High School Students Help Improve Wildlife Migration By Nancy Banister, freelance writer Many hands make small work is what George Collins wanted to prove last week when he hosted the New Frontier High School service project. George Collins and Bill Sears, of Sears-Collins Limited Liability Partnership, lease private and public lands in the middle of a mule deer and pronghorn antelope migration route and want to make the land more wildlife friendly. “We as humans have an impact on the environment when we use it…that also affects the wildlife in that area as well,” said Collins. “We are trying to give back to Mother Nature so all the animals can adapt to the land they now live on.” George has been working with Karen Clause of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Pinedale as part of the Sage Grouse Initiative. A sheep rancher originally leased the land, but Bill and George own cattle. The project goal is to take out woven wire fence, which is not wildlife friendly, and replace it with wildlife friendly fence only in areas where fence is necessary for the livestock operation. “There are two main tools used in managing cattle, water and fences,” said Clause. “Some fences are better than others.” The project started a few years ago with Bill, George, Anadarko Land Corp., NRCS, BLM, Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreeing on a management plan for this complex landscape of mixed land ownership. That plan consists of many conservation projects, including juniper treatment, cheatgrass control, water development, stream restoration, fence marking, a rest-rotation grazing system, and removing and/or modifying unfriendly fences that are not useful for the livestock operation. The projects will benefit many wildlife species, but is targeted toward sage grouse, mule deer, and antelope. This was not only a service project, but also each teacher will integrate the project into their classroom activities. Wergin will be teaching about population growth, decline and preservation of ecosystems in his biology classes. The importance of understanding wildlife movement was illustrated by Jill Randall, Terrestrial Habitat Biologist for WGFD. “These migration routes are important in linking wildlife to their winter and summer ranges, and while having quality habitat on those ranges is critical, any break in that link can impact the wildlife population.” Another group was also a part of this year’s project. Shauna Ridgeway is the Kemmerer Chapter Co-Chair of the Muley Fanatic Foundation based in Green River. She worked alongside the kids and talked about what her foundation is concerned about. “We want the kids to know what Muley Fanatic Foundation is all about,” said Ridgeway. “Conservation is our main goal so hunting will still be here for generations.”
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 21:19:06 +0000
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