reconnect and expand floodplains, expand wetlands, improve water quality, and increase diversity and richness in the populations of plant and animal life. Click here to learn more.

Expanding the conservation funding model

The spectacular wildlife found in our state exist thanks to over a century of dedicated conservation efforts.

Wildlife conservation in Wyoming is primarily funded via the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, federal aid from the Pittman Robertson and Dingell Johnson (excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment), and a few other small areas. Wyoming Game and Fish Department receives no property taxes from the state of Wyoming or contributions from recreational users. In short, the hunting and fishing community shoulders the majority of the burden of wildlife conservation.

We believe more of us should be pitching in to wildlife conservation in Wyoming. This program aims to change this, creating a funding mechanism that will allow the businesses and individuals who depend upon wildlife to contribute to their sustainable future. Click here to learn more!

Thank you for helping make this signature program a tremendous success. We are currently working through a rebranding effort when it comes to Wildlife Tourism For Tomorrow, so stay tuned! We are excited to continue to grow this initiative and place more dollars on the ground for the benefit of Wyoming’s wildlife.

We wish both you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas and Holiday Season.

Sincerely,

Chris McBarnes

President

The WYldlife Fund

I-25 Wildlife Crossing FUNDED

I-25 (Buffalo to Kaycee) Wildlife Crossing Project – Fully Funded and Bid Accepted

One of The WYldlife Fund’s first objectives has been to construct wildlife crossings in key areas of Wyoming. Wildlife crossings are an effective way to save wildlife and protect drivers. According to one conservative estimate, wildlife-vehicle collisions in Wyoming cost $54-56 million per year. This includes the costs due to human injuries, vehicle damages, and lost wildlife value.

Our first large project focus has been the I-25 (Buffalo to Kaycee) Wildlife Crossing Project. This effort between The WYldlife Fund and our strategic partners seeks to build 15 miles of exclusionary fencing to direct wildlife — mainly mule deer — to existing underpasses as opposed to crossing the highway surface. We are so thrilled to have accomplished our goal, as the Wyoming Department of Transportation recently accepted a bid to start the building of the exclusionary fencing. Construction is expected to begin in spring of 2023.

The allure of this project and the reason for its relatively low overall cost is due to the use of these existing underpasses being utilized to provide safe passage for wildlife across I-25. The crossing will improve wildlife connectivity across a 15 mile stretch of I-25 by directing wildlife to six different existing underpasses. Deer escape ramps, cattle guards and gates will also be included in construction plans to facilitate appropriate movements of big game animals into the future.

Carcass counts and crash data will be used to compare conditions before and after project completion to measure success of the project. We will also confer with the Powder River Mule Deer Initiative Research to compare pre and post project data.

By reducing wildlife-vehicle mortalities, we expect an increase in overall mule deer population numbers in the Upper Powder River and Pumpkin Buttes.

Learn more about our Wildlife Crossing Work.

How has The WYldlife Fund contributed to this important project?

Partnered with the Knobloch Family Foundation to raise $200,000
Partnered with the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund to raise $125,000
Partnered with the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust to help generate over $350,000 in matching funds
Donated 100% of proceeds from a Wyoming Commissioner License sale for $25,000: if you purchased a ticket in our raffle, YOU helped support this project
Partnered with Williams energy to raise $10,000
Partnered with our friends at the Muley Fanatic Foundation to hold the first Golf for Wildlife Outing in Buffalo which raised $7,000
Donated $2,500 to help promote the Governor’s wildlife license plate challenge in 2020 which generated dollars for statewide wildlife crossing projects

The WYldlife Fund is honored to have worked with several other outstanding organizations who advocated for and raised essential funds for this project.

