Below is a news release from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission recently met with two new commissioners assuming their posts. Ashlee Lundvall of Powell and Mark Jolovich of Torrington joined the rule-making body representing Districts 5 and 1, respectively. Pete Dube of Buffalo was elected for the second year in a row as president, and Gay Lynn Byrd of Douglas was voted-in vice president. Commissioners serve one six-year term and elect new officers annually.
A big task for each April Commission meeting is to approve the annual hunting season regulations and quotas. After hearing season presentations and reviewing public comments, the Commission passed the 2021 hunting season regulations and quotas, as proposed. The finalized regulations and quotas will be available on the Wyoming Game and Fish Department website and Hunt Planner by the beginning of May.
Commissioners heard an update about the elk feedgrounds public engagement process. During Phase I of the effort, Game and Fish and federal partners hosted public information sharing sessions to provide an overview of the history, objectives of the elk feeding program and the current state of elk feedgrounds. Following these sessions, the department asked attendees for their input on how they wanted to participate in Phase II, which will span over the next year. Informed by that input, the department intends to continue public education efforts, offering learning opportunities on best-available science of feedgrounds management. Game and Fish intends to invite all interested stakeholders to help draft the Elk Feedgrounds Management Plan, and the public will have ongoing opportunities to comment.
Game and Fish provided an informational presentation on the monitoring and management of large carnivores in Wyoming. Notably, population modeling methodologies for grizzly bears were evaluated and will be updated for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem based on the best-available science. The change results in a more accurate representation of the population and better assesses true mortality.
Go here to read about other action items from the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission.
(Photo source: Wyoming Game and Fish Department)