Habitat & Water Improvements

Outdoor opportunities would mean nothing without clean water and intact landscapes. Our vision is a Wyoming with clean water and healthy habitat to help support the wildlife and fish species that depend on them. We work for policy and management initiatives that benefit the species, habitats, and people of Wyoming through protecting the land and water resources that are the foundations to healthy wildlife populations and a strong, sustainable economy.

The Federation has doubled down on landscape connectivity with habitat coordinator, Sam Lockwood on the WWF team. A lifelong Wyomingite, Sam’s wildlife biology background and community-building nature make him a great fit to organize habitat projects with landowners and agencies across the state. The Federation is continuing to grow habitat projects to improve wildlife habitat and landscape connectivity.

The Wyoming Wildlife Federation is looking for suggested projects to improve habitat for wildlife and our members along the eastern half of Wyoming, as well. If you or someone you know has an idea for a project, please contact Sam Lockwood at slockwood@wyomingwildlife.org or (435) 729-0951.

Upcoming Habitat Projects

FONTENELLE CREEK FENCE PROJECT IN WYOMING RANGE MULE DEER CORRIDOR

Throughout the summer of 2023, contractors converted 6.5 fences along Fontanelle Creek to a wildlife-friendly fence that allows Wyoming Range Mule Deer to migrate across the landscape easier. There is also a forthcoming volunteer fence-building day in 2024 to construct buck rail fences over rocky sections of the fence line.

Please contact Sam Lockwood at slockwood@wyomingwildlife.org or (435) 729-0951 to RSVP.

Support for this project is also provided by Wyoming Wildlife Natural Resource Trust, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and multiple others.
YELLOW CREEK RIPARIAN PROJECT | IN PROGRESS

Currently, 1,900 feet of steel jack fence is under construction and is scheduled for completion by summer and installment soon after. This fencing keeps unwanted large animals out of critical water sources and riparian areas for use by wildlife from Greater Sage-grouse to pronghorn.
GREEN RIVER ACCESS PROJECT | IN PROGRESS

Since access is currently limited to a few points of entry, fishermen and guide services congest and heavily impact the area, leading to waste pollution due to a lack of outhouses, soil erosion from boats and vehicles, dense human presence that drives wildlife away from the area, and acute over-fishing. Improving access in these areas is good for the fishery and riparian area that’s so important in this part of Wyoming.
BAGGS MIGRATION CORRIDOR FENCE MODIFICATION & CAMP OUT | ’23 DATE COMPLETED

Volunteers camped at the Grizzly WHMA Game & Fish cabins on Friday, June 24th before working on the fence project the entire day of Saturday, June 25th. On Saturday, 15 people, including folks from Casper, Pinedale, Laramie, and others, helped make 1.1 miles of fence wildlife-friendly in core Baggs Mule Deer Migration Corridors. Support for this project is provided by Rocky Mountain Power & The Laura Jane Musser Fund.
LITTLE MOUNTAIN BEAVER DAM ANALOG REPAIR | ’23 DATE COMPLETED

Volunteers and WWF Staff helped build and reinforce the 40+ beaver dam analogs constructed in 2023 on Trout Creek near Little Mountain following this year’s incredible runoff. This project was a continuation of our partnership with Trout Unlimited that began in 2022, which already yielded great results with beavers colonizing the area where BDAs were created 12 months prior, as well as plentiful deer tracks from mule deer frequenting the lush riparian areas and returning to bed in the surrounding arid hills.
FREMONT COUNTY FENCE REMOVAL | '23 Date Completed

This year, we’re taking to the low country near Dishpan Butte on Beaver Rim for this fence project with the Red Canyon Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Wind River/Sweetwater Local Sage Grouse Working Group, and the Lander Bureau of Land Management office. These habitats were critical last winter as some of the best in the area offered habitat for Greater sage-grouse, pronghorn, mule deer, and elk. Removing these obsolete fences will provide a lot of help for animals getting around here. Meet at 8 am at the Sweetwater Station Rest Area before going to the project site. We hope to see you there! Support for this project is provided by Bowhunters of Wyoming and the Red Canyon Chapter of RMEF.

Completed Habitat Projects

Trout Creek Beaver Dam Analogs

Little Mountain, WY | May 12-14, 2022

Beaver dam analogs (BDAs) are crucial in fighting bank erosion, fast run-off during drought years, improve riparian vegetation, and help promote more beaver to build deeper pools of water that are good for native cutthroat trout. Over 60 people built 40 BDAs to help the flows of the Trout Creek near Little Mountain with this project.

Photo of author, and WWF Executive Director, Joy Bannon removing staples after climbing the woven wire.

Shoshone National Forest Fence Removal

Dubois, WY | July 24, 2022

This was a joint project with our partners at Red Canyon Chapter of RMEF, Bowhunters of Wyoming, Shoshone National Forest, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

For this project, volunteers climbed the lower rungs of the woven wire to remove the top wires of the 8-foot fence (you can see our ED Joy doing this), and then worked their way down to pull all 21 staples from each post. This old fence is a major hinderance for critters getting around, no more!

Green River Access Project

Green River, WY | October 2022

Since access is currently limited to a few points of entry, fishermen and guide services congest and heavily impact the area, leading to waste pollution due to a lack of outhouses, soil erosion from boats and vehicles, dense human presence that drives wildlife away from the area, and acute over-fishing. WWF began installing two access points while working with a contractor in the area to improve this habitat and access.

Arlington Fence Removal

Pinedale, WY | June 12, 2021

Located on the northern end of the Snowy Range, this project included taking down a mile of woven sheep fence with another four strands of barb wire on top of the woven wire, as well as taking out all posts and poles to improve movement for wildlife in the area.

Jonah Field Fence Improvement

Pinedale, WY | August 6, 2021

The Federation teamed up with the folks from Jonah Energy for a field day on August 6, 2021 to add clips to the existing fences in the area. This project modified four miles of the non-wildlife friendly fence into a wildlife-friendly fence. The lower wire can now be lifted higher off the ground in times when the allotments are not in use to make it easier for the Sublette pronghorn herd to get across the landscape for migration.

La Barge Let-down Fence Project

La Barge, WY | July 18, 2020

The Wyoming Wildlife Federation joined with local landowners at the Diamond H, and members of SOS Well Services to install let-down fencing on the La Barge livestock common allotment. The fencing is laid down to improve migration movements for deer and elk.