The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission met in Pinedale last week for its March meeting. The Commission voted to approve the department’s Feedground Management Plan, the result of a four-year collaborative process. Regional wildlife managers will now be tasked with developing adaptive Feedground Management Action Plans with local stakeholders.

“This is not a plan to shut down elk feedgrounds. The Feedground management plan provides a long-term roadmap and a suite of adaptive management options that may be utilized for each feedground,” said Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik. “Not all feedgrounds are the same. By sitting down with stakeholders and the public, we can identify unique obstacles and determine the appropriate combination of strategies to accomplish the overarching goals of the plan, while staying within the sideboards clearly identified in the plan.”

The Commission elected Richard Ladwing from Manville as president and Mark Jolovich from Torrington as the vice president.

The Commission voted to approve the following items:

• Preliminary FY 2025 budget.
• The disposal of the Saratoga Game Warden Station.
• Chapter 23, Lands and Waters Acquired or Administered by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission.
• To identify and move forward in the designation process of the Sublette antelope migration corridor.

The Commission received informational presentations on the department’s five-year mule deer study and the Wyoming Range mule deer herd. The Commission also was provided with an update on the large carnivore program, communication efforts and the employee housing project in Jackson.

Game and Fish Wildlife Chief Rick King awarded Baggs Senior Game Warden Kim Olson with the 2023 Shikar-Safari Wyoming Wildlife Officer of the Year award. The award, given annually in every state and Canadian province by the Shikar-Safari Club International, honors a wildlife officer whose efforts during the year display outstanding performance and achievement. Olson is a 16-year veteran of Game and Fish. Her district is one of the largest in the state and is nearly 3,000 square miles.

A full recording of the Commission meeting is available online. The Commission’s next meeting is April 16-17 in Riverton.