TORRINGTON — Balancing fiscal challenges with increasing agency projects and expenses highlighted discussion during the FY27 budget approval process at the March 18-19 Wyoming Game and Fish Commissioner meeting in Torrington.
New President and Vice President
This appointment takes place annually, and two Commissioners stepped into the role held by President Ashley Lundvall and Vice President Mark Jolovich. Jolovich was unanimously selected as President, while Rusty Bell was selected as Vice President.
Preliminary budget receives approval
Meredith Wood, Wyoming Game and Fish Department chief financial officer, provided a detailed presentation for the 2027 budget proposal. Wood provided the projected expenses and costs of operation for the department, as well as some ongoing challenges in creating a budget that balances infrastructure needs and wildlife management objectives.
The proposed budget for FY27 is $110,640.013 for all divisions in the agency. This includes $108,564,988 in standard budgets, and $2,075,025 in one-time projects. The budget is an $8.3 million increase from last year. Key drivers for the increase include inflation, pay increases,and capital construction or deferred maintenance projects for infrastructure.
The current projected revenue for FY27 is $112,452,574. Primary funding sources include license sales, federal aid, grants and interest. Wood noted that while the annual budget is built to account for inflation and cost increases, the current projected revenue is static.
“Revenue has been relatively flat for a long time, which has obviously resulted in funding sacrifices to department programs as fixed costs increase,” Wood said. “We continue to prioritize our wildlife objectives, however, costs will continue to increase across the board and it will become increasingly difficult to keep up with inflation.”
Across-the-board license increases have not been approved by the Wyoming Legislature since 2008. Since then there have been a few adjustments to select nonresident fees and preference points.
Balancing wildlife conservation with infrastructure needs
The balance between managing wildlife objectives and agency infrastructure maintenance was highlighted by Game and Fish Services Chief Sean Bibbey, who provided a comprehensive Infrastructure Management Plan, which is slated to begin in FY28.
For FY28-37, Game and Fish has identified $62 million in major infrastructure projects across the state. Projects range from new building construction and major renovations, to ongoing preventative maintenance needs on Game and Fish property.
Much of the deferred maintenance is the result of other objectives, including wildlife and habitat projects, taking precedence over infrastructure needs.
“Getting these deferred maintenance needs down on paper and trying to prioritize these has been a long-term goal for our division,” Bibbey said. “There has been a lot of work that has gone into this. We are trying to get a good handle on taking care of what the Commission owns, and making sure that we have the correct priorities.”
Commissioner Fonzy Haskell commended Wood and the fiscal team for Game and Fish for their work on the FY27 budget.
“I think you are doing a very good job being fiscally responsible, and I think it is important to tell the general public how responsible the department is on these things,” he said. “I want to commend you for the work that you are doing and finding ways to make those dollars stretch. I think that means we need to put those dollars that we have back into Game and Fish personnel and infrastructure. If we aren't putting them into our buildings that could catch up with us, so I appreciate you doing the work now.”
Game and Fish Deputy Director Eric Wiltanger echoed this sentiment, thanking all agency divisions for successfully building an effective budget.
“Meredith and our entire team play an invaluable role in making sure our agency is set up for success to fund our projects throughout the year,” Wiltanger said. “Their hard work is the reason we can confidently fund our projects year-round.”
The Commission gave unanimous approval to the preliminary budget, which will be given final approval during the July 2026 meeting in Sheridan.
Summary of mule deer research throughout Wyoming
In the final presentation for the meeting, Embere Hall, Game and Fish Science, Research and Analytical Support Unit Supervisor, provided an annual review of the five-year Mule Deer Monitoring Program research and data collection.
This program monitors mule deer throughout the state. The research team uses a variety of methods from GPS collaring and hunter surveys, to exploring new technology to age animals through DNA. Hall said the extensive collection has helped scientists gain a better understanding of mule deer, and funding this research has set the department ahead in gathering the amount of information it takes to learn more about the species.
"Funding this study has allowed us to complete abundance surveys for 25 of 37 herds,” Hall said. “We have been able to accomplish in four years what it would have taken us four decades at our prior funding level."
Harvest surveys conducted this year sampled information from nearly 45,000 hunters, developing a clearer understanding of how successful harvests were and where hunters were able to see the most success.
Wyoming’s mule deer herds are found in a variety of ecosystems throughout the state. Each herd has unique behavior patterns, survival rates and needs that are specific to each herd. By assessing what herds need, from habitat improvements to migration assistance, Hall said the research team is able to better understand what projects can provide the best help for the species.
“One of the pieces of this project I’m particularly proud of is that as we’ve been getting data from all of these big efforts and all of this work that field personnel are putting into it, we've been able to turn that around and use that for management decisions,” Hall said.
The next Commission meeting is scheduled for April 21-22 in Riverton. During the April meeting, 2026 season setting will be submitted to the Commission for approval. A full list of season setting meetings being held statewide can be found on the Game and Fish website.
—WGFD—