Wyoming Shares Strategies For Wildlife Friendly Fencing
At a summit in Wyoming, experts share research and success stories about how to make fences work better for ranchers and wildlife.
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Navigating A Maze Of Fences
When we think of the wide-open sagebrush range in iconic western states like Wyoming, Montana or Idaho, most of us visualize wildlife roaming across beautiful valleys.
Herds of big game like elk, pronghorn, and deer are emblems of healthy rangelands. These migratory animals rely on native plants for their food, and they need large, connected, intact landscapes to survive. Big game are a vital part of the ecosystem. They also contribute about $1 billion each year to our national economy through tourism and hunting.
One of the biggest threats facing migratory big game is the maze of fences that criss-cross private and public lands. Big game must navigate dozens of fences each time they travel between summer and winter range.
Many of these fences are old or impenetrable for big game, especially pronghorn. Sometimes animals get tangled or trapped when fences are not wildlife-friendly. Fortunately, Working Lands for Wildlife and many other partners are working to make it easier for wildlife to navigate across sagebrush range.
About The Wyoming Wildlife Fence Summit
This spring, in an effort led by Andrew Jakes, experts from Wyoming gathered in a virtual summit to share research, on-the-ground efforts, and outcomes related to wildlife friendly fencing. The event drew 120 participants from western states, and was sponsored by the Wyoming Migration Initiative in collaboration with Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Lessons learned in Wyoming can help conservation practitioners across sagebrush range address the challenges that fences pose to wildlife. Two dozen speakers presented science-based strategies and tools that benefit landowners and big game, including:
- Best uses of pasture fencing
- Options for improving wildlife passage along highways and roads
- Maps that prioritize where to target fence mitigation efforts
- Specific measurements and how-to guides for modifying existing fences
- Ways to get started on virtual fencing
- Funding opportunities for landowners and land managers
Session 1: Problem Identification
Fenced In - Pronghorn of the Red Desert, by Hall Sawyer
ABSTRACT:
Human disturbance and development are fragmenting landscapes, limiting the ability of organisms to freely move to meet their survival and reproductive needs. Simultaneously, extreme weather events—such as tropical cyclones, megafires, and heatwaves—pose a major threat to survival and may require animals to rapidly move to escape. As the dual forces of landscape fragmentation and extreme weather events continue to intensify, researchers urgently need to develop an understanding of the synergistic effects of these forces on animal mobility and survival. Here, we present a case study on pronghorn that undertook extraordinary long-distance movements (up to 399 km) to escape a once-in-two-decades extreme snowstorm in the Red Desert, WY, USA. Although Wyoming is a seemingly underdeveloped landscape, high fence density and two major highways in the region exposed pronghorn to novel barriers that delayed movement, restricted habitat access, and ultimately hindered their ability to escape extreme snow accumulation. The synergistic effects of movement barriers and extreme weather increased mortality rates by 3.7-fold such that over 50% of GPS-monitored pronghorn perished. These findings highlight the critical need to study escape movements and prioritize connectivity planning to curtail mass mortality events and ensure population persistence.
Functional Benefits of Fence Modifications for Mule Deer, by Luke Wilde
ABSTRACT: Migration provides benefits to mule deer, such that semi-permeable barriers to movement (e.g., fences, developed areas, roads) are thought to be a source of observed population declines. While direct mortality or injury from barrier crossings are clear, less is known about the functional impacts of barriers on the benefits of migration. Recent studies show that industrial energy development can degrade the functionality of movement corridors, but whether fences, a much more prolific semi-permeable barrier, have a similar impact remains unclear. Furthermore, while the accumulation of fence-crossings along migration pathways could amplify impacts to functionality, whole route analyses have not been done. Using 12 years of movement data concurrent with the modification of 230 miles (45%) of fence within the designated corridor to wildlife-friendly specifications, we investigated whether fence modifications led to functional benefits for migratory mule deer in Wyoming. We found that while average ground speed and stopover placement did not change as a result of fence modifications, fewer crossings of unmodified fences reduced mule deer’s selection for locations before spring green up (i.e., jumping the green-wave; R2=0.23). Mule deer that crossed fewer unmodified fences during their migration were on average closer to green-up than those that crossed more unmodified fences (R2=0.14). Our results suggest that modified fences improved the local selection of habitat as a response to less restricted movement, which in turn improved access over the course of the full migration where cumulative impacts reduce delays. Alongside the benefits of lower risks from crossing modified fences, these results provide further empirical support for fence modification as an agency action to maintain or restore corridor functionality.
