Generous contributions help to fund 23 miles of wildlife-friendly fencing in the Red Desert
The WYldlife Fund is excited to announce the completion of 23 miles of wildlife-friendly fencing in the Red Desert Fence Initiative area, thanks to generous contributions from the Knobloch Foundation and the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust. The project was carried out by NL Land and Livestock LLC near Tipton and supported by collaborative research conducted by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Hall Sawyer of Western Ecosystems Technology, Inc.
“The Knobloch Family Foundation strives to use the best available data to guide strategic conservation investments. But rarely have we seen the connection between science and on-the-ground conservation be so direct and quickly executed,” said Nicole Korfanta, Knobloch Family Foundation Executive Director. “Within a year of completing the Red Desert pronghorn study, a key fence was replaced, allowing access by pronghorn to more than 15,000 acres of critical winter range. It’s thanks to the passion of our partners at the Wyoming Migration Initiative, Wyoming Game and Fish, the WYldlife Fund and other funders, and a committed landowner that we were able to see this lightning-fast conservation success.”
The fence conversion from woven wire to 4-strand barbed/barbless wire will facilitate big game movement, especially pronghorn, in the Red Desert. The location of the fence line improvements will now provide pronghorn the ability to access more than 15,000 acres of crucial winter range that was once inaccessible. The ability for pronghorn to move in this area is critical to their survival when tough winters occur.
“The Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust was created to address exactly this type of project, and this one is a game changer for southern Wyoming,” said Bob Budd, Executive Director of WWNRT. “We really appreciate the leverage we have been able to generate from groups like The Wyldlife Fund to make these critical projects a reality.”
The completion of this wildlife-friendly fencing conversion is a major milestone for the State of Wyoming and the WYldlife Fund’s ongoing efforts to conserve crucial habitats and facilitate big game movement. It demonstrates the success of effective collaboration between wildlife managers, private donors and landowners.
“Hall Sawyer’s research really drove home the point that there are huge parcels of land in the Red Desert that are inaccessible to pronghorn due to non-wildlife friendly fences,” said Amy Anderson, Wyoming Game and Fish Lander Region Terrestrial Habitat Biologist. “Working with private landowners and other land managers in the Red Desert, we hope to convert more fences to help pronghorn move more freely across the landscape to access the crucial habitats they need to survive.”
Generous contributions from the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission Trust, Wyoming Governor’s Big Game License Coalition, Muley Fanatic Foundation, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partner’s Program and assistance with project coordination by the Little Snake River Conservation District were also crucial in supporting this project.
“The WYldlife Fund prides itself on the efficient placement of dollars on the ground for wildlife that strategically aligns with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and their mission,” said Chris McBarnes, President of the WYldlife Fund. “The North Tipton Fence project is a perfect example of this work in action. This would not have been possible without the generous work by the landowner, cutting-edge research by Dr. Hall Sawyer, phenomenal donors, and the vision and leadership of Wyoming Game and Fish.”
About The Wyldlife Fund
The Wyldlife Fund is a partner nonprofit to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. The Fund specializes in grant agreements and ensures the efficient allocation of resources on the ground to advance wildlife conservation projects across Wyoming.