THANK YOU TO THESE INCREDIBLE PARTNERS AND FUNDERS

Wyoming Game and Fish Department

Wyoming Department of Transportation

Knobloch Family Foundation

Muley Fanatic Foundation

Williams Energy

Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust

Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fund

Translocating and supporting beavers, a WIN-WIN

The WYldlife Fund allows donors to make restricted gifts to fund a passion which is of most interest and relevancy. This model allows the donor faith and confidence that their donation is headed directly to an area of most passion. Thanks to a generous gift by Mary and Charlie Rumsey of Meeteetse, WY we have established a fund which directly supports the majestic moose and the first investment from this fund supports beaver translocation and expansion across Wyoming in key geographical areas.

This generous gift from the Rumsey Family, which established the moose fund, went to support the purchase and fabrication of a beaver translocation trailer for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. This trailer will allow for safe and effective beaver translocation to willing and accepting landowners. These efforts result in enhanced wetlands habitat which benefits a multitude of wildlife species.

Izott Emily Lydia Tween of Washington State University explains, “Increasingly land managers use beavers to restore stream function. Through the impacts of dam building beavers increase water storage and aquifer recharge, resulting in improved stream conditions for fish. Beavers are ecosystem engineers altering habitat by building dams and impounding water and sediment. Beaver ponding can increase surface-groundwater exchange in the hyporhoeic zone which in turn may lead to cooler inputs of groundwater upwelling downstream. This consequent buffering of maximum stream temperatures can be of benefit to temperature sensitive species. Beavers are seen as a cost-effective method for habitat restoration compared to resource-intensive heavy engineering restoration projects.”

Through this gift, the Rumsey Family is standing behind the efforts of Terrestrial Habitat Biologist, Jerry Altermatt and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in their commitment to strategically utilizing these ‘ecosystem engineers’ and the positive enhancements they bring to the landscape and habitat.

The WYldlife Fund thanks Mary and Charlie for their incredible commitment to the wildlife of Wyoming and their jumpstart of the moose fund! If you would be interested in investing in this important cause please reach out to us at 307-316-3863 or email chris@thewyldlifefund.org.

The WYldlife Fund announces the latest round of microgrant awards!

The WYldlife Fund is proud to support the following projects through our microgrant program. Please feel free to share our website and the application for a microgrant with any organization that has a project that is strategically aligned with our vision and mission statement, “Uniting people to advance Wyoming wildlife habitat, research, and education”.

Greater Yellowstone/Crooked Creek Bear Proof Trash Storage–

Through our microgrant program, The Wyldlife Fund is proud to have provided a $2500 grant to the Greater Yellowstone Coalition to provide Pro-Pactor trash compactor trailer to the Crooked Creek Ranch in the Dunoir area west of Dubois, WY. This trailer will be used to limit grizzly bear conflicts in the area by responsibly and effectively storing waste in a bear proof container. Other partners in this project are: Crooked Creek Ranch, U.S. Forest Service, Wyoming Game and Fish, and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. The Wyldlife Fund is proud to provide support for this cause and promote responsible waste management and education.

Park County Weed and Pest: Boot Brush Stations

Partnering with the Park County Weed and Pest, The Wyldlife Fund is proud to sponsor the purchase of five additional PlayCleanGo Boot Brush Stations to place at trailheads throughout Park County. These stations provide a boot cleaning station at trailheads in order to help prevent invasive species introduction into areas of critical wildlife habitat. The WYldlife Fund is happy to work with the BLM and Shoshone National Forest to provide $2500 through our Microgrant program to provide additional stations and promote education about invasive plant species and the part that humans play in spreading them into areas that are critical for wildlife.

Wyoming Game and Fish: Afton Elk Herd Native Winter Range Project

The WYldlife Fund with our partners at the Wyoming Game and Fish are happy to support the efforts of Ben Wise (regional wildlife disease biologist) to research the portion of the Afton elk herd that are not currently utilizing the elk feedgrounds. This project will involve capturing and collaring elk with the use of helicopters to provide critical data concerning migration patterns and utilization of native winter range. Our $2500 microgrant will help offset the cost of collars and activation fees, etc. The mission statement of The Wyldlife Fund is: Uniting people to advance Wyoming wildlife habitat, research, and education. This project is perfectly aligned with that goal.

