Mule Deer Foundation Appoints Full-Time Wyoming Director to Handle Unprecedented Growth

The Mule Deer Foundation appointed Dennis McGraw as its historic first full-time Field Director dedicated exclusively to the State of Wyoming .  Previous Field Directors have covered multiple states.

Marty Holmes, MDF Director of Field Operations says, “Dennis brings to MDF more than 10 years experience in wildlife conservation and management and nearly eight years in conservation event fundraising.  I know him to be an enthusiastic wildlife professional who is highly capable of leading fundraising efforts for important wildlife projects.  I could not be more pleased to have someone like Dennis serve as our Regional Director for such an important mule deer state as Wyoming.”

The Mule Deer Foundation has 11 Chapters in Wyoming with the newest chapter recently chartered in Cheyenne.

Miles Moretti, MDF President/CEO and Wyoming native, says, “Wyoming is a key state for MDF.  Wyoming has been MDF’s number one fundraising state for the last two years and MDF has put more than $500,000 on the ground to enhance and restore mule deer habitat in Wyoming the last three years.”

Moretti continues, “Projects funded include the restoration of habitat north of Rock Springs in partnership with Shell Oil and the Rocks Springs Grazing Association, Bates Creek Restoration project near Casper and the Green River Valley Migration wildlife friendly fencing project near Pinedale.”

As a Certified Wildlife Biologist (CWB) by The Wildlife Society (TWS), Dennis’s career started during his college years as a volunteer for the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife (CPW) conducting a variety of wildlife surveys and assisting on habitat improvement projects.

He served on two Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) chapter committees.  He also worked as a field technician on an elk calf recruitment study in central CO, where he then went on to work as an RMEF ranch manager in the State of Washington and subsequently as RMEF Regional Director in Pennsylvania.  He enhances MDF’s great track record of working with volunteers, donors and agencies to raise critical funds for wildlife habitat.

Dennis’ resume includes success with a multi-million dollar effort to create and enhance grassland habitat for elk, deer and other wildlife in Pennsylvania.  In addition, Dennis has served as treasurer for the PA State Chapter of TWS and committee member for the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s (PGC) Habitat Alliance and Strategic Planning Committees.

Most recently, Dennis has worked as a wildlife consultant in the public and private sectors, working on a variety of wildlife surveys for threatened and endangered species, developing wildlife habitat mitigation plans and conducting wildlife damage management on airport facilities.  His passion for wildlife, specifically western big game, is also reflected in his accomplished pencil artistry. He has sketched since childhood.  Dennis is eager to work closely with volunteers again and looking forward to furthering the mission of the MDF in Wyoming and across the west.

Dennis will focus on working with the existing chapters in Wyoming, starting new chapters, and recruiting new volunteers and members.

For more information about MDF, or if you want to volunteer or start a chapter in Wyoming contact: Marty Holmes at marty@muledeer.org

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Mule Deer Foundation Appoints Full-Time Wyoming Director to Handle Unprecedented Growth

TRCP Donates $10K to Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Sportsmen’s Access

As part of its efforts to facilitate public opportunities for hunting and angling, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership presented the Wyoming Game & Fish Department a check for $10,000 at the Wyoming Game & Fish Commissioners Meeting last week. The funds will support the state’s Private Lands Public Wildlife Access Program, commonly referred to as the Sportsmen’s Access Program, which enables access by resident and non-resident hunters and anglers to privately owned lands in Wyoming.

The TRCP generated the funds through the sale of Wyoming commissioner licenses, which are awarded by individual Game & Fish Department commissioners to non-governmental organizations for fundraising purposes. The majority of the TRCP-raised funds will help the department maintain existing access areas and negotiate additional lands for the Sportsmen’s Access Program.

“This directly aligns with the TRCP’s mission to ‘guarantee all Americans quality places to hunt and fish,’” said TRCP Western Outreach Director Neil Thagard. “Enabling sportsmen’s access to both public and privately owned lands is one of the TRCP’s primary goals. These funds could open up an additional 40,000 acres for people to hunt and fish in Wyoming.”

