PINEDALE – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department announces the retirement of Pinedale Fisheries Supervisor Hilda Sexauer. Sexauer concludes a remarkable 30-year career marked by groundbreaking leadership and an unwavering commitment to the conservation of Wyoming’s aquatic resources.
Sexauer started her journey with Game and Fish in 1996 in the Pinedale Region, making history as the agency’s first female fisheries biologist. Her dedication and expertise led to her promotion in 2003 as the Pinedale Regional Fisheries Supervisor, making her the first woman to occupy a regional supervisory position within the department’s fisheries division.
Throughout her tenure, Sexauer contributed to vital conservation initiatives, most notably the restoration of native cutthroat trout. She was instrumental in the upper LaBarge Creek watershed project, recognized as one of the largest chemical treatment and cutthroat restoration efforts in the Western United States. She has been an active member of the multi-state Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Coordination Team and the lead for the Upper Green River management area. The efforts of this team have been to ensure the long-term viability of Colorado River Cutthroat Trout throughout their historic range within and outside Wyoming. Her work also encompassed monitoring high-elevation alpine lakes in the Wind River Range, promoting and enhancing recreational fisheries in the Green River drainage, assisting with the development of forage reserves in the Wyoming Range, assessing regional amphibian populations, and working with private landowners, to name a few.
“Hilda's contributions to Wyoming's aquatic resources will leave a mark for many years to come,” said Alan Osterland, Game and Fish’s Chief of Fisheries. “Hilda struck a unique balance in the region between native fish and sportfish management”.
Throughout her career with Game and Fish, Sexauer has been an active part of the American Fisheries Society as a member, officer, and chair of several committees within the American Fisheries Society, Western Division of the American Fisheries Society, and the local Colorado/Wyoming Chapter. Beyond her technical achievements, Sexauer leaves an enduring legacy through her mentorship of numerous seasonal technicians, inspiring the next generation of conservationists.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department thanks Hilda for her invaluable contributions and wishes her the very best as she embarks on this new chapter.