June 2022 - 9

NEWS
Left to right: Brian Nesvik, director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department; Sharon Fain, Rocky Mountain Power vice president for Wyoming; Travis Brown, PacifiCorp director of Wind
Compliance and Permitting; and Kenneth Roberts, Wyoming Game and Fish Commission president. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department recently presented Rocky Mountain Power as the 2021
recipient of the Industry Wildlife Stewardship Award. (WGFD photo)
Game and Fish honors Rocky
Mountain Power with stewardship award
CHEYENNE - The Wyoming Game
and Fish Department recently announced
Rocky Mountain Power, a division of
PacifiCorp, as the 2021 recipient of the
Industry Wildlife Stewardship Award. The
award honors companies whose primary
mission is not wildlife-related and make
a positive impact through development/
improvement for the benefit of fish, wildlife
or habitat. Game and Fish Director Brian
Nesvik recognized Rocky Mountain Power
on March 24 during the Wyoming Game
and Fish Commission meeting in Cody.
" It is important to acknowledge industry
partners who strive to be responsible stewards
of our natural resources and Wyoming's
wildlife, " Nesvik said. " Rocky Mountain
Power has been a long-standing partner with
the department and exemplifies the kind of
wins that can be accomplished for wildlife
and habitat when we all work together. "
Rocky Mountain Power provides electric
service to approximately 147,000 customers
in Wyoming and employs more than 1,600
people in the state.
" We're leading on this frontier in
stewardship in Wyoming, and we're not
being forced through regulatory means to do
that, " said Travis Brown, PacifiCorp director
of Wind Compliance and Permitting. " This
is true stewardship that says we understand
operations. "
As a landowner Rocky Mountain Power's
dedication to conservation is robust and
varied. PacifiCorp is enrolled in the Game
and Fish Access Yes program, which
supports public access to hunting and
fishing in locations that are popular among
community members. Rocky Mountain
Power was previously recognized as the 2004
Casper Region Game and Fish Landowner
of the Year for supporting wildlife, habitat
and access to quality hunting and fishing
opportunities at the Dave Johnston Power
Plant east of Glenrock.
Rocky Mountain Power has worked
with Game and Fish on riparian habitat
improvement on its property in Wyoming -
allowing for Russian olive removal, treating
resprouts and planting willows and shrubs.
It voluntarily closed access to its property
for several years to assist the local Weed and
Pest to contain and treat invasive grasses and
reopened access when the issue was resolved.
In addition to their land stewardship,
company representatives work collaboratively
with the Game and Fish Habitat Protection
Program on utility and renewable energy
development-related projects to find
common ground on fish and wildlife
concerns as well as industry practices and
processes. Rocky Mountain Power takes care
to follow important state policies related to
sage grouse conservation, and it is actively
working with land managers to implement
mitigation to offset the unavoidable
impacts that occur with putting power and
transmission lines on the landscape.
The company supports ongoing research
related to the impacts of wind energy on
pronghorn in the Shirley Basin and has
included Game and Fish in key discussions
related to minimizing the impacts of wind
energy on birds.
- Sara DiRienzo, WGFD
Wyoming Wildlife | 9

June 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2022