Next Generation Fencing for Livestock and Wildlife, by Daniel Reynolds
ABSTRACT: Fencing is a fundamental component of livestock management in the western United States and has become ubiquitous across the landscape. Traditional fencing designs pose significant challenges to wildlife by restricting movement, fragmenting critical habitats, and entrapping, injuring, and/or killing wildlife species. In response, conservation agencies have adopted and promoted “wildlife friendly” fence designs which are intended to improve the permeability of fences for wildlife while containing desired livestock species. Despite growing adoption, there is little empirical evidence regarding the efficacy of wildlife friendly fences for containing domestic livestock, especially small livestock species like sheep (Ovis aries). At the University of Wyoming’s Laramie Research and Extension Center (LREC), we have begun testing fence designs, winter gate opening strategies, and fence modifications. More specifically, in July of 2024 we evaluated eight designs promoted by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) including a “pronghorn underpass” fence modification and a custom design. Additionally, we evaluated fixing gates open to increase the permeability of winter landscapes while livestock were not present. In the winters of 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, we fixed 20 gates open at the LREC pastures and LREC McGuire Ranch. We monitored pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) crossings and gate interactions using trail cameras. Finally, we have installed a series of new underpasses at the LREC McGuire Ranch to determine if and how pronghorn find these modifications. As fencing remains essential to livestock grazing systems, the need to mitigate their negative ecological impacts highlights the importance of exploring innovative fencing tools, options, and technologies to balance wildlife and producer needs. Innovations in fence designs and the emergence of new technologies, such as virtual fencing, is the next generation of fencing for livestock and wildlife and offers further opportunity to reduce physical barriers while maintaining effective livestock control. Continued empirical evaluation of wildlife friendly fences for containing domestic livestock will provide landowners with valuable information when considering wildlife friendly designs and will allow conservation agencies to refine designs to be more effective containing livestock while maintaining permeability for wildlife.
Session 2: Collaborative Efforts
Upper Green Fence Initiative & Prioritization, by Troy Fieseler
ABSTRACT: Conservation partners in Sublette County, WY have a rich history of coming together and implementing landscape scale projects to benefit wildlife and the natural resources of the area. The Upper Green Fence Initiative is a collaborative partnership involving state and federal agencies, NGOs, and local entities that is an example of one of these efforts focused on improving problematic fencing for wildlife key areas. The initiative leverages the diverse skills of its partners for fundraising efforts, project identification and implementation, as well as relying on local knowledge and expertise to guide fence modification projects. To address a surge in project requests and ensure efficient resource allocation, a prioritization tool was developed. This tool utilizes a combination of Ecological and Fence Attribute scores to rank projects and direct funding towards those offering the greatest ecological return on investment.
Human disturbance and development are fragmenting landscapes, limiting the ability of organisms to freely move to meet their survival and reproductive needs. Simultaneously, extreme weather events—such as tropical cyclones, megafires, and heatwaves—pose a major threat to survival and may require animals to rapidly move to escape. As the dual forces of landscape fragmentation and extreme weather events continue to intensify, researchers urgently need to develop an understanding of the synergistic effects of these forces on animal mobility and survival. Here, we present a case study on pronghorn that undertook extraordinary long-distance movements (up to 399 km) to escape a once-in-two-decades extreme snowstorm in the Red Desert, WY, USA. Although Wyoming is a seemingly underdeveloped landscape, high fence density and two major highways in the region exposed pronghorn to novel barriers that delayed movement, restricted habitat access, and ultimately hindered their ability to escape extreme snow accumulation. The synergistic effects of movement barriers and extreme weather increased mortality rates by 3.7-fold such that over 50% of GPS-monitored pronghorn perished. These findings highlight the critical need to study escape movements and prioritize connectivity planning to curtail mass mortality events and ensure population persistence.
