CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Hunting groups are praising Gov. Mark Gordon for his work to protect the state's iconic migration corridors for mule deer and pronghorn antelope.
The governor has released a draft executive order to key stakeholders, and Joy Bannon -- policy director for the Wyoming Wildlife Federation -- says the move positions Wyoming as a national leader in balancing the needs of wildlife and development.
"You know, here in Wyoming, we value our wildlife and our big game species," says Bannon. "These migration corridors allow these big game to survive and thrive. They're arteries of life, and how we manage them as a state is very important."
Migration routes, largely in southwestern Wyoming, allow a host of species to move between winter habitat and areas with enough cover and food to give birth in spring. Bannon says she hopes the final draft will also include protections for bighorn sheep, whitetail deer, elk and moose.
The debate on how the state's migration corridors should be managed had frequently been heated in past efforts, with extraction industries and conservation groups unable to reach middle ground.
Bannon says an advisory group created by the governor was key to forging consensus among stakeholders, and allowed ranchers and farmers, members of the sporting community, and representatives from oil, gas and mining industries to sit at the same table.
"And really talk, thoroughly, and hear the science and hear the perspectives about how to move forward with this big issue," says Bannon. "Because we do all care, there is a desire to maintain the functionality of these big-game migration corridors."
The order's recommendations, to be overseen by Wyoming Game and Fish, include tapping new technologies to extract oil and gas without building above ground in high-traffic corridors; avoiding development and disturbances in the most crucial winter ranges; and prioritizing development in areas considered to be unsuitable wildlife habitat.
Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
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Indiana is considering a limited bobcat trapping season and the Department of Natural Resources is seeking public input on the proposal.
The plan would allow trapping in about 40 southern Indiana counties starting in November 2025, with a statewide quota of 250 bobcats. Trappers would have a one-bobcat bag limit and be required to purchase a special bobcat license.
Geriann Albers, furbearer and turkey program leader for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, said the proposal includes strict monitoring, and requires trappers to report their catches within 24 hours.
"We do have a population model for bobcats," Albers explained. "We're very confident with that 250 quota that it will not negatively impact bobcat populations. What that 250 was set on was the population model we have that shows that's a sustainable level of harvest."
Opponents argued even a limited season could threaten bobcat populations. Environmental groups, including the Humane Society, said the DNR's population model may not fully account for the bobcat's slow reproductive rate and threats from habitat loss. They contended reintroducing trapping could undermine years of conservation work that helped the species recover in Indiana.
Albers noted the DNR invited public feedback on the proposal.
"On that rule-making docket page the comment button is available for people to submit comments now," Albers pointed out. "That went up pretty quickly after the meeting but the first round of comments, we haven't scheduled yet because that usually coincides with when we do a public hearing."
A public hearing, tentatively set for November, will offer both in-person and virtual participation options. The DNR said updates will be posted on its website.
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Environmental groups are slamming a Biden administration effort to remove federal protections for the endangered gray wolf.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just appealed a 2022 court decision reinstating protections for the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act; protections lost in the Trump era.
Derek Goldman, Northern Rockies senior field representative for the nonprofit Endangered Species Coalition, said federal officials are making contradictory moves.
"On one hand, they said earlier this summer that they want to write a national recovery plan. But then they appealed to reinstate the Trump wolf delisting rule, which would presumably mean they don't have to do a recovery plan," Goldman pointed out. "This is kind of sending a mixed message here."
In the suit, Justice Department attorneys argued the gray wolf is no longer in danger of extinction. The National Rifle Association and hunting and livestock groups also supported the Trump-era policy, which would send protections back to the states.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said seven confirmed packs of gray wolves have made their way down from Oregon. Goldman acknowledged the wolves enjoy state-level protections but have a long way to go.
"They certainly haven't recovered throughout all the suitable habitat that's in California, like the Sierra Nevada mountain range," Goldman noted. "But without the resources provided by the Endangered Species Act, they won't fully recover."
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service set a deadline of December 2025 to produce a new federal gray wolf recovery plan.
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Following the torture of a wolf by a Wyoming man, a state panel is seeking a bill to protect the killing of predators with vehicles, but Federal lawmakers are pushing back.
After Cody Roberts in February hit a gray wolf with his snowmobile, taped its mouth shut and brought the injured animal to a bar, he was fined just $250 and an international outcry followed.
The gray wolf was removed from the federal endangered species list in 2021. In Wyoming, it is considered a "predator" and is legal to kill. The state's newly formed Treatment of Predators Working Group approved a bill, which clarified using vehicles to run over "predators," a practice called "whacking," is legal, as long as all "reasonable efforts to kill" the injured animal are then taken.
Elaine Leslie, retired agency chief of biological resources for the National Park Service, said Wyoming "sanctions this kind of behavior."
"The dialogue during that meeting was focused on, 'Oh, we can't identify or articulate the exact meaning of the word humane or ethical. So let's take that out of the bill,'" Leslie recounted.
In an opposing move, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., last week introduced a bill to prohibit the intentional use of motor vehicles to harm wildlife on federal lands, establish a protocol for enforcement and penalties and maintain exemptions for human safety.
The bill is co-sponsored by legislators in North Carolina, Florida and Louisiana but notably none in the Mountain West, where the practice of "whacking" coyotes and wolves is legal in several states, as a practice distinct from hunting.
Leslie pointed out the behavior is likely happening elsewhere, too.
"We have no idea what the extent of this behavior is nationally," Leslie acknowledged. "I think it does need to have national attention and be a national bill right now."
A Wyoming legislative committee will hear recommendations from the Treatment of Predators Working Group Sept. 30.
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