The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission met in Dubois last week for its May meeting. The Commission once again invested in wildlife crossings to help prevent vehicle collisions with big game, as it voted to approve an additional $500,000 toward The Wind River to Grand Tetons – Connecting Wildlife on the Togwotee Trail Dubois project on U.S. Highway 26. 

The wildlife crossing project will include the construction of three new underpasses, one overpass and the improvement of three existing underpasses. The wildlife crossing project is a result of a collaborative effort between the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribes and partners. 

These crossings will maintain habitat connectivity for mule deer, elk, bighorn sheep, white-tailed deer, moose and pronghorn. Mule deer from northwest Wyoming migrate through Dubois and cross U.S. 26 multiple times. About 5,000 mule deer winter in the Upper Wind River Valley and cross the highway daily for food and water. Elk, moose, white-tailed deer and pronghorn also winter here, and many stay year-round. Bighorn sheep near Red Creek frequently cross the highway and are often seen foraging or licking road salt along the right-of-way. Wildlife/vehicle collisions on U.S. 26 involve all these species.

Once fully completed, this project is expected to result in an 80-90% reduction in wildlife-vehicle collisions with mule deer and other wildlife and an average savings of more than $800,000 in vehicle damage and human injury costs per year.  

Additional meeting updates:

The Commission voted to approve Policy VII, Use of Opiate Antagonists, which allows Game and Fish employees to use Naloxone (Narcan) on a victim of an opioid overdose in the course of their official duties.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department presented updates on wildlife crossing projects and federal funding, the Jackson housing project and the Dan Speas Fish Hatchery cool/warm-water facility.

The Commission’s next meeting is July 16-17 in Buffalo.