Upper Green Fence Initiative Fence Inventory and Certification, by Melanie Purcell
ABSTRACT: The Upper Green Fence Initiative works collaboratively to implement wildlife friendly fence projects in the Upper Green River Basin area of western Wyoming. Over time the partnership has assisted each other with various aspects of project development and implementation to get projects from start to finish. One of those efforts is fence inventory and fence certification. It became clear that data needs across partners varied so the initiative came together to develop consistent data collection attributes in the field. Key attributes for fence inventory include documentation of fence type and condition to help determine fence replacement needs; wildlife sign to help identify and prioritize heavier wildlife use and/or problem areas; and characteristics beneficial in calculating costs and labor intensity. Once a wildlife friendly fence project has been implemented, a fence certification is completed so that each entity can be accountable to the organization leading the project and the funding partners. The essential attributes for fence certification include material specifications to help ensure the life of fence; wildlife friendly fence specifications for each type of fence (e.g., 4-wire wildlife friendly fence, Pole Top fence), primarily wire type, heights, and spacing of wires; and elements that speak to the integrity of the fence, safety, and neighborly aspects. For both fence inventory and certification, it is important to take photos and to have a control method for wire spacing height measurements. For example, wire spacing heights are always taken at a line post or brace post and measured from the ground up with the bottom wire as the first wire measurement.
Absaroka Fence Initiative: Collaborative Fence Work in Park County Wyoming, by Kimi Zamuda
ABSTRACT: Fencing is ubiquitous on Wyoming’s landscapes and hinders movement for migrating and wintering wildlife. The Absaroka Fence Initiative is a community driven initiative, bringing together a broad partnership of government agencies, landowners, NGOS and researchers. Working in cooperation with willing landowners and land managers, Absaroka Fence Initiative (AFI) aims to ensure fences are functional for livestock management and wildlife movement across the landscape. We accomplish this through on the ground projects, public workdays and outreach to the community. In the past five years, AFI has completed 25 projects, removing 17.75 miles of fence and modifying 28.9 miles. We utilize a variety of methods for fence projects, including volunteer support. Approximately 450 volunteers have donated 3,210 hours of time on fence projects. AFI has also worked with USFS and BLM permitees, local landowners and conservation districts. Going forward, we are focusing more on landscape level work to have greater impact on fences in the Absaroka Front. Starting in 2024, the Cater Mountain Pronghorn Fence Project is a multi-phase project to improve wildlife movement across the Carter Mountain pronghorn migration route. We aim to do this through strategically modifying (and where possible removing) 100 miles of fence.
Red Desert Fence Initiative, by Amy Anderson
ABSTRACT: The hundreds of miles of wildlife unfriendly fences in the Red Desert are not a newly discovered problem. The BLM and WGFD have been working to convert fences in this region for decades. When the WGFD partnered with Hall Sawyer of WEST Inc. and the UW Migration Initiative to look at movement patterns of pronghorn in the Red Desert, the issue took the spotlight. The collar data showed more than 100,000 acres of pronghorn winter range that is completely unusable due to woven wire fence barriers, especially in extreme winters. The map produced in this report highlighted the issue, and sparked action between multiple partners. More than 23 miles of fence was converted from woven wire to wildlife friendlier designs including drill stem pipe crossing structures replacing traditional H braces in a single season. This single action opened up more than 18,000 previously inaccessible acres of habitat to pronghorn in the Red Desert. This project shows how having the data to visually portray a problem, making it more tangible for landowners and land managers, can push a project from small-scale to large-scale very quickly. Never in my experience has a project gone from a map landing on my desk to planning to fundraising to implementation, and then to first phase completion in such a short timeframe. The Red Desert Fence Initiative is in its infancy, with partners involved from The WYldlife Fund, BLM, WGFD, Knobloch Family Foundation, Little Snake River Conservation District, USFWS Partners Program and WWNRT, as well as several NGO’s. A fence conversion coordinator was hired as a result of this project, and subsequent fence conversion projects are in the works. The UW Migration Initiative produced a short film highlighting this project called, “Unwired- Making Space for Pronghorn in Wyoming’s Red Desert”, and can be viewed at this link: https://thewyldlifefund.org/unwired/
Clearing the Way: 29 Years of Volunteer-Powered Wildlife Movement, by Renee Seidler
ABSTRACT: For nearly three decades, the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation (JHWF) has led a volunteer-driven effort to make fences across western Wyoming more wildlife-friendly. These projects, grounded in science and shaped by strong community partnerships, aim to reduce barriers to movement and mortality for species such as ungulates and Sage-grouse. Since the program’s inception, over 2,500 volunteers have dedicated more than 11,000 hours to modify or remove 268 miles of fence—equivalent to the distance from Green River to Cheyenne. JHWF prioritizes corridor protection, uses trail camera monitoring, collaborates with agencies and private landowners, and actively integrates research and best practices. The result: meaningful gains for wildlife, including documented reductions in fence-related fatalities. We highlight the power of partnerships, community engagement, and persistence in restoring habitat connectivity across Wyoming’s landscapes.
