CODY - Worland Wildlife Biologist Bart Kroger retired last month, bringing his 35-year career with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to a close.
“Bart has been referred to as the ‘core of the agency’, meaning through his dedication and continuous hard work, he has significantly and meaningfully impacted wildlife management within his district and throughout the state,” said Corey Class, Cody region wildlife management coordinator. “Throughout his career, he has been a solid, steady and dependable wildlife biologist, providing a foundation for wildlife conservation and management in the Bighorn Basin.”
Through his quiet and thoughtful approach, Bart has gained the respect of both his peers and the public. Bart is best known for his commitment to spending time in the field gaining first-hand knowledge of the wildlife and the habitat that supports them, as well as the people he serves in his district. Bart served as a mentor and role model to new biologists and game wardens, and has received letters from the public praising their interactions with him during hunting seasons.
During his tenure as a wildlife biologist with Game and Fish, Bart made many significant contributions to wildlife conservation, including serving on the department’s chronic wasting disease management team and pronghorn working group. In response to concerns about moose populations in the Wood River area near Meeteetse, Bart designed and implemented a sampling scheme to document moose presence and sex/age composition and helped concerned citizens understand moose ecology and management.
Bart has been a Game and Fish employee since 1984 when he was hired as a seasonal contract habitat technician at Yellowtail and Soda Lake wildlife habitat management areas. He continued his employment as a habitat special project biologist in the Jackson and Cody regions. In 1997, he was hired permanently as the Douglas wildlife biologist and worked there until 2003. He then returned home to the Big Horn Basin as the Worland wildlife biologist, and served in this position until retirement. During his employment with Game and Fish, Kroger served for nine years in the Wyoming Army National Guard.
Bart has received many accolades during his tenure with Game and Fish including the 2007 Cody Region Peer Recognition Award, 2016 Wildlife Division Employee of the Year, 2020 Management Team of the Year for his work on the CWD Team, and most recently in 2023, the Wyoming Game Wardens Association Wildlife Manager of the Year and the department’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Bart plans to remain in Worland in retirement and looks forward to more time for outdoor adventures.