The TRCP is utilizing the remaining $8,000 generated by the license sales to complete its statewide Sportsmen Values Mapping Project, which captures input from hunters and anglers to map areas important to sportsmen. Phase I of the project, which began in April 2011, involved approximately 1,000 sportsmen from 20 communities across the state who identified places in Wyoming they want to see conserved. Phase II will include the digitization of this data and TRCP staff sharing the resulting GIS maps with participants.

The Sportsmen Values Mapping Project reflects one of the TRCP’s most outstanding efforts to involve sportsmen in issues that affect them in the Rocky Mountain West. The data collected complements the crucial fish and wildlife habitat data sets already in place by Wyoming Game & Fish and land management agencies. It also shows politicians and decision makers the access opportunities sportsmen value the most.

Thagard stated, “As the name indicates, the Sportsmen Values Mapping Project identifies the areas sportsmen value and that need to be considered as land use planning decisions are made. The project and resulting data will help the Wyoming Game & Fish Department prioritize its negotiations with landowners regarding participation in the Private Lands Public Wildlife Access Program. The TRCP is honored to contribute to this important effort.”

Learn more about the TRCP’s Sportsmen Values Mapping Project.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - TRCP Donates $10K to Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Sportsmen’s Access

Wyoming Waiting on Congress, Fish and Wildlife Service to Allow State-Managed Wolf Hunting

With the successful reemergence and subsequent de-listing of the wolf in numerous states, game and natural resources departments are considering allowing hunting of the once-endangered predator. Wyoming is the latest state considering a wolf hunting season, even though the wolf has not been officially federally de-listed in the state.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission voted on April 25 to allow hunters to harvest up to 52 wolves in the state beginning this fall. But whether this will actually be enforced depends on a decision from U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wyoming Governor Matt Mead has reached several deals about this before, but he hopes that his latest agreement with U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will be approved in time for the fall hunting season.

The state has made little headway in gaining control over managing its own wolf population despite said deals, agreements that were revoked and even lawsuits against the federal government. Since the wolf was reintroduced to Yellowstone in the mid-1990s, some ranchers, farmers and hunters in Wyoming feel that the population has grown unacceptably high.

Wyoming would be required to maintain at least 10 breeding pairs of wolves and at least 100 individual animals outside of Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Indian Reservation under the latest agreement. There are currently about 270 wolves in Wyoming outside of Yellowstone, according to wildlife managers. The hunting season would begin in October and last until 52 wolves were killed or until the end of the year. Some people think the limit of wolves is not enough. Gov. Mead said he has heard criticism that 52 wolves a year is too low, but he holds firm that this is appropriate.

“This was a complex deal that we reached and we don’t want to break the deal,” Mead said in an interview with the Associated Press. “And we don’t want to get down to that bare minimum, where disease, or an accident out on the freeway where five wolves are wiped out, and we go below those minimums.” Mead would also like some degree of Congressional approval of the state’s decision – earlier last year, such protection was given to Montana and Idaho.

Wyoming’s plan would allow trophy hunting for wolves in a flexible zone around Yellowstone, where Gov. Mead said 90 percent of Wyoming’s wolves live. Wolves in the rest of the state could still be shot on sight year-round if they are identified as predators who endanger livestock or humans.

Environmentalist groups will be watching the state of Wyoming with their lawyers standing by. If an agreement with Congress is reached, many argue that environmentalists will not have a legal case against the state.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Wyoming Waiting on Congress, Fish and Wildlife Service to Allow State-Managed Wolf Hunting

Famous Winchester and Savage Firearms Headed to Exhibit at Buffalo Bill Historical Center

The Cody Firearms Museum at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, houses one of the most remarkable collections of firearms in the world. This gallery features more than 6,500 historically significant firearms dating from the mid-1400s through the present day. The extraordinary gun collection is seen by up to a quarter of a million visitors annually.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaWyhBjyyTA

Beginning Sunday, April 29 of this year, and continuing into early 2013, the museum displays selected examples of extraordinary guns from the renowned private collection of Wes Adams of Nevada. An amazing man, the late Wes Adams was born in Vernal, Utah, to a rancher’s daughter and a jack-of-all-trades father. He had a very modest upbringing, but one rich in the culture and spirit of the American West. As a teenager, Adams moved to Las Vegas, where he worked in the construction industry. A brilliant mind, ambitious nature, and relentless pursuit of excellence led him to become one of the most prominent and successful developers in Nevada.