Joey’s Fly Fishing: Joey’s Stream Keepers Conservation Program

Working together with our friends at Joey’s Fly Fishing, The Wyldlife Fund is proud to provide sponsorship of the Joey’s Stream Keepers Conservation Program through a microgrant of $2500. These funds will be utilized to provide research through the use of river boxes, entomology collection and analysis kits. The aim of this research is to provide education to support efforts in stream management and protection for long-term sustainability. Other partners in this effort are as follows: Trout Unlimited, Holy Name Catholic School, Admiral Beverage, and Oxbow Ranch (Randal Huckeba).

Nate Brown hired as Operations manager

The WYldlife Fund welcomes Nate Brown as our Operations Manager! Nate has hit the ground running in his first week on the job and will be a strong advocate and asset for Wyoming’s wildlife. Reach out to Nate at nate@thewyldlifefund.org or (307) 851-1223.

A Wyoming native, Nate was born in Fremont County and is proud to become a member of The WYldlife Fund team working as Operations Manager. Nate has worked for the past decade in the oil and gas industry in North Dakota as a pipeline inspector, foreman and superintendent. He credits his experiences in Wyoming, working in the agriculture and outfitting industries with providing him the tenacity to excel in his endeavors in the oil and gas business. These talents are now being put to work for Wyoming’s wildlife through The WYldlife Fund.

Prior to working in North Dakota, Nate made Wyoming his home working in the livestock industry, outfitting and guiding hunters, building saddles, and as a farrier. As a young man, Nate had the opportunity to work extensively in the Bridger-Teton Wilderness and Wind River Range and loves packing horses and mules into the backcountry. Along with his guiding and outfitting background, he has enjoyed many hours in the saddle working alongside many of the best in the livestock and ranching industry. A lifelong dream of being a cowboy and a love for Wyoming’s wildlife was instilled in him by his family, many of whom hunted and worked to preserve and protect the wildlife and western heritage that makes Wyoming special.

Wyoming has a quality of life and a mystique that has called Nate home. Despite college aspirations and career motivations that led him away momentarily, Nate is proud to say that Wyoming has always been his home. He will strive to bring a cohesive and bonding work ethic to the conservation efforts of The WYldlife fund, using his broad background to bring varied interest groups together for the common goal of providing a legacy of conservation-minded people who agree to work together for Wyoming’s wildlife and to preserve it for generations to come.

WTFT launches UW student ambassador program

Wildlife Tourism for Tomorrow (WTFT), The WYldlife Fund, and the University of Wyoming (UW) are excited to announce the first annual Summer Ambassadors Program. This program came to life through a successful meeting between Taylor Phillips, founder of WTFT; Chris McBarnes, president of The WYldlife Fund; and Dr. Jacob Hochard, professor of Conservation Economics at UW’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. During the meeting, Dr. Hochard recognized the momentous importance of WTFT’s mission, stating that wildlife conservation in the United States is “usually viewed from a top-down perspective through the collection of hunting tags and licenses, taxing hunters, etc. Wildlife Tourism for Tomorrow, on the other hand, is a bottom-up approach, requiring tremendous groundwork, logistic work, coordination work, and relationship-building.”

Clockwise, beginning from top left: Chris McBarnes, president of The WYldlife Fund; Dr. Jacob Hochard, professor of Conservation Economics at UW’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources; Taylor Phillips, founder of WTFT.

The goal of this new ambassador program is to have university students take on the this groundwork. Four students, spread across the state of Wyoming, will work remotely from their home communities to build relationships between WTFT and local small businesses in the outdoor recreation, tourism, and hospitality industries. Together, these small business and WTFT partnerships will fund projects across the state that seek to conserve Wyoming’s wildlife. Summer ambassadors will also be enrolled as research assistants with Dr. Hochard and meet weekly to discuss progressive approaches to bottom-up conservation finance in Wyoming.

