Unwired Documentary Highlights Collaboration as a Cornerstone of Conservation

For those following recent conservation successes in Wyoming, the Red Desert likely rings a bell.

At the heart of Wyoming’s legendary pronghorn migration route and home to vital winter range, the Red Desert has long captured the attention of biologists seeking to safeguard the future of this iconic species.

Last year marked a major conservation milestone for Wyoming’s pronghorn, and the University of Wyoming’s new documentary, Unwired—released on April 30—tells the story of how collaboration drove a groundbreaking achievement for the species.

For more than 70 years, biologists have documented the hardships pronghorn face during winter migration, especially in severe winters. Highways and fences pose major threats, with exclusionary fencing proving particularly deadly during brutal winter seasons like 2022–23.

The Sublette pronghorn herd lost 43% of its population – or roughly 4,000 animals – during that notably harsh winter.   A major factor? Inaccessible winter habitat in the Red Desert due to fencing that blocks critical winter range.  Unwired focuses on a partnership between local rancher Tom Chant and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to find a solution to allow for his ranch to fully operate while promoting pronghorn winter survival. 

Last summer, boots hit the ground and shovels hit the dirt as a diverse coalition of partners worked side by side to remove exclusionary fencing and replace it with a wildlife-friendly alternative. These new fences allow pronghorn—poor jumpers—to crawl underneath, while still containing cattle and horses. In just 45 days, 23 miles of fencing were replaced, reconnecting 18,000 acres of prime winter range that had been inaccessible to pronghorn for 75 years.

This story, so beautifully outlined in Unwired, was largely funded by The Knobloch Family Foundation, Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust, and The WYldlife Fund.  The short film itself – winner of The Best Film about Wyoming Award at the Wild and Working Lands Film Festival – can be viewed here.

While the 18,000 acres celebrated in Unwired is a huge success, at least 94,000 acres of critical habitat in the Red Desert remain inaccessible due to more than 50 miles of exclusionary fencing. WYldlife for Tomorrow and WYldlife Fund are actively raising support to continue this important work through the Red Desert Fence Initiative, with phase two set to begin this summer with the additional 15 miles of fence conversion.