Adams’s deep and passionate interest in firearms enabled him to amass, in only about a decade, one of the finest collections of Winchesters and probably the finest collection of Savage firearms ever assembled. He was incredibly adroit in acquiring rare and premium firearms.

“The guns from the Wes Adams collection are the most remarkable blend of firearms technology and decorative artistry I have ever had the opportunity to see,” says Bruce Eldredge, Executive Director of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. “It is a real privilege to have these firearms on exhibit to be seen by the public.”

Among the guns to be displayed in Cody is a superb gold inlaid Winchester Model 1886 takedown rifle in unfired condition, made for John F. Dodge, co-founder of the Dodge automotive company. The special engraving was executed by Winchester Master Engraver John Ulrich, who used 195 grams of gold in his artistry. The carving and checkering of the stock were done by his equally famous brother, Conrad Ulrich, also a Winchester Master Engraver.

Other guns included in the display are a lavishly embellished Savage Model 1899 rifle, an extremely rare Winchester Presentation Briggs Patent Lever Action Rifle, and a comparably rare Savage Model 1899 Monarch Grade Lever Action Rifle splendidly engraved by Master Engraver Enoch Tue. Altogether, more than 30 examples of the Adams collection appear in this special exhibit.

For more about the upcoming Wes Adams exhibition, please contact Firearms Curator Warren Newman at the Historical Center at 307.578.4092 or warrenn(at)bbhc(dot)org.

Committed to connecting people with the Spirit of the American West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center—located at 720 Sheridan Avenue in Cody, Wyoming—weaves the varied threads of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and Yellowstone natural history—into the rich panorama that is the American West. The Center, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is now operating its spring schedule, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily. Summer hours of 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. begin May 1. For general information, visit http://www.bbhc.org, or call 307.587.4771.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Famous Winchester and Savage Firearms Headed to Exhibit at Buffalo Bill Historical Center

Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to Set Wolf and Sage Grouse Hunting Seasons at April 25-26 Casper Meeting

Setting hunting seasons for wolves and sage grouse for the coming fall will be the focus of the April 25-26 Wyoming Game and Fish Commission meeting in Casper. Seasons and license quotas for all big game species including wild bison will be established. In addition, the commission will set seasons for upland and early migratory birds and small game as well as turkey seasons for the fall 2012 and spring 2013 hunts.

In addition, the commission will hear about the Game and Fish Department’s financial condition and will be asked to vote to approve the proposed Fiscal Year 2013 budget. The commission will also receive an update on the Aquatic Invasive Species program, and presentations on conservation easements in Fremont, Hot Springs, Johnson, Lincoln, and Carbon counties.

The Game and Fish reminds the public that the venue for the meeting has been changed to the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Bldg., 2211 King Blvd. in Casper. The meeting was originally scheduled to be held at the Casper Regional Game and Fish office.

The open meeting session begins at 7:30 a.m. on Apr. 25. Anyone who requires auxiliary aids to attend should contact Sheridan Voycheske at (307) 777-4501. A complete agenda can be found online at: http://wgfd.wyo.gov.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to Set Wolf and Sage Grouse Hunting Seasons at April 25-26 Casper Meeting

Wyoming Upland Enthusiasts Form two Pheasants Forever Chapters

Pheasant hunters and conservationists in Wyoming have formed the state’s two newest Pheasants Forever chapters. The Wedding of the Waters Pheasants Forever chapter and the Central Wyoming Pheasants Forever chapter are committed to creating and improving habitat and giving youth opportunities to experience the outdoors.

“I am very excited to see such a dedicated group of upland enthusiasts who are so willing to dedicate their time and effort to improving Wyoming’s natural resources,” said Bob Hix, Pheasants Forever Regional Representative for Wyoming, “I am very confident that both chapters will do a outstanding job at increasing youth outdoor participation and creating wildlife habitat within their respective communities.”

Central Wyoming Pheasants Forever chapter

“If you don’t have youth to carry on a tradition, you don’t have anything,” says Steve Smith, the chapter’s newly elected president and avid hunter, “We have a lot of people in our community who want to help in our conservation efforts. Our chapter plans on using this positive momentum to give youth a fun and safe way to experience the outdoors. Eventually, we would like to have those youth spearhead the chapter and community’s conservation efforts.”

