March 2023 - 12

INSPIRE A KID
A place to rest
Wildlife need a safe place to spend their
winter - that's why the Wyoming Game
and Fish Department has 44 places covering
around 450,000 acres that give big game
animals like elk, deer and bighorn sheep
good habitat to rest over the coldest months.
These lands are called wildlife habitat management
areas. Hunters and anglers help
pay for WHMAs by buying hunting and
fishing licenses.
Many WHMAs are closed to humans in
the winter and early spring when wildlife are
working hard to survive and are the most sensitive
to being bothered and stressed. During
the winter, animals use their fat reserves to
survive because there isn't much food to eat.
This means wildlife rest as much as possible
until the late spring when they can begin eating
green plants again. If people are in these
WHMAs, they might accidentally trample
plants that wildlife eat or frighten wildlife
and cause them to use energy running away.
WHMAs help mostly big game, but
other wildlife and native plants benefit,
Sunlight Basin WHMA.
(Photo by Christopher Martin/WGFD)
too. WHMAs also protect streams and rivers
that flow through them, which gives aquatic
wildlife like fish and frogs healthy habitat.
During the summer and fall, WHMAs
provide places for people to fish, hunt, trap,
boat, view wildlife, picnic and hike. Camping
is allowed in some areas, and motor
vehicles are allowed on certain roads. Each
WHMA has signs with specific uses and
rules. You and your family can use these
wonderful outdoor resources, but please give
wintering wildlife a break by respecting the
closure dates and other restrictions.
SCAN THIS QR
CODE FOR MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT
WILDLIFE HABITAT
MANAGEMENT AREAS.
Wyoming Wildlife captures
13 WPA awards
CHEYENNE - Wyoming Wildlife
magazine won 13 awards, including six firstplace
honors, in the 2022 Wyoming Press
Association's Associates Contest. Winners
were announced at the WPA's annual
convention in January in Cheyenne.
FIRST PLACE
Column writing: First-place tie with
Wyoming Wildlife editor Tracie Binkerd and
associate editor Robert Gagliardi.
Op-ed writing: " From the director " pieces
by Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brian
12 | March 2023
Nesvik and former Public Information Officer
Sara DiRienzo.
Photo page-story: " Summer showcase, "
Game and Fish staff.
Feature photo: " Flying fox, " Mark Gocke,
information and education specialist in the
Jackson and Pinedale regions.
News photo: " Pilot Hill WHMA work, "
Breanna Ball, public information officer.
SECOND PLACE
Feature photo: " Go for it, " Chris Martin,
digital content creator.
Photo page-story: " When time stands
still, " Mark and Emmie Gocke
Publication: Wyoming Wildlife May 2022
issue.
Magazine article: " That's not my name, "
Tracie Binkerd, Wyoming Wildlife editor
HONORABLE MENTION
Photo page-story: " That's not my name, "
Patrick Owen, art director and graphic
designer.
Publication: Wyoming Wildlife February
2022 issue.
Magazine article: " Competition in the
desert, " John Kennedy, deputy chief.
https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Get-Involved/Inspire-a-Kid
March 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2023
