WWNRT RECEIVES $200,000 FOR WILDLIFE CROSSINGS

Wednesday, 19 August 2020

The Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC) recently donated $200,000 to the Dry Piney wildlife crossing project north of La Barge in southwest Wyoming. The funds were directed through the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust (WWNRT), allowing the WWNRT to match the funds through an opportunity created by the Wyoming Legislature in 2018.

“Thanks to this donation and a previous contribution by GYC to wildlife crossings projects in western Wyoming, we were able to match $300,000 back into the corpus of the Trust for wildlife projects in Wyoming in addition to contributing directly to the Dry Piney project,” said Bob Budd, Director of the WWNRT.

The money the Greater Yellowstone Coalition donated will be used for the Dry Piney wildlife crossing project. The project calls for installing underpasses, fencing and related improvements along a 17-mile stretch of US 189 between La Barge and Big Piney.

Legislative matching funds were authorized to create an incentive for non-state entities to contribute to conservation in Wyoming, and over the past 15 years, have generated nearly $3 million into the corpus of the Trust Account. According to Budd, those funds generate as much as $1.5 million annually to fund river restoration work, wetland creation, wildlife habitat enhancements and other major projects throughout the state, in addition to the current focus on wildlife migration routes and highway safety.

“Not only is this project saving thousands of deer over its lifetime in the struggling Wyoming range herd, it’s also going to keep families safe on this stretch of road,” said Chris Colligan, GYC Wildlife Program Coordinator. “GYC is pleased to support this project by helping to secure local match dollars that leverage state and federal funds. We thank our generous donors at the Knobloch Family Foundation and The Volgenau Foundation for supporting this work.”

The Dry Piney project will help the Wyoming Range mule deer herd as well as pronghorn and moose movement. Dry Piney is one area that Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT), the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) and other stakeholders have identified as needing mitigation work to reduce crashes.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Brian Nesvik said “We would like to thank the Trust for furthering the funding opportunities for the Dry Piney Project and continuing to build on the momentum Wyoming has for wildlife crossings.”

Additionally, WYDOT received a $14.5 million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant for the Dry Piney wildlife crossing project in 2019. The Wyoming Transportation Commission and the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission also both contributed $1.25 million for a total of $2.5 million for Dry Piney.

"Donations for efforts like Dry Piney will ensure we can move forward with these important projects so we can continue our mission of reducing crashes and improving highway safety for all," WYDOT Director K. Luke Reiner said. "We are thankful to the Greater Yellowstone Coalition for making this generous donation. Dry Piney and other wildlife crossings projects will help mitigate crashes in our state. This work is vital to help keep natural migratory routes intact while also keeping traffic flowing in a safe manner."

For additional information about Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust, contact Bob Budd, Executive Director at bob.budd@wyo.gov, (307) 777-8024

For additional information about the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, contact Chris Colligan, Wildlife Program Coordinator at ccolligan@greateryellowstone.org or at (307) 734-0633.

The emphasis on cheatgrass elimination and control is not new, according to board Vice Chairman Steve Meadows, Jackson, but reflects both a more concerted effort to get ahead of the issue, and the potential for improved chemical and biological controls to the invasive annual grass.

"We are helping to test and evaluate different methods of eradication in various parts of the state in the hope that we can zero in on the best management practices for different soil types, elevations, moisture patterns and other factors," Meadows said. "This plant has the capacity to radically alter some of our most valuable habitats, and we have the opportunity to head it off before it become a dominant feature on our landscapes."

The Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust was created in 2005 and has worked with more than 120 different partners to fund more than 700 projects since that time. The direct economic impact of those projects has been more than $200 million in on-the-ground improvements in all 23 Wyoming counties.

June 2013 - Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Awards Spring Grants

The Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust program awarded more than $1.5 million in conservation grants at their meeting in Yellowstone National Park last Thursday. The Board considered 30 applications statewide, with requests of $2.5 million, and funding 21 projects...

Read press release here

April 2013 - Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Elects New Chairman and Vice-Chairman

During the April 2013 Board meeting in Casper, WY the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Board elected Kim Floyd as the new Chairman and Steve Meadows as the new Vice-Chairman.

December 2011 - The Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative Committee is pleased to announce the release of Economic Contributions of the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust!