When asked about her interest in this program, one prospective ambassador, Emma Vandenburg, said, “This position excites me because it’s cool to be at the ground level and see if this method of conservation funding grows to other states.” There is tremendous potential for WTFT’s mission to spread to other states, especially with WTFT already laying the foundation. The future of wildlife conservation is bright!

The ten-week program will begin in early June, and ambassadors are expected to commit to 10 hours of work a week. They have the freedom and independence to make their own schedules, and they will be offered a stipend of $2,500. The hands-on research assistance experience ambassadors will gain will give them the tools needed to explore careers in conservation economics, tourism, and hospitality, and there is potential for future growth with WTFT and The WYldlife Fund.

The creation of this new program is further pushing WTFT into the spotlight. Founded only one year ago, in March 2021, WTFT has already donated over $100,000 to wildlife conservation projects, and has the full support of Wyoming’s Governor Gordon. We are seeing tremendous growth, and we are thrilled about the opportunity to get the next generation of conservationists involved through this ambassador program.

Apply for the Inspire A Kid Camp Today!

The WYldlife Fund is partnering with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to host the first annual Inspire a Kid Camp at the Little Jennie Ranch in Bondurant this June 22nd-28th. The camp offers an overnight camp experience for male students ages 13-16. The camp will focus on exploration of nature, introduction to conservation principles, leadership development, and learning new recreational outdoor activities while giving participants experiences to successfully navigate and positively interact with the outdoor environment. The Inspire a Kid Camp led by the Little Jennie Ranch and WYldlife Fund staff will allow participants to observe the natural world, engage in wildlife, fish, and habitat biology, and recreate responsibly in the outdoors.

Thanks to a generous donor, there will be no cost for participants to attend camp. Along with dynamic lessons from Game and Fish biologists on a daily basis, participants will have the chance to build their own fly rods, participate in shooting sports and enjoy horseback riding amongst other activities. Every night we will have leadership chats around the campfire with speakers such as Director Brian Nesvik of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Dan Starks who built the National Military Vehicle Museum in Dubois.

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If you are a male student 13-16 years of age and are interested in a once in a lifetime experience please fill out the below application and submit by May 31st at 4pm by emailing your application to chris@thewyldlifefund.org or mail to The WYldlife Fund at PO Box 890 Buffalo, WY 82834.

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Inspire A Kid Camp App V1

To preview our camp registration and information packet download the pdf below.

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Inspire a Kid Info and Registration Packet

If you have any questions call Chris McBarnes at (307)316-3863 or email chris@thewyldlifefund.org

From Concept to Capitol in a Year!

8.1 MILLION people can’t be wrong! Yes, that’s right…MILLION, and what are they not wrong about? How wonderful it is to visit Wyoming. To put it into perspective, sixteen times our actual population traveled to make a memory here last year. Wildlife viewing was at the top of their list of activities.

In 2022, it seems that we are united in the need to reconnect to nature by making pilgrimages to incredible vistas, seeing magnificent wildlife, and pursuing other recreational opportunities, and in that respect Wyoming has it all. This is why those more than eight million visitors wend their way from nearby states or from across the globe to spend 4 BILLION DOLLARS*, which helps to employ 30.4K workers* and generates $243 million in tax receipts.*

Wildlife viewing in Grand Teton National Park. Photo courtesy of Taylor Glenn.

While that is pretty impressive, there is a conundrum: wildlife-watching opportunities are at the very top of the list of what visitors want, and even though all those taxes make their way to and through towns and counties to our capitol in Cheyenne, none of it goes directly to wildlife or habitat. That is because the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), which is responsible for wildlife, is not funded through state general funds, meaning their revenue comes only from hunting licenses, federal excise taxes, and some grants.

But, remember those 8.1 million people, most of whom come to look for wildlife?

