WY, The WYldlife Fund?

A message from Chairman of The WYldlife Fund, Mike Schmid.

I have loved critters of all shapes and sizes for as long as I can remember; except for snakes, not that I dislike them they are just a bit creepy. I mean, think about it. The snake is a critter that can move at lightning speed. The snake can swim, climb and strike with veracity. The snake can do all of this while having no arms, legs, claws, toes, hooves or any appendages whatsoever. That to me is, well, creepy.

Now, let us fast forward a few decades. I was sitting in a town meeting in La Barge, WY where then Governor Dave Freudenthal was addressing the crowd about issues of the day. When he finished speaking I asked, “What can a person like me do about any of this?” Governor Freudenthal pointed his finger at me and quickly said, “Get involved!”  I was not in the position to do anything at that moment but the impression he made stuck with me.

A few years later my management team overseeing an oilfield business I had built was thriving and steady, I felt like now was my time to get involved. The Wyoming Game & Fish Commission seat for my district was soon to be vacant and needed filled. I decided to throw my name in the hat and low and behold Governor Matt Mead decided I was a good fit. I took my commission post in March of 2017.

As a new commissioner I tried to get to every meeting and event that I possibly could throughout the 4 counties I served. I met hunters, anglers, hikers, backpackers, rock climbers, mountaineers, bird watchers, photographers, dog walkers, horseback riders and every other walk of life at those meetings. They were male and female, young, old and middle aged. The one thing they all had in common was their love of Wyoming, its wild places and especially our amazing wildlife.

Everyone wanted to help in their own unique way and it became more and more apparent as I spoke with them that we needed somewhere for them to do that. Our dream was to build an organization where folks could get involved no matter what their personal beliefs were. The WYldlife Fund came to life in early 2020. It is a place for all people to come together as one to watch over, take care of and conserve our wildlife and wild places.

We plan to do this by uniting all people to advance Wyoming wildlife habitat, research, and education.

As a young organization we have already put $107,750.00 right back on the ground this year alone throughout Wyoming to advance critical wildlife projects.

We would love for you to join us, get involved and give of your time or treasurers to help ensure that we leave Wyoming’s wildlife and wild places even better than we found them.

Warmly,
Mike Schmid
The WYldlife Fund, President