In January, Sheridan Region Wildlife Biologist Tim Thomas marked 30 years of service with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Thomas began his career with Game and Fish as an education technician, first at Ranch A Fish Hatchery in northeast Wyoming and then at the Sybille Wildlife Research Facility near Laramie. After receiving a Bachelor's of Science in wildlife biology from the University of Montana, with minors in botany and zoology, he worked with the Department’s habitat branch on sheep winter range near Dubois. He then worked on disease issues related to feedgrounds in Pinedale before being appointed as the Saratoga Wildlife Biologist in 1992. He transferred to the Sheridan Wildlife Biologist position in 1997.

Thomas has worked with most large wildlife species in Wyoming, with the exception of bison, mountain goats and grizzly bears. His interests include wildlife disease, wildlife handling and immobilization, and big game management. Thomas serves on the Wyoming Governor's Big Game License Coalition and as chair of the internal WGFD Moose Working Group. Over many years, he has been actively involved with and held board positions in the Wyoming Chapter of The Wildlife Society, a professional organization dedicated to training and supporting wildlife professionals and advancing science-based wildlife management.

Thomas has also worked with a wide variety of nonprofit conservation organizations, including Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wyoming Wildlife Federation, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and North American Moose Foundation. In 2019, he was nominated as Biologist of the Year for the Wyoming Game Wardens Association and won the Sheridan Region Peer Recognition Award in 2012.