Well, Taylor Phillips, whose primary business is providing wildlife-viewing guided excursions in Wyoming through his business EcoTour Adventures, came up with a way for the revenue generated by Wyoming visitors to give back. That is how Wildlife Tourism for Tomorrow was born.

Just as springtime brings new life to the environment, it has become the season of milestones in the progress of Taylor’s initiative. March of 2020 saw the department’s supporting organization, The Wyldlife Fund, led by Chris McBarnes, launched into the stormy seas of COVID. The following spring of 2021, Chris McBarnes, Chris Colligan of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, and Taylor ventured out on the ice of Jackson Lake for a social, if somewhat soggy fishing trip, for beers and ideas and strategizing to develop Taylor’s dream to capture conservation funding from the existing tourism economy.

This spring more than 60 businesses—businesses that not only depend on wildlife-seeking visitors, but also benefit economically from their presence— have already enrolled to give back. Wildlife Tourism for Tomorrow, as a flagship initiative of The Wyldlife Fund, has given over $100,000 to date, to important projects such as wildlife crossings, wildlife-friendly fencing, elk collaring research, and improving aquatic and terrestrial habitat.

These encouraging results, together with the dedication, enthusiasm, and tenacity of Taylor, as well as the hard work and support of Wyldlife Fund President Chris McBarnes, led WGFD Director Brian Nesvik to arrange a meeting with Governor Gordon and his Policy Director, Renny McKay at the Capitol in Cheyenne on March 21st. Taylor, Chris, and Board Secretary Penny Maldonado were honored to share the progress being made by The Wyldlife Fund and Wildlife Tourism for Tomorrow. Wyoming has always been a leader and as Renny explained, while hunting remains incredibly popular in Wyoming, even as some other states are experiencing declining participation, the prospect of opening up an alternative funding stream from tourism revenue in addition to traditional sources would enhance conservation through on the ground projects.

Left to right: Brian Nesvik, Director of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department; Governor Gordon; Taylor Phillips, Wildlife Tourism for Tomorrow founder; Chris McBarnes, President of The WYldlife Fund; & Penny Maldonado, member of the Board of Directors for The WYldlife Fund.

The meeting was a fantastic opportunity to embrace the mutual love of wildlife, wildlands, and, of course, Wyoming, and the desire to find ways for more people to be able to contribute to critical conservation needs. The group left with confidence going forward because of Director Nesvik’s resounding endorsement of Taylor and Chris’s efforts, and with the warm and attentive reception by Governor Gordon and Renny. The Wyldlife Fund and Wildlife Tourism for Tomorrow are grateful for the time spent at the Capitol and look forward to more exciting milestones as the opportunity to invest in conservation funding expands.

*2021 year in review WOT

Written by Penny Maldonado, Board Member of The WYldlife Fund

The WYldlife Fund contributes $34,500 to the Absaroka Fence Initiative

The WYldlife Fund was honored to present a check for $34,500 to our good friends at the Absaroka Fence Initiative at the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission meeting on March 25th in Cody. This donation was made possible through a generous donation of a Wyoming Commissioner License by Commissioner Ashlee Lundvall. Thank you, Commissioner Lundvall!

The Absaroka Fence Initiative works in cooperation with willing landowners and land managers, and aims to ensure fences are functional for livestock management and wildlife movement across the landscape through on the ground projects, public workdays and outreach to the community.

Wildlife unfriendly fences can interrupt wildlife habitat connectivity and migration routes and create many other hazards for wildlife.

In a 2020 Wyoming study, each radio-collared mule deer encountered fences an average of 119 times each year and pronghorn antelope encountered fences at more than twice that rate, about 248 times per year. Pronghorn and mule deer alter their natural movement nearly 40% of the times they encounter fences. Such avoidance of fences can drive animals away from high-quality resources and reduce habitat use effectiveness.

A study of antelope, mule deer and elk mortality along 600 miles of road (1,200 miles of fence) in Utah and Colorado found 0.4 mortalities per year per mile of fence or one dead antelope every year per 5.6 miles of fence; one dead mule deer every year per 7.8 miles of fence and a dead elk every year for every 10.3 miles of fence. This equates to one dead animal every 2.5 miles of fence.