Session 3: Research
How Migratory Ungulates Navigate Fences to Prioritize Efforts, by Jerod Merkle
ABSTRACT: Fences are a widespread anthropogenic feature on working lands in the western United States. Impermeable barriers can entirely block historic migration routes, isolating populations from critical seasonal resources. Semi-permeable barriers, while not completely obstructive, can still negatively affect populations by increasing the energetic costs of migration, elevating mortality risk, or altering behavior. While our understanding of how ungulates interact with fences is improving, a significant knowledge gap remains regarding how many fences animals are willing to cross at different sections of the migration route and the overall fence density along migratory routes. To address this, we used publicly available migration lines from GPS marked pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) migrating through the Upper Green River Basin in northwest Wyoming—an area with comprehensive spatial data on fence locations. We developed path selection functions to assess whether selection of migration routes were influenced by both the number of fence crossings (crosses per mile) and the configuration of fences (miles of fence per square mile) along each route. Preliminary results indicate that pronghorn strongly avoided routes with frequent fence crossings during both spring and fall migrations. We observed a threshold-like response, with near-complete avoidance occurring above approximately an average of 0.8 fence crossings per mile. Similarly, pronghorn avoided areas with high fence density along their routes, with a threshold around 2 miles of fence per square mile. Further, most segments along the migration route had < 1 crossing every 2 miles, and only 3-4% of migration segments had crossing rates > 1.5 fences per mile. Given the increasing focus on protecting ungulate migrations through state and federal initiatives, our findings offer an initial evaluation of fence-related constraints on landscape connectivity for ungulates. This work can help land and wildlife managers prioritize which fence segments and areas of fences would improve permeability during migration. Future research will expand this analysis to include effects at finer spatial scales along migratory routes and replicate the analysis with mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).
Metrics to Assess Fence Modifications for Big Game, by Benjamin S. Robb
ABSTRACT: Fences can be modified to be more permeable to wildlife movement (i.e., wildlife friendlier). Yet, modifying fences is expensive and agencies have neither time nor resources to modify fences that do not directly benefit wildlife. Wildlife managers need tools to identify fences where modification will optimally benefit wildlife. We developed a toolkit to prioritize fences for modification informed by wildlife movements. We illustrate our framework using a dataset of GPS collared pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). We quantify permeability based on the ratio of time before and after crossing a fence. Using our metric, we will illustrate how >300 km of fence modifications in Sublette County, Wyoming have improved permeability of the landscape. From our metric, we illustrate that on average pronghorn were more impeded by net-wired fences than barbed and barbed-smooth fences (two sample t-test, p-value = 0.03 and 0.04, respectively) but we observed no significant differences for mule deer (p-value > 0.05). Additionally, mule deer and pronghorn were marginally less impeded by fences after modification compared to before modification, although this difference was not significant for either species (p-value > 0.05). While our metric is still in preliminary stages of development, our work can be an opportunity to quantify the success of fence modifications from the animal’s perspective as opposed to miles of fence modified. This framework advances the burgeoning field of fence ecology, providing agencies a tool to expedite efforts to mitigate the effects of fences across the west.
Mapping and Prioritizing Fences for Wildlife Conservation, by Jessie Shapiro
ABSTRACT: Fencing is a common feature of working lands that can pose significant challenges to wildlife. Effectively mapping and managing fence data is a key step toward identifying and prioritizing fences that could be made more wildlife-friendly. This presentation will provide an overview of a comprehensive set of tools designed to support fence data collection, data management, and prioritization efforts. The system features a mobile data collection tool built using the ESRI ArcGIS Field Maps, which allows users to map fence lines, wildlife observations, and range improvements in the field. The collected data is then stored and shared through a secure database that is designed for use across organizations. Additionally, the prioritization tool analyzes key fence metrics, such as time spent near fences, failed crossings, and successful crossings, to identify barriers and bottlenecks on the landscape. Together, these tools support scalable, data-driven strategies for fence management and connectivity conservation across working landscapes.
Mapping Fences: From Field-Based to AI Approaches, by Kristin Barker
ABSTRACT: Effective wildlife conservation and land management increasingly require accurate, landscape-scale data on the fences that fragment land and ecosystems. This talk presents two complementary efforts to map fences led by the Beyond Yellowstone Living Lab. The field-based Absaroka Front Fence Inventory, launched in summer 2024, is an ongoing effort to document fence characteristics, conditions, wire heights, and wildlife relevance across the ecologically important Absaroka Front region east of Yellowstone. In its first season, a four-person team surveyed 500 square miles, and continued work is underway in 2025 to expand coverage and update priority assessments for wildlife-friendly fence modifications. In parallel, the AI-powered Open Fence Project uses deep learning models and high-resolution aerial imagery to detect fences across vast landscapes. The project has already mapped nearly 9,000 miles of fences across the rangelands of 11 western U.S. states, and an interactive online platform is in development for broad stakeholder access. While initially focused in North America, the Open Fence Project is designed for global scalability with the long-term goal of supporting fence mapping and mitigation efforts across the world. While each fence mapping approach has distinct methods and strengths – fine-scale validation in the field versus large-scale automation across broad landscapes – both generate publicly available data to support wildlife connectivity, infrastructure planning, and conservation.
Fence Research & Application Examples Outside Wyoming, by Andrew Jakes
ABSTRACT: When addressing fences for management and conservation purposes, we must consider social, economic, wildlife and overall ecological factors, including at various scales. This presentation provides research and implementation insights across the ‘Northern Sagebrush Steppe’ region of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana, as well as in Nevada and Idaho, to provide fence research and mitigation examples in neighboring jurisdictions. Clearly based on fence types and their specifications, fences can affect ungulate movement, thereby having population-level consequences. Increased fence densities pose challenges and can influence distributions while on seasonal ranges. For example, Jones et al. 2019 show that higher quality pronghorn summer and winter range habitat becomes inaccessible and Eacker et al. 2023 predicted pronghorn survivorship to declines 12%, over a range of increasing fence densities. Concurrently and in continuation, researchers map fences to identify areas for conservation and management. Fence modifications and specifications (i.e., wire heights) have been evaluated to allow for continued ungulate movements while keeping livestock in appropriate pastures. Fence modification projects are occurring across the West, and specific projects were highlighted in Nevada and Idaho. New approaches are continuously being deployed and assessed, including H-brace wildlife crossings in Idaho. These projects reveal improvements for both wildlife and landowners.
Session 4: Implementation
Right-of-Way Fencing: WYDOT Challenges and Opportunities, by Randy Merritt
ABSTRACT: There are multifaceted challenges and opportunities associated with right-of-way fencing in Wyoming, a "fence out" state. The core mandate for WYDOT is to prevent livestock from accessing roadways, a task complicated by diverse landowner operational needs, varying livestock types (e.g., cow-calf operations, horses), and the natural attractants of roadside forage and water sources. There is an added layer of complexity with Right-Of-Way fencing compared to other interior range fencing due to the safety aspect of vehicle collisions with livestock and wildlife.
A significant challenge lies in balancing the necessity of effective livestock barriers with the needs of wildlife movement. This involves careful consideration of fence types, potential for seasonal adjustments, and collaboration with landowners, particularly concerning grazing leases, without dictating private land use. Part of the balance pertains to the complexities of exclusionary fencing and grade-separated crossings, questioning the thresholds (roadway volume, speed, wildlife population) that necessitate such measures. Implementation challenges include defining start and stop limits for fencing projects, integrating with existing structures, avoiding the overburdening of private lands, managing easements, and addressing access points (both vehicular and pedestrian) that can become breach points.
Furthermore, the substantial and ongoing costs of both constructing and maintaining fencing and crossing infrastructure, emphasizes the need for partnerships, potentially for seasonal solutions. As a recap the core dilemma are creating barriers effective for certain animals while accommodating others, the critical importance of addressing landowner needs, deciding on exclusionary versus non-exclusionary approaches, and managing long-term maintenance costs.
Fence Modifications for Big Game/Grouse, by Dale Woolwine
ABSTRACT: Fences can serve as hazards to various forms of wildlife and can impede movements across the landscape. The Pinedale Field Office (PFO) of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), along with its partners, have been actively inventorying, monitoring and subsequently modifying fences on public lands in the Upper Green River Basin for the last 15 years to reduce impacts to sage-grouse and big game species.
In that time frame over 1200 sage-grouse fence collisions have been recorded, with nearly 700 of those collisions being recorded on fences outfitted with strike deterrents. On the worst known problem fence in the area, 99 grouse collided with a single fence (outfitted with deterrents) in less than 7 months. With around 8 fences in the area known to be similar in severity, PFO has undertaken modifying and seasonally lowering over 20 miles of drop fence to reduce grouse collisions to a more acceptable level of occurrence.
PFO has also modified various stretches of fence to increase permeability and access to habitats for mule deer and pronghorn. Over 50 fence crossing structures of various types have been installed across the field office with varying levels of success/use being recorded. Trail cameras have captured big game species using each of the various structures with drop fences and the “X-gate” showing the most use with the least amount of hesitancy.
Permanent Power Fence, by Rory Karhu
ABSTRACT: We used infrared-activated video cameras and direct observation to evaluate the effects of 2-wire high-tensile electric fence (2-WF), 3-wire high-tensile electric fence (3-WF), and 4-wire high-tensile electric fence (4-WF) designs on elk (Cervus elaphus), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) movements. In addition, high-tensile electric fences (HTEF) were tested for their effectiveness on domestic cattle (Bos taurus; 2-WF and 3-WF) and bison (Bison bison; 3-WF and 4-WF). Shock energy on the test fences ranged from 0.5–4.5 J. The wildlife species we studied were physically capable of crossing all of the fence designs. However, difficulty in crossing the fences varied between species and designs. The elk and mule deer observed were more successful (100%) at crossing the 2-WF than pronghorn (51%). Mule deer (95%) and pronghorn (91%) were more successful at crossing 4-WF than elk (59%). The majority of elk (79%), mule deer (93%), and pronghorn (97%) successfully crossed 3-WF. Electric shock did not appear to affect elk, mule deer, or pronghorn at a charge of 0.5–4.5 J, and overall ,1%were shocked when interacting with HTEF. For domestic cattle, 2-WF was 99%effective in calf separation tests and 100% effective for bull separation. Bison were successfully contained by both 3-WF (100%) and 4-WF (99.8% [;100%]). Our data suggest the 3-WF design overall was the least restrictive for elk, mule deer, and pronghorn and effectively confined domestic cattle and bison.
Virtual Fence Technology & Application, by Shari Meeks
ABSTRACT: Virtual fencing is a novel technology with immense potential. The analytics embedded in the technology have the power to inform livestock producers about grazing characteristics of each animal and the herd. Through the use of heat maps, land managers and producers can work together to determine opportunities in grazing management. Livestock location information and alerts have the potential to reduce wildlife conflict and inform wildlife managers about habitat overlaps, further informing management of wildlife populations.
Four companies are commercially available in the United States, each offering similar variations of cellular and satellite technology. Each company offers some form of software either on computer or mobile devices or both. Collars and base station requirements are slightly different for each company and pricing is not standardized between companies. It is imperative for producers to interview each company to determine which shoe will fit for their specific needs.
Lastly, while the potential of this technology is exciting there are many different things to consider before implementation, such as cost, terrain limitations, data ownership, placement of base stations in sensitive areas, agency coordination, and flexibility of federal programs and grazing rules to name a few. The list of conservation benefits are numerous and continues to grow as livestock owners test the technology on a variety of landscapes throughout the United States.
