September 2023 - 15

Wyoming Wildlife and
Natural Resource Trust
The Wyoming Wildlife and Natural
Resource Trust is a major funding partner
for many Game and Fish projects. WWNRT
accepts applications for funding requests covering
a variety of projects, and they have provided
funds for many of the Game and Fish's
mule deer projects.
Twice each year, WWNRT accepts grant
applications. This provides twice as many
opportunities to apply compared to many
other granting agencies and gives applicants
flexibility to apply when they are ready. With
a nine-member board, the WWNRT reviews
each application and ranks them based on a
variety of criteria. The board stays engaged
throughout the process. Board members visit
project locations to see where the work will
be done, what needs they can anticipate and
to see work in progress.
Since 2005, WWNRT has helped put
around $120 million on the ground for
conservation in Wyoming. With matching
dollars, the total value is more than $800
million toward conservation efforts across
more than 1,200 projects. Out of that, most
projects benefit mule deer in some way, and
about one-quarter of the projects were directly
designed to benefit mule deer.
" There's a mule deer in our logo, and
we picked it for a reason, " said Bob Budd,
WWNRT executive director. " It shows
how important mule deer are to us. They
are iconic to the state and one of the species
that defines us. "
Mule deer projects funded by WWNRT
include habitat improvement work like sagebrush,
bitterbrush and mahogany restorations
and juniper thinning. They have provided
millions of dollars in funding for habitat
improvement, highway crossings, fence modifications,
research and other conservation
efforts in the state.
Muley Fanatic Foundation
The Muley Fanatic Foundation works to
ensure the conservation of mule deer and
their habitat. They raise funds for their mission
in a variety of ways across 17 chapters in
seven states. As chapters earn funds for mule
deer conservation, they keep 70 percent for
projects in their local communities. The other
30 percent goes to headquarters, located in
Green River, to fund projects that benefit
mule deer but are not regionally specific to
any one chapter.
" Having funds used in local communities
means people who attend our events can see
that money spent on projects in their own
backyard, " said Josh Coursey, president/CEO
of the Muley Fanatic Foundation. " That's been
really successful because people can monitor
their own efforts and monetary pledges right
where they live. "
The Muley Fanatic Foundation has helped
fund some of the largest projects in the state.
Wildlife crossings, like overpasses and underpasses,
are costly and require a lot of funding.
" Wildlife crossing projects are expensive, "
Coursey said. " But once they are complete they
make an immediate impact on connectivity. "
The organization also has contributed funds
to habitat improvement projects, cheatgrass
spraying, research projects and conversions to
wildlife-friendly fencing. In March, it partnered
with Game and Fish to host Mule Deer
Days in Rock Springs. It was a unique event
open to the public which focused entirely on
mule deer, and funds raised were donated to
mule deer-based projects throughout the state.
" Our aspirations are to help put the right
tools in the toolbox, " Coursey added. " We
want to put the best information forward so
wildlife managers can have the best information
to make their management decisions. "
Mule Deer Foundation
The Mule Deer Foundation is a conservation
group dedicated to the conservation of
mule deer, black-tailed deer and their habitat.
They work closely with state and federal agencies
along with private landowners to benefit
mule deer in Wyoming.
" We can help bridge a gap in funding, staffing
and relationships between federal, state
and private partners, " said Steve Belinda, chief
conservation officer at MDF. " We can be a
liaison to various projects and raise funds to
get the money on the ground for mule deer. "
So far in 2023, the Mule Deer Foundation
has approved more than $315,000 for projects
in Wyoming. Most of the projects they fund
are for habitat improvement and to enhance
seasonal and transitional habitats for mule
deer. Belinda said Wyoming is a leader in
mule deer migration research and protecting
migrations across the state.
" Let's face it, we wouldn't have a migration
initiative nationally if it weren't for what came
out of Wyoming, " he said.
Some habitat projects MDF has helped
fund include reducing annual invasive grasses,
conifer treatments and riparian restoration.
MDF also has contributed funding for GPS
collars, research and wildlife-friendly fencing.
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming has been
instrumental in mule deer research across the
state. UW is conducting several mule deer
research projects, all in close collaboration
with Game and Fish.
UW currently has three programs conducting
a wealth of research on mule deer
including the Monteith Shop, Kauffman Lab
and the Merkle Lab. Research topics vary
greatly and include migration, population
dynamics, nutrition and disease, aspects of
what deer need to survive or successfully
reproduce, how deer learn behavior, interactions
with other animals, evaluation of
habitat treatment success and more. Much of
the mule deer research involves GPS collars,
and a lot of information can come from this
one tool.
" We use GPS collars to learn a lot more
than just where deer go, " said Kevin Monteith,
a professor and Wyoming Excellence
Chair at UW's Haub School of Environment
and Natural Resources and the head of the
school's Monteith Shop. " We use data from
collars to link to other processes for a more
complete picture of what an animal experiences
and how it responds to its environment,
to how their world affects their ability
to grow, gain fat, survive and reproduce. "
Collaboration with researchers means
wildlife managers can make management
decisions based on sound science.
" These kinds of collaborations mean that
we as researchers can contribute to the sharing
of information that helps the public,
stakeholders and wildlife. Ideally this means
we can all find common ground on what
we've come to learn about our wildlife and
leverage that information to navigate sometimes
difficult decisions for the good of our
natural resources, " Monteith said.
Wyoming Wildlife | 15
https://wwnrt.wyo.gov/ https://www.uwyo.edu/index.html https://muledeer.org/mule-deer-black-tailed-facts-biology/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw3JanBhCPARIsAJpXTx4jtAf8PGS5M8sQZi0W8QxznAdKGDO_zr1YUbFSY1rTKabg4nftU7IaAqOrEALw_wcB https://www.muleyfanatic.org/
September 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2023
