The Wyoming Game and Fish Department welcomes back Eric Hansen as the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Specialist in the Casper Region.  Eric was an AIS technician for two years before moving into this supervisory position with the Game and Fish in 2018.  He holds a degree in Wildlife Management from Casper College.
 
Eric transplanted from the plains of Kansas to Wyoming at the age of five. He spent his childhood exploring the great outdoors. Whether catching buckets full of sunfish at Cook Lake in the Black Hills or tracking the progress of the pollywogs that inhabited the mud puddles surrounding his hometown of Gillette, you could usually find him outside.  That is still true today when Eric is not inspecting boats or surveying for AIS, you will find him working in his garden or using his photography skills.
 
In 2018, the AIS program conducted over 47,100 boat inspections in an effort to keep aquatic invasive species such as zebra and quagga mussels out of Wyoming.  As a reminder, any watercraft transported into Wyoming from March 1 through November 30 must undergo a mandatory inspection by an authorized inspector prior to launching.  Any watercraft that has been in a water infested with zebra/quagga mussels within the last 30 days is required to undergo a mandatory inspection by an authorized inspector prior to launching during ALL months of the year.