Virtual Fence & Conservation Planning with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), by John Hartung
ABSTRACT: NRCS is a technical conservation agency that addresses natural resource (Soil, Water, Animals, Plants, Air) resource concerns. NRCS works with livestock producers who want to implement Virtual Fence technology to improve Grazing Management and identified resource concerns. An agency national fact sheet has been developed to assist conservation planners and landowners on how the virtual fence system works. Virtual fence allows livestock producers to change locations of livestock grazing, both between and within grazing years better matching stocking rate with available forage that physical fence either doesn’t allow for or is more difficult. Allows confinement of livestock to a specific area for management such as a riparian area, post wildfire or conservation practice grazing management promoting recovery of desirable forage species, eliminates wildlife conflicts with traditional wire fencing and provides for better record keeping of herd and pasture management. NRCS cannot use virtual fence for boundary fence, while also recommending not to remove existing internal fences until the technology is fully understood and implemented and all mature livestock must be collared. The agency cannot promote one company over any other and the livestock producer must be the one to make the decision on which system/company to use. Technical assistance can be provided by the agency to determine if virtual fence is a good alternative for the operation, assist in grazing management resource inventories, and provide financial assistance through conservation practices. NRCS has practice scenarios available and can provide technical assistance for livestock producers that are interested in implementing virtual fence to improve grazing management.
Session 5: Funding
USDA Migratory Big Game Initiative (MBGI), by Brian Jensen
ABSTRACT: In the Spring of 2022, Wyoming NRCS was asked to pilot an effort to utilize additional funding through existing conservation programs to help the State conserve migratory big game species in an agreement that was codified via a Memorandum of Understanding between Secretary Tom Vilsack and Governor Mark Gordon. This pilot expanded on historic efforts utilizing local and state sub-accounts, several Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) grants, and Joint Chiefs projects between NRCS and USFS to address migratory big game concerns at smaller scales. With dedicated funding, WY NRCS was able to work with existing and new partners to identify priority locations, deploy targeted outreach to interested landowners, and then implement priority conservation practices to address challenges facing migrating species. Given the success of the Pilot, it became the Migratory Big Game Initiative in late 2023 and expanded to Montana and Idaho. To date, the MBGI in Wyoming has contributed approximately $21 million via the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) primarily for fence related work and $17 million via the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) for permanent conservation easements on important properties. Additional information about the initiative can be found here: USDA Migratory Big Game Initiative | Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Pooled Migration Fund, by Jill Randall
ABSTRACT: Fences can be modified to be more permeable to wildlife movement (i.e., wildlife friendlier). Yet, modifying fences is expensive and agencies have neither time nor resources to modify fences that do not directly benefit wildlife. Wildlife managers need tools to identify fences where modification will optimally benefit wildlife. We developed a toolkit to prioritize fences for modification informed by wildlife movements. We illustrate our framework using a dataset of GPS collared pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). We quantify permeability based on the ratio of time before and after crossing a fence. Using our metric, we will illustrate how >300 km of fence modifications in Sublette County, Wyoming have improved permeability of the landscape. From our metric, we illustrate that on average pronghorn were more impeded by net-wired fences than barbed and barbed-smooth fences (two sample t-test, p-value = 0.03 and 0.04, respectively) but we observed no significant differences for mule deer (p-value > 0.05). Additionally, mule deer and pronghorn were marginally less impeded by fences after modification compared to before modification, although this difference was not significant for either species (p-value > 0.05). While our metric is still in preliminary stages of development, our work can be an opportunity to quantify the success of fence modifications from the animal’s perspective as opposed to miles of fence modified. This framework advances the burgeoning field of fence ecology, providing agencies a tool to expedite efforts to mitigate the effects of fences across the west.
Helping Ranchers Help Wildlife
Many of the successes and research discussed in the Wyoming Wildlife Fence Summit are based on fences that have been removed or modified through WLFW's Migratory Big Game Initiative.
Landowners who voluntarily conserve large tracts of open space are key for maintaining the West’s emblematic big game herds. Keeping ranches in operation is one of the best ways to maintain habitat for wildlife.
The Migratory Big Game Initiative was launched by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in 2022 in Wyoming. It provides assistance for ranchers looking to improve their agricultural operations in ways that also conserve habitat for migratory big game.
Assistance for agricultural landowners can include replacing traditional barbed wire fences with higher, smooth bottom wires, flagging fences to prevent sage grouse from colliding with wires, or removing old fences that are no longer necessary. WLFW also helps ranchers explore new technology like virtual fencing as a way to boost agricultural profits as well as conserve wildlife habitat.
Wyoming serves as a model for how collaboration and science-based strategies are improving fences for wildlife and ranchers. The initiative has since expanded into Montana, Idaho, and Colorado, and prioritizes wildlife friendly fencing as one of the strategies to conserve big game.