• In 2004 and 2007, the Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources partnered with the Wyoming Stock Growers Association and The Nature Conservancy to conduct public opinion polls on open space and natural resource conservation and development. The polls show growing interest in setting aside public money to protect water, wildlife habitat, and ranchland

• In 2005, the Wyoming Legislature made such an investment by creating the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust

• This report analyzes the return on that investment to Wyoming residents over the past six years.

• The publication can be found online at: http://wwnrt.state.wy.us/pdf/EconomicContributions_WWNRT_sm.pdf

• Hard copies will be available from the Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources soon.

• contact ienr@uwyo.edu with questions.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011 - Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust program Receives Donation

RIVERTON, WY- The Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust program received a donation of $42,500.00 from Babs Kruse of St. Stephens at their regular meeting yesterday in Lander.

Click here to read the press release

February 25, 2010 - Wildlife Trust Board Announces "Quick Grants" Program

RIVERTON, WY- The Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust program announced a new procedure for "Quick Grants" that will allow grants of less than $2,500.00 to be received, ranked, and funded throughout the year. Click to read more...

Quick Grants Rules and Application

Tuesday, January 05, 2010 - Goshen County 2 Shot Goose Hunt Benefits State Habitat Effort

RIVERTON, WY.....The Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust program was a major beneficiary of the annual Goshen County 2 Shot Goose Hunt, held every year in December, with a $2,500 grant presented to the board at their regular meeting in Wheatland.

Click here to read the press release

Tuesday January 05, 2010 - Safari Club Contributes $4,000 to Wildlife Trust

RIVERTON, WY- The Central Wyoming Chapter of Safari Club International contributed $2,500 to the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust program in December, with another $1,500 coming from the international foundation for SCI.

Click here to read the press release

October 9, 2009 - WWNRT BOARD PROPOSES RULE AMENDMENT

At the suggestion of Board Chair Delaine Roberts, the WWNRT is proposing to add a "Quick Grants" process for projects requesting less than $2,500.00 from the Board.

May 18, 2009 - Questar donates $250,000 to Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust

PINDEDALE, WY - Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife (SFW) held their annual banquet at the Sublette County Ice Arena on Saturday, May 16 to celebrate donations aimed at wildlife habitat improvement in the greater Pinedale area.

May 21, 2009- Partnership Reaches $1 Million in Conservation in Wyoming

MISSOULA, Mont.--A partnership between the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust and the Rock Mountain Elk Foundation has reached the $1 million mark in projects for elk, other wildlife and their habitat in Wyoming

October 29, 2006- Getting to the Root of the Saltcedar Challenge

TORRINGTON, WY- The Goshen County Weed and Pest Department receives $50,000 grant from the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust project to manage saltcedar infestations on all of the water ways in Goshen County.

October 1, 2006 - TRUST BOARD TO REVISE RULES

RIVERTON, WY--The Board of the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust program has begun the process of amending and refining the administrative rules for the agency. Beginning October 1, 2006, the revised rules are available for comment for a forty-five (45) day period. The revised rules may be found here, or may be requested by contacting the office.

September 15, 2006 - Conservation Groups Trigger Legislative Match

RIVERTON, WY--Contributions from six Wyoming conservation organizations triggered the first matching contributions into the Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust account, as established by the 58th Wyoming Legislature, according to Board chair Delaine Roberts.

LARAMIE, WY- Wildlife Professionals Honor 58th Wyoming Legislature

Laramie, WY- Professional wildlife managers named the 58th Wyoming Legislature as their "Citizens of the Year" yesterday. The Wyoming Chapter of the Wildlife Society, an international organization of professional wildlife managers, presented the award to Senate President Grant Larson, Jackson, and Speaker of the House Randall Luthi, Freedom at their annual meeting.

June 12, 2006 - The Nature Conservancy Supports Grasslands Conservation Fund Lander

The Wyoming Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust announce the creation of the Grasslands Conservation Fund, a new partnership to conserve eastern Wyoming’s native grasslands.

June 12, 2006 - WILDLIFE TRUST APPROVES FIRST ROUND OF PROJECTS

GILLETTE, Wyo. – Wildlife and wildlife habitat in Wyoming will benefit from more than $1.3 million worth of projects approved Thursday, June 8, 2006 by the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust.