JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Governor Mark Gordon this week announced his selections for members of the Sublette Mule Deer Migration Corridor Local Area Working Group. This is the third and final working group to convene to address the currently designated migration corridors under Migration Corridor Executive Order 2020-1.
The order was issued by Governor Gordon in February 2020 and supports conservation of mule deer and pronghorn, protects landowner rights and accommodates multiple-use opportunities. The Executive Order designated three mule deer migration corridors– the Platte Valley, Baggs and Sublette Mule Deer Corridors. Members selected for the Sublette Working Group are:
- Local Government:
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- Sublette County Commissioner Joel Bousman (Working Group Chair)
- Lincoln County Commissioner Robert King
- Sweetwater County Commissioner Mary Thoman
- Teton County Commissioner Luther Propst
- Fremont County Commissioner Michael Jones (participating by proxy)
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- Agriculture:
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- Jon Boroff
- Maggie Miller
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- Industry:
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- Greg Schamber (representing oil and gas)
- Jack McCully (representing trona mining)
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- Conservation/Wildlife/Sportsmen:
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- Mike Henn
- Mark Anselmi
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- Motorized Recreation:
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- Sandy Sletten
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The working group’s focus will be to make recommendations about additional opportunities for conservation within the designated Sublette Migration Corridor, as well as examine the impacts of all restrictions on development and use of lands encompassed in the corridor. The group will kick off with an in-person meeting in Pinedale on August 19. A virtual option will be available for members of the public who cannot attend in-person.
“I appreciate the willingness of these individuals to tackle the many issues that are important to maintaining the functionality of the Sublette Mule Deer Migration Corridor,” Gordon said. “The local perspectives that the Working Group members represent will ensure a balanced review of the risks and threats, as well as priority conservation opportunities, that affect this iconic corridor.”
The broad process that led to the Executive Order began with the establishment of the Migration Corridor Advisory Group in May of 2019. The group included representatives from the oil and gas, mining, and agriculture sectors, as well as conservation, recreation and sportsmen groups and a county commissioner. The Sublette Local Area Working Group comprises similar representative sectors and will include county commissioner representatives for each of the five counties that the corridor overlaps.
