JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — It has almost always been a bone of contention—supplemental winter feeding of elk. Either we owe them that helping hand because of habitat and migration route loss due to development, or feeding contributes to the spread of disease and artificially supports an unhealthy herd.
There seems to be little middle ground in the debate.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is encouraging the public to attend one of the upcoming meetings to begin Phase II of the collaborative process on elk feedground management. Elk Feedgrounds – A challenge we can take on began last fall with initial shared-learning sessions. This summer, Phase II begins with six public meetings held across the state to outline stakeholder and public involvement.
“Phase II is designed to have more in-depth engagement with various stakeholder groups on elk feedgrounds management,” said Scott Edberg, Game and Fish deputy chief of wildlife and chair of the elk feedgrounds steering team. “We will provide additional opportunities for shared-learning on issues that were identified by participants as an outcome of Phase I.”
All planned public meetings will begin at 6pm and will be held in-person:
- July 27 – Laramie, Laramie Game and Fish Office, 1212 S. Adams St.
- July 28 – Rock Springs, Rock Springs Public Library – Ferrero Room, 400 C Street
- July 29 – Casper, Casper Game and Fish Office – Pronghorn Room, 3030 Energy Ln.
- August 3 – Afton, Afton Wyoming Civic Center – Room 125 A and B, 150 S. Washington St.
- August 4 – Pinedale, Sublette County Weed and Pest, 12 S. Bench Road
- August 5 – Jackson, Jackson Hole Conference Center, 920 West Broadway
Meetings will be facilitated by Tara Kuipers Consulting, an independent firm based in Cody.
Phase II will build off information provided in Phase I. Recordings of Phase I presentations can be found on the Elk Feedgrounds Public Collaborative webpage as well as a summary report of Phase I.
“We had great dialogue with the public in Phase I and are excited to build upon that momentum in Phase II,” Edberg added. “We look forward to the public’s ideas and feedback. The department is interested in multiple perspectives to take into consideration during the development of the elk feedgrounds management plan.”
Ultimately, the Game and Fish led-process will produce a long-term management plan for elk feedgrounds managed by the department. The draft management plan is tentatively planned to go in front of the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission for approval in the spring of 2023.
