September 2021 - 36

CWD citizen working group, formed in 2018,
met multiple times and held several public
meetings around the state to educate attendees
about the disease and solicit comments. The
group's work helped the department craft the
CWD Management Plan that was approved
by the Commission in 2020 and will guide
the department's management efforts in coming
years.
Another new opportunity is the recently
created Wyoming Wildlife Taskforce. The
18-member group of citizens and elected
representatives, met for the first time in
June 2021, and for the next 18 months will
research, accept public comments and draft
recommendations to provide to the Wyoming
Legislature on several complex, high-priority
wildlife topics.
" The Wildlife Taskforce is a huge thing, "
said current Commission President and taskforce
member Pete Dube. " I think it's going to
be great and hopefully generate a wide variety
of interests in the state and have discussion
over some real difficult subjects - allocation
of licenses among nonresidents and residents,
along with preference points. "
Former Wyoming Game and Fish Commissioner David Rael of Cowley listens during a Commission meeting in Cheyenne in
January 2020. (Photo by Justin Joiner/WGFD)
The development of regulations and hunting
seasons that ensure protection of wildlife
populations still require annual revisions.
Mitigating the sometimes conflicting needs
of humans and wildlife requires near constant
effort and compromise.
But novel issues continually surface. Invasive
plants such as cheatgrass and ventenata
can now devastate native-range diversity and
health in a few short years. The potential for
the establishment of aquatic invasive species
such as zebra and quagga mussels in a Wyoming
water is an ever-increasing threat that
could have permanent repercussions for not
only wildlife, but the agriculture industry and
municipalities.
New diseases such as chronic wasting disease
in cervids and whirling disease in fish
have appeared in recent decades. Habitat loss
and alteration has accelerated.
With these challenges comes opportunity
for creative thinking and continued input
from Wyoming residents. A 31-member
36 | September 2021
One hundred years ago it was recognized
that the citizens of Wyoming were key to
conserving the state's wildlife and rebuilding
populations that had been depleted in the
late 1800s and early 1900s. Since then hundreds
of residents have volunteered to work
on behalf of wildlife through service on the
Commission - making sometimes difficult
decisions that impact people and wildlife,
weathering public and media scrutiny and
spending time away from family, jobs and
personal pursuits. Though he could not have
known the shape it would eventually take,
Nowlin knew citizen involvement like this
would be vital to the long-term protection
and management of Wyoming's wildlife.
" Without the cooperation of the citizens
of this state the protection of our wild game
would ultimately prove a failure, " wrote
Nowlin in his 1921-22 biennial report. " I
believe that the people have just begun to
realize the importance of our wild game and
fish, and it is high time that our game and fish
should be recognized, as it is one of the greatest
assets we have in the State of Wyoming. "
- Christina Schmidt is the education and information
specialist in the Sheridan region, and is a regular
contributor to Wyoming Wildlife magazine.

September 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2021