Game and Fish begins drafting elk feedgrounds management plan
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is beginning to draft a long-term elk feedgrounds management plan to help guide elk management in western Wyoming for the foreseeable future. This plan is the next step in the department’s elk feedgrounds collaborative process.
In late 2020, Game and Fish began a multi-phase public collaborative effort to evaluate their 22 state-administered elk feedgrounds. The public process was designed to culminate in the development of a long-term elk feedgrounds management plan that would chart a long-range course forward for the agency.
Director Brian Nesvik, who kicked off the public collaborative effort, said, “This process is the next step in the necessary progression of wildlife management, where we must continually shift based on science and emerging needs and issues. It’s an important evaluation, and we believe in doing it alongside our diverse stakeholders.”
The multi-phase public collaborative process, dubbed Elk Feedgrounds: A challenge we can take on, began with public meetings to explain the complex issue. Soon after members of the public were invited to participate as stakeholders for Phase II, designed to discuss the most current information on several of the complex aspects of feedgrounds and elk management in northwest Wyoming.
After several months of shared learning sessions and input from 60 volunteer stakeholders from across the state, the department’s elk feedgrounds steering team is now beginning to draft a long-term feedgrounds management plan. Game and Fish intends to have a draft plan for review by stakeholders and the public this coming winter. Ultimately, the steering team would like to bring a completed elk feedgrounds management plan before the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission for their approval in the summer of 2023.
Anyone can visit the Elk Feedgrounds: A challenge we can take on webpage to learn more about the public collaborative effort. The webpage includes recordings of all of the Phase II shared learning sessions and a summary of the feedback provided by the 60 volunteer stakeholders.
In late 2020, Game and Fish began a multi-phase public collaborative effort to evaluate their 22 state-administered elk feedgrounds. The public process was designed to culminate in the development of a long-term elk feedgrounds management plan that would chart a long-range course forward for the agency.
Director Brian Nesvik, who kicked off the public collaborative effort, said, “This process is the next step in the necessary progression of wildlife management, where we must continually shift based on science and emerging needs and issues. It’s an important evaluation, and we believe in doing it alongside our diverse stakeholders.”
The multi-phase public collaborative process, dubbed Elk Feedgrounds: A challenge we can take on, began with public meetings to explain the complex issue. Soon after members of the public were invited to participate as stakeholders for Phase II, designed to discuss the most current information on several of the complex aspects of feedgrounds and elk management in northwest Wyoming.
After several months of shared learning sessions and input from 60 volunteer stakeholders from across the state, the department’s elk feedgrounds steering team is now beginning to draft a long-term feedgrounds management plan. Game and Fish intends to have a draft plan for review by stakeholders and the public this coming winter. Ultimately, the steering team would like to bring a completed elk feedgrounds management plan before the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission for their approval in the summer of 2023.
Anyone can visit the Elk Feedgrounds: A challenge we can take on webpage to learn more about the public collaborative effort. The webpage includes recordings of all of the Phase II shared learning sessions and a summary of the feedback provided by the 60 volunteer stakeholders.
Sara DiRienzo, Public Information Officer - (sara.dirienzo@wyo.gov)
