After reviewing

the recommendations posed by the

Governor’s Big Game Migration Corridor

Advisory Group following its final meeting

in Pinedale, the governor himself released

them to the public on Monday.

Gov. Mark Gordon thanked the advisory

group that represented interests of counties,

agriculture, wildlife, outdoor recreation,

conservation, energy and mining in his Sept.

9 statement. Group member Kevin Williams

of Pinedale Energy Partners represented the

oil and gas industry.

On the second and final day of the advisory

group’s Pinedale meeting, the governor’s

senior policy advisor Renny MacKay

wrote down and read back the recommendations

on which the group agreed while asking

for “teeth” to protect big game migration

corridors, particularly those of mule deer.

“I want to thank members of the advisory

committee for their efforts,” Gov. Gordon

said. “They accepted the challenge of

working collaboratively to identify potential

solutions that would both conserve our

wildlife and support our economy through

multiple uses of public lands. This is what

we do in Wyoming. I look forward to reviewing

the recommendations and receiving

feedback about them.”

The first step advised by the group is that

Gov. Gordon establishes an executive order

that encompasses and implements their recommendations.

“The core aim of the recommendations

is to have all types of development outside

of corridors as a first priority,” said Michael

Pearlman of the Governor’s Office. “Inside

corridors, the goal is to ensure the continued

functionality and health of the corridors as

well as the big game herds that use them.”

Designation process

The group asked Gov. Gordon and Wyoming

Game and Fish to switch up the official

designation process, for example the steps

that led to designation of the Red Desert to

Hoback Mule Deer Migration Route. Group

members voiced concerns the public and

county governments were not involved early

enough in that process.

On the table are two proposed big-game

migration corridors that overlap parts of

Sublette County – the Sublette Pronghorn

Herd Migration Corridor and the Wyoming

Range Mule Deer Herd Migration Corridor.

“The advisory group recommends that

designation comes after stakeholder engagement

and a risk assessment,” the report

states. “Previously, the risk/opportunity

assessment followed the designation. We

not only recommend flipping the order, but

want to ensure that the dialogue in advance

of designation is robust and not perfunctory.

To aid with robust consultation, the advisory

group recommends creating locally based

and corridor-specific working groups.

With the goal to engage county governments

early on in a designation process, the

group recommended that county planners

and commissioners get templates while considering

land-use language changes that are

“consistent with the executive order.”

Proposed process

First, proposed migration corridors would

be identified by Game and Fish, the group

recommended. “Identification to this point

has largely been accomplished by reviewing

and analyzing big game movement data and

depicting these movements on a map after

running a scientific analysis to determine if

… a corridor might exist and where components

of that corridor are found.”

Game and Fish would then actively and

specifically engage with public and private

landowners, government agencies and interested

parties about this specific corridor. At

this point county commissioners could select

and appoint local working group members.

Next, the group and stakeholders would pass

on their findings, conservation opportunities

and potential risks and impacts to wildlife

and habitat if the proposed route was officially

designated. Game and Fish would

develop its opportunity and risk assessment

for the governor and if designation was approved,

a local working group would “transition

to management phase.”

Local working groups

A local working group for specific corridors

should reflect the “overall demographic

of this advisory group” with a wide range of

interests, it continues.

County commissioners could select a

committee from applicants who “need to

have qualifications, expertise and be from

the region.”

The local working group should also participate

in developing policies for energy

development, public land lease and provide

feedback and recommendations to the Governor’s

Office.

The advisory group recommended that

the “management phase” include education

on best practices, connecting stewardship

opportunities, managing “incentive programs,”

representing corridor interests at

many levels and “evaluate new science and

data as it emerges.”

For more

To read Gov. Gordon’s “Migration Corridor

Advisory Group Recommendations,”

meeting minutes and reports, go to https://

sites.google.com/view/wywildlifemigrationadvisorygrp/

home.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission

meets Monday, Sept. 16, around 2:30

p.m. and again Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 8 a.m.

in the Pinedale Library’s Lovatt Room.

Deputy Director Angi Bruce is scheduled to

present the recommendations from 3:45 to

4:15 p.m.