G&F Leads Effort to Facilitate Migrating Pronghorn
Dean Clause Pinedale Wildlife Biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has been spearheading a partnership with the Wyoming Department ot Transportaion, Bureau of Land Management and several volunteers to make sure migrating pronghorn and mule deer can safely get across Pinedale area highways to their crucial winter ranges.
Several problem areas have been identified and worked on the past couple summers, including a significant project on WY Highway 28 east of Farson where fencing along the highway has prevented pronghorn from migrating further south to areas of less snow, unfortunately causing several animals to perish during hard winters.
Agency personnel and numerous volunteers have been installing a smooth bottom wire at a height of 18 inches allowing pronghorn to slip under it, installing wire clips that allow strands of wire to be laid to the ground when livestock aren't present and also installing double-paired gates that can be opened in high volume pronghorn crossing locations.
To date, double-paired gates have been installed at seven locations and approximately nine miles of fence have been modified with another ten miles to go. In addition, approximately ten miles of fence along Wyoming Highway 191 north of Farson has been modified so that it can be laid down for migrating wildlife. Closer to Pinedale, paired gates have been installed in key locations on Highway 351, the Paradise Road and near the Soda Lake Wildlife Habitat Management Area.
Several problem areas have been identified and worked on the past couple summers, including a significant project on WY Highway 28 east of Farson where fencing along the highway has prevented pronghorn from migrating further south to areas of less snow, unfortunately causing several animals to perish during hard winters.
Agency personnel and numerous volunteers have been installing a smooth bottom wire at a height of 18 inches allowing pronghorn to slip under it, installing wire clips that allow strands of wire to be laid to the ground when livestock aren't present and also installing double-paired gates that can be opened in high volume pronghorn crossing locations.
To date, double-paired gates have been installed at seven locations and approximately nine miles of fence have been modified with another ten miles to go. In addition, approximately ten miles of fence along Wyoming Highway 191 north of Farson has been modified so that it can be laid down for migrating wildlife. Closer to Pinedale, paired gates have been installed in key locations on Highway 351, the Paradise Road and near the Soda Lake Wildlife Habitat Management Area.
Mark Gocke, Public Information Specialist, 307-249-5811