In addition to a sporting clays youth event this summer, the Central Wyoming Pheasants Forever chapter plans to work with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to improve area habitat. “I still hunt some of the areas that I grew up hunting, including Bighorn Basin, and I think it would be great if my children have the same opportunity when they are my age.”

The Central Wyoming Pheasants Forever chapter will hold its next meeting at the Casper Skeet Club on Monday, April 16^th at 6:00pm. The Central Wyoming Pheasants Forever chapter meeting information can also be found HERE. For more information, please contact Steve Smith at (307) 262-2656 / Email Steve. The chapter is actively pursuing new members and volunteers.

Wedding of the Waters Pheasants Forever chapter

“Increased youth outdoor activity and habitat improvements are the two areas our chapter looks forward to furthering in Wyoming,” says Chris Pebbles, the chapter’s newly elected president, “After working closely with Pheasants Forever throughout the years, I am very familiar with what the organization is capable of and how strong our grassroots efforts can be when a community bands together.” Pebbles noted that he decided to start the Wedding of the Waters Pheasants Forever chapter after various Hot Springs County residents voiced their support for advanced conservation awareness and habitat improvement.

The chapter plans to immediately start working with their community and local gun club to teach youth trap shooting and help motivate youth to spend more time outdoors. As the chapter becomes further established, the members also plan to work with area ranchers, schools and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to implement quality upland habitat measures.

The chapter’s first meeting will be held 7:30pm on Thursday, April 26th at the Thermopolis VFW Hall. The Wedding of the Waters Pheasants Forever chapter meeting information can also be found HERE. For more information, please contact Chris Pebbles at (307) 921-0286 /Email Chris. The chapter welcomes new members and volunteers.

For more information on “The Habitat Organization” in Wyoming, please contact Bob Hix at (303) 588-1542 / Email Bob. For all other inquiries, please contact Rehan Nana, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Public Relations Specialist, at 651-209-4973 / Email Rehan.

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are the nation’s largest nonprofit organizations dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Combined, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 130,000 members and 700 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent, the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Wyoming Upland Enthusiasts Form two Pheasants Forever Chapters

RMEF Allocates $1.2 Million for Habitat Work in Six States

So far in 2012, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has allocated $1,258,888 for habitat stewardship and protection projects in six key elk states. The figure represents a significant increase from 2011. More than 139,000 acres should be conserved for elk and other wildlife in 2012 as a result of these initial allocations. Affected states include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.  RMEF will announce funding allocations for additional states later this year.

The combined allocation for the initial six states is $181,562, or 16 percent, higher than their total from 2011. The increase is based on a strong upward trend in banquet-based memberships and fundraising performance by RMEF chapters and volunteers in the respective states.

“Thanks to RMEF volunteers and supporters and a wave of momentum, our organization is positioned to pump more money than ever into crucial habitat work in six major areas of elk country,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO.

Allocated amounts and acres expected to be conserved in 2012:

• Colorado—$251,451 and 42,030 acres
• Idaho—$82,710 and 31,984 acres
• Montana—$257,011 and 21,658 acres
• Oregon—$165,000 and 11,483 acres
• Washington—$184,460 and 10,454 acres
• Wyoming—$318,256 and 21,555 acres

Combined, 112 different conservation projects will receive RMEF funding.
Projects are selected for RMEF grants using science-based criteria and a committee of RMEF volunteers and staff along with representatives from partnering agencies and universities. Examples of projects include habitat stewardship such as prescribed burning, forest thinning and management, weed control, water improvements and more, mostly on public lands. Also included are research projects to improve management of elk, habitat, predators and other factors that influence conservation.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - RMEF Allocates $1.2 Million for Habitat Work in Six States

3rd Annual Old West Invitational Turkey Shoot Set for May 10-12, 2012

The 3rd Annual Old West Invitational Turkey Shoot will be held May 10-12, 2012, in Hulett, Wyo., to raise funds to conserve state wildlife and improve the community’s educational facilities.

