Sinclair/Rawlins Wildlife Biologist Greg Hiatt retired last month after an impressive 46 years of dedicated service with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Greg’s unwavering commitment to wildlife conservation, management and research has made a lasting impact on Wyoming’s natural resources as well as those he has worked with over the years. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is proud to honor Greg for this achievement.

Joining the department in September of 1977, Greg began his journey as the Rawlins Wildlife Biologist in the Lander Region, where he remained for nearly 5 decades. Over that time he became a prominent figure in the field earning the respect and admiration of colleagues, landowners, sportsmen, and conservationists alike. 

Greg has contributed greatly to our understanding of sage grouse populations and has been involved in state-wide sage grouse management throughout his career.  He played a key role in the successful transplant of bighorn sheep to the Seminoe/Ferris Mountains and was one of the first on the scene when elk succumbed to lichen poisoning on the Red Rim in 2004.  

In addition to his management accomplishments, Greg has been a role model and mentor to many new and aspiring employees. His influence has had an impact state and department-wide as he has mentored many habitat and wildlife biologists, as well as game wardens, and those who have gone on to be supervisors, leaders and role models themselves. . His willingness to share knowledge and experience has helped to inspire the next generation and left a lasting legacy that will continue to benefit wildlife in the state for years to come.

Brady Frude, recruitment, retention and training supervisor and previous Rawlins game warden working with Greg shares “Greg’s foundational knowledge of his and  his neighboring biologists’ districts is irreplaceable and absolutely unbelievable. He remembered almost everything - dates, locations, who said what, where it was written down, who the mayor was,and on and on. He remembered the particular reasons for his management strategies and decisions and more importantly why they failed or succeeded.”

Brady continues “He had great ability to explain the most complex management strategies to the general public while at the same time challenging the most sophisticated scientific minds in the room. I truly admire his grace, expertise, and dedication navigating through his career and accomplishments as a wildlife biologist.”

Greg was a recipient of the Lander Region Peer Recognition Award and was recognized in 2016 by the Wyoming Game Wardens Association as the Wildlife Manager of the Year.  

His dedication to wildlife and habitat conservation stands as a shining example of the importance of maintaining the long view for investing in habitat work and wildlife management.  His impact will resonate through the state’s wild landscapes for years to come.

To hear more from Greg Hiatt about his decades of work listen to his interview on the Radcast Outdoors podcast