Wildlife biologist leaves Game and Fish in protest

Senior wildlife biologist Tony Mong left the Wyoming Game and Fish Department without much fanfare.

Mong had been one of the most recognizable faces of the department in the Cody region. He worked directly with the public and had the trust of many outdoor enthusiasts and professionals. That’s not an easy thing to do with the diversity of opinions and passion for wildlife within the region. Often passion ran over, yet Mong maintained his composure and proved his value to outdoors enthusiasts through his transparency and obvious respect for wildlife and their habitat.

He has a way of serving concerning news, but always with a side of silver lining. His calm demeanor and confidence in his process made it easy to come to an understanding, even in disagreements. But now his dream job is over.

“It’s a weird deal not to put on the red shirt,” Mong said. “But I’m very confident I’ll be able to continue to fight for wildlife like I did as an employee of the Game of Fish, just in a different capacity