Wyoming Wildlife -The Foundation and the Greater Hulett Community Center are teaming up to host celebrities and special guests for a weekend of turkey hunting. A portion of the proceeds from this event will help fund research, education and habitat projects that benefit the state’s game and nongame species as well as improve Hulett’s community center.

“Wyoming is home to more than 600 different species of wildlife, and it’s the Foundation’s mission to help finance on-the-ground projects that conserve these precious resources,” said Craig Showalter, president and CEO the Wyoming Community Foundation. “To help us meet our fundraising goals, we welcome the support of companies and organizations that share our passion for wildlife conservation and education.”

Wyoming Wildlife – The Foundation funded 17 projects in 2011 including the Fathers in the Field Outdoor Mentoring Program. Through this program, outdoor enthusiasts from local churches were paired with fatherless boys to provide one-on-one training in a variety of outdoor skills and activities. Other Foundation projects included a Wildlife/Livestock Friendly Fencing Initiative and the Nature Mapping Jackson Hole: Citizen Project, where trained citizen scientists observe and record when and where they see wildlife.

Fun and fundraising will go hand in hand at the Old West Invitational Turkey Shoot. Guests will enjoy a first-class event consisting of two days of turkey hunting in northeast Wyoming, home to Devils Tower. Western hospitality will be provided by the Greater Hulett Community Center, a nonprofit organization with a mission to transform the former Hulett School into a community center. Hulett residents will help coordinate guides, lodging, meals and transportation. During the event, local landowners will offer hunting opportunities on private land where only guided hunts are traditionally allowed. Auctions, dinners and a host of other activities are scheduled throughout the weekend.

Find more information about the Old West Invitational Turkey Shoot and Wyoming Wildlife –The Foundation.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - 3rd Annual Old West Invitational Turkey Shoot Set for May 10-12, 2012

Wyoming Native Americans Win Right to Hunt Bald Eagles

A recent ruling by the federal government has granted a Wyoming tribe the right to kill two bald eagles for a religious ceremony. Native Americans are calling this a victory for American Indian sovereignty.

On March 9 the Northern Arapaho Tribe was granted a permit allowing to either kill or capture and release two bald eagles this year.

Conservation groups have questioned why the Arapaho tribal members can’t meet its religious needs without killing wild eagles, citing the tribe’s capacity to raise captive birds, substitute feathers, or use an eagle that died of natural causes in their ceremonies.

According to Harvey Spoonhunter, a tribal elder and former chairman of the Northern Arapaho Business Council, eagle hunting “has been since the beginning of time with us, and we respectfully utilize the eagle in our ceremonies. We get to use the eagle, which we consider a message to the Creator.”

Bald eagles were removed the endangered species list in 2007.

This video provides some background on the decision.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvtZF8vhdhw

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Wyoming Native Americans Win Right to Hunt Bald Eagles

MDF Applauds Gov. Mead for Wyoming Wolf Plan

The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) came out in strong support today of Gov. Matt Mead and the Wyoming Legislature for decisive action Monday regarding Senate File 41, which will allow for state management of the gray wolf population in Wyoming.

There has been a long-fought battle by Wyoming lawmakers to delist the gray wolf, as was accomplished recently in neighboring states, Montana and Idaho. Working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Gov. Mead and the Wyoming Game and Fish Dept. were able to negotiate a compromise plan that involves removing wolves from endangered species status while allowing for protections in core habitat areas such as Yellowstone Park.

MDF President and CEO Miles Moretti said, “We want to congratulate Wyoming on passage of their wolf plan. Gov. Mead showed great leadership in negotiating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Wyoming will now be able to manage wolves in their state. This is a huge step in getting wolves delisted nationwide.”

Monday’s 57-1 vote in the Wyoming House in favor of the plan was a critical step in returning wolf management to the state. The legislation now heads to Gov. Mead for his signature. The bill should be signed and wolves delisted by September.

It is the position of the Mule Deer Foundation that the gray wolf in the northern Rocky Mountains be delisted and managed by state fish and wildlife agencies. MDF believes states can more effectively balance the management of wolves with the management of other resident wildlife such as mule deer.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - MDF Applauds Gov. Mead for Wyoming Wolf Plan

Next Page »