Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 17

was placed in a conservation easement with
The Nature Conservancy. The 8,400-acre easement was the largest in Wyoming at the time.
The land provides seasonal and year-round
habitat for a broad range of wildlife. The ranch
partnered with Game and Fish to implement
habitat projects including thinning of juniper
where it was encroaching in riparian areas
and sagebrush stands, improvements of mesic
areas through brush mowing and nonherbicide
cheatgrass control projects. The ranch also has
installed miles of wildlife-friendly fencing, and
much of the property is enrolled in the Game
and Fish's Access Yes program.

Three generations of the White family pose for a photo on
their ranch near Ranchester. A multitude of game and nongame
species inhabit the ranch. (Photo courtesy of the White family)

White Ranch
Bill and Beth White
More than 6,700 acres in Sheridan County
Located along the Tongue River and
foothills of the Bighorn Mountains near
Ranchester, White Ranch consists of riparian
lowlands along the river, irrigated farm ground
and rolling grasslands to cedar-covered breaks.
A variety of game and nongame species including mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn,
sage grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, wild turkey,
pheasants, wood ducks, osprey and golden
eagles can be found on the ranch.
The ranch has been enrolled in the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's Access
Yes program since 2018, which has allowed
access to 70 acres of the ranch and increased
access to 2,900 acres of state trust land. The
ranch participated in the Dry Fork Riparian
Enhancement Project, which incorporated
riparian and upland management. About
580 acres of riparian habitat and 7.4 miles
of stream were fenced. An additional 4,200
acres of upland habitat has been placed in an
intensive livestock grazing system. The family
has partnered with other local groups to help
with water quality, wind breaks and control
of invasive grasses.

Carl and Kim Asbell
460 acres in Fremont County
This property is within the Popo Agie
Crucial Wildlife Habitat Area and provides
high-value ungulate habitat, including summer range for mule deer and winter range
for mule deer, elk and pronghorn. It also has
key habitat for upland bird species such as
chukar and Hungarian partridge.
In 2018 the Asbells donated a conservation easement to the Wyoming Game
and Fish Department, and they recently
approached the department about a potential donation of an additional easement. The
Asbells conduct fundraising work for local
wildlife organizations, and their financial
support to the Water for Wildlife Foundation has funded internship positions with
the Game and Fish since 2015. Carl is the
president of the Water for Wildlife Foundation in Lander.
John and Nancy Joyce
1,500 acres in Big Horn County
The Joyces manage their property, located
east of Manderson and on the Nowood River,
with the help of their sons. The Nowood
River runs through the property for 7 miles
and supports cold and warm-water fish. The
family also grazes sheep and grows crops.
The Joyces provide walk-in access to the
public for 3.3 miles of fishing and 371 acres
for hunters pursuing deer and pronghorn. The
family worked with the Wyoming Game and
Fish Department to construct improvements
on Harmony Ditch, which is off the Nowood
River and where the Joyces got water for their
crops and livestock. It was estimated that
more than 55,000 fish were in the ditch and
lost from the river. Work was completed in
2014 that improved fish passage and sediment transport, reduced fish entrainment
and annual maintenance and stabilized about
1,200 feet of stream bank.
High Lonesome Ranch/Finley Cottonwood
Limited Partnership
Jim and Charlotte Finley
More than 12,000 acres in Sublette County
The ranch features valuable sagebrush
steppe, aspen hills, alluvial streams and
willow-dominated riparian habitat. Moose,
mule deer, pronghorn and sage grouse
are just a few of the animals found at the

		

High Lonesome Ranch. The ranch provides
important migratory and stopover habitat for
terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. Many of the
streams on the property support abundant
populations of Colorado River cutthroat
trout.
The Finleys have made a big effort in the
conservation of Colorado River cutthroat
trout with projects such as adapting livestock
grazing strategies to improve riparian habitat,
improvements of irrigation structures,
reduction of entrainment of migratory
cutthroat and improved water management
practices to maintain adequate seasonal
stream flows. The Finleys have worked with
the Hunting with Heroes program to allow
disabled veterans opportunities to hunt on
the ranch. They also have worked with a
local group called Fishing for the Fight for
exclusive fishing access to South Cottonwood
Creek to raise money for people in need of
critical health care.
Double Four Ranch
Wayne Larson and Brandon Munn
More than 45,000 acres in Albany County
Owned and operated by True Ranches,
the Double Four's headquarters lies within
the North Laramie River Canyon. The ranch
has played a part in wildlife conservation
since 1957. It provides year-round habitat
for mule deer, pronghorn, elk, bighorn sheep,
mountain lions, black bears, wild turkeys and
a host of nongame species. Ranch managers
have cooperated with the Wyoming Game
and Fish Department to develop a grazing
plan to incorporate herbicide treatment of
invasive cheatgrass.
The ranch has been instrumental in helping bighorn sheep hunters secure access to
Pine and Split Rock mountains. Since 2015,
the ranch has enrolled 9,140 acres of access
for antlerless elk harvest in Hunt Area 7.
The involvement in cooperative agreements
enhances access to the Laramie Peak Wildlife Habitat Management Area, Menter
Knob Hunter Management Area and difficult-to-reach state and federal lands. True
Ranches has assisted Game and Fish fisheries
biologists to monitor and assess water quality
conditions after a 2017 wildfire to determine
suitably for restocking of fish. They also have
helped in the efforts to recover the hornyhead chub by allowing Game and Fish to
transplant this native fish from the Laramie
River to the North Laramie River.
Wyoming Wildlife | 17
Wyoming Wildlife magazine

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