The WYldlife Fund will continue to support wildlife friendly fence work across Wyoming. You can learn more about the great work of the Absaroka Fence Initiative by heading to their website: https://absarokafenceinitiative.org.

Wildlife Tourism for Tomorrow announces two additional grants

Last week, Wildlife Tourism for Tomorrow (WTFT) enthusiastically presented two separate checks to advance wildlife conservation projects in the state of Wyoming. WTFT founder Taylor Phillips, and The WYldlife Fund President Chris McBarnes, traveled to Cody, WY to attend the Wyoming Game & Fish Commission meeting, where they presented the checks.

Wildlife Tourism for Tomorrow is currently engaging the tourism industry across the state to contribute to wildlife conservation projects, further developing this important constituency.

The first check, for $15,000, was given to the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation (JHWF) to fund their sage-grouse fence inventory project. This project aims to prevent future losses of the declining Greater Sage-Grouse population by inventorying and removing unused or problem fences within the species’ migratory habitat. Livestock fence wires can be a significant cause of sage-grouse mortality due to birds hitting the wires while in flight, and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation, along with collaborators from Grand Teton National Park and the Bridger-Teton National Forest, plans to reduce these mortalities through project efforts.

From left to right: Chris McBarnes, President of The WYldlife Fund; Taylor Phillips, Founder of Wildlife Tourism for Tomorrow; Renee Seidler, Executive Director of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation; Kate Gersh, Associate Director of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation; Brian Nesvik, Director of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department; Gay Lynn Byrd, Commissioner of the Wyoming Game & Fish Deparment; Doug Brimeyer, Deputy Division Chief of Wildlife of the Wyoming Game & Fish Deparment; Kenneth Roberts, Commissioner of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department.

“The Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation is thrilled to receive support from WTFT,” said Kate Gersh, Associate Director of JHWF. “We think it’s fantastic that WTFT represents partnership with the private business sector, which is providing generous philanthropy for the benefit of wildlife conservation in Wyoming. Recent funding from WTFT will be spent on completing a fence inventory and mapping layer in sage-grouse habitat found within Grand Teton National Park and the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The result of this effort will parlay into fence removal or modifications involving JHWF volunteers, to improve sage-grouse habitat in Jackson Hole. Thank you WTFT and all your funders, we are grateful!”

The second check, for $20,000, was presented to the Wyoming Game & Fish Department (WGFD) for their elk collaring project. This project aims to better understand the migration patterns of the Jackson elk herd, one of the largest elk herds in North America. The population numbers approximately 11,000 animals, and the herd migrates over an expansive area, making management and conservation challenging. By radio-collaring individuals in the herd, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department, along with numerous other collaborators, will better understand the migration patterns of the Jackson elk herd, and then use this information to develop management practices.

From left to right: Chris McBarnes; Doug Brimeyer; Rick King, Chief of Wildlife of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department; Taylor Phillips; Brian Nesvik; and Gay Lynn Byrd.

“It can be especially difficult to fund long-term projects such as monitoring the changing movements and distribution of the Jackson Elk Herd,” said Alyson Courtemanch, Wildlife Biologist with WGFD. “Wildlife Tourism for Tomorrow is helping fill a critical need for funding to help us continue to make the best management and conservation decisions we can for elk, which is perhaps the most iconic wildlife species in Jackson Hole.”

WTFT is thrilled to present these checks to further wildlife conservation within the state. The amount of success and support we have seen in our first year has been staggering, and we are excited to keep this momentum going and continue to make a difference in the conservation of Wyoming’s incredible wildlife.

Wildlife Tourism for Tomorrow is a flagship initiative of The WYldlife Fund, a partner nonprofit to the Wyoming Game & Fish Department that administers funds to advance wildlife projects across the state.