After years of deliberation, decades of research and thousands of hours of effort by scores of Wyomingites, we are at the culmination of a 25-year-long effort to conserve one of the most iconic wildlife migrations in our country. On Friday, Gov. Mark Gordon formally provided state protections for the Sublette Pronghorn Herd’s migration corridor, which encompasses the world-renowned Path of the Pronghorn.
Opinion
We are blessed in Wyoming to still have healthy big game populations throughout the state. Migration corridors allow elk, deer, moose, bighorn sheep and pronghorn the ability to move between their seasonal habitats to access better food. Better food equals fatter animals, the ability to survive harsh winters and more babies. Corridors that allow for animal passage and good food along the way are essential for maintaining abundant populations for our kids and grandkids to enjoy and celebrate for years to come.
The Sublette Pronghorn Herd is the largest in our country, thanks to its ability to still migrate. Animals travel distances over 150 miles from their winter ranges in southwest Wyoming to their summer ranges north, extending into Grand Teton National Park. As our human population and footprint continue to expand, we need to be thoughtful of where and how we develop. That’s why Gov. Gordon developed an executive order in 2020 to enable the state to recognize and protect the most important migration habitats while still allowing for limited development and respecting private property rights.
The state’s process to conserve the Sublette pronghorn migration kicked off in 2024 when the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission voted in favor of protecting the entire corridor. Hundreds of Wyoming citizens spoke with a unified voice supporting this decision. A governor-appointed working group was then tasked with evaluating the corridor, except for two segments east of Farson. Again, the public came out in support, and just a few weeks ago, the group wrapped up, concluding that the segments of the corridor they reviewed warrant state protections.
While this has been a long process, it isn’t the end of the road. Active management and implementation of habitat improvement projects must continue. Game and Fish, the working group and engaged citizens have identified numerous current and future threats to the corridor. These include invasive plants and animals, unnecessary fences and poorly sited development, among many others. Additionally, the governor’s order is limited to public and state lands — not private lands. That means counties need to ensure their land use plans account for the protection of this incredible corridor.
Nevertheless, this is a good first step in ensuring this herd has the ability to migrate into the future as it’s done for generations.
Pronghorn are one of the many things that make Wyoming special. The freedom of pronghorn to roam is interwoven with our freedom to hunt and enjoy a way of life that is the envy of the rest of the country.
We thank Gov. Gordon for taking action to formally protect the incredible migration corridor of the Sublette Pronghorn Herd.
Congratulations WY!!!
Just read about the Sublette migration route protection. Commendable.
We live in MN but often vacation and travel in our favorite western states – WY & MT. Just signed up for your newsletter. Love pronghorns.
I have never hunted big game in Wyoming; don’t plan to; and I am in general agreement with the protection of migration corridors. There probably are some semi-valid downside arguments and I think your article should mention a few of them and why they were not found to not have important significance.
I don’t even even live in this State. But I am still so Very Proud of your Governor for taken this action. If others would do the thing like this that need to be done. Instead of dragging things out so that it falls on someone else is supposed to do it.
Happy to see that there have been provisions made to help the animals!!! All totalled, there have been WAY too many road kills. Anything that is done to decrease that number is awesome!!! Thank you!!!
I believe all life on this earth matters PLEASE do not take land away and let the animals disapper. SAVE OUR WILDLIFE FAMILY
Better late than never. They should have made Haliburton pay for the crossing a long time ago when the oil boom put a lot of stress on these animals.
Great what the people of the Greatest state has done,been through Wyoming some Cheyenne Casper Rock Springs and Cody into Yellowstone, as many area to many people is lost of habitat for the animals, I see it here in my home state of Wv
Thank you for caring for the animals! I’m from Washington Pa. and the deer around here, are pretty abundant, it’s sad to see a lot of deer laying dead near our roads. Especially the lil fawns!
I don’t know if someone living in another state may comment, but I applaud what is being done here to protect wildlife. Living on Long Island New York gives me the perspective of what overdevelopment and poor planning leads to. Building and more building and developing has led to the disappearance of farmland and woods, for what purpose, so we have another strip mall with the same stores that you could visit a few miles away? Or dense housing with more people and cars polluting and less of the beauty that made Long Island a wonderful place to live before? One sad example is how we watch families of Canadian geese trying to cross busy roads when the babies are too young to fly, some people not even caring enough to stop/yield and instead just drive through them. Recently a driver plowed down both parents leaving a dozen orphaned babies milling around. How callous can some people be? I think it shows great foresight to protect what your state has before it is gone and it is too late. Animals can go from being plentiful to endangered species if we do not take care. An ounce of prevention is worth many pounds of cure. Thank you for caring enough to put this into action!
Good day sir, How can a person from out of state obtain a hunt of pronghorn in your state of Wyoming and when is the hunting season
A Louisiana hunter
I love the beautiful wildlife. Thank you for caring about them! It’s so beautiful!
YES!!! Thanks, Gov.
This is such a thoughtful article about the problem, the solution, and the impact of the solution. I’ve loved seeing pronghorn in the region and happy to see they will thrive in the future.
My wife and I just traveled from Va. To visit the West. Her Grandfather was from Green River WY.. We visited him in 2001 and we drove to Rock springs to eat at Sands.He commented were did all to antelope go.. Well we saw some on the way.. He then said.There use to be Thousands of them.. He got so he could not live by himself and ask me if he could come and live his last year’s with my family here in Va. So we came and got him.. He stayed with us for about a year and a half then passed away.He wanted his Ashes to go to the Teton. And we took him there. His Name was Edward Tomsyck. From Green River.. He lived on 2nd Street near 1st. Well we did visit the Old Pink apartments 3 week ago.. And we did stay in Pine Dale. And we did see the Wildlife Crossing.. We traveled threw Flaming gorge. And You the Governor is right like Grandaddy..Were are all the antelope..
Thanks, Gov.
Thanks for the encouraging words. These migration actions can’t help but make people more aware of the challenges faced by wild things throughout Wyoming. Conservation organizations as well as individuals can make a difference working to improve habitats and living conditions for many species, particularly iconic ones like pronghorn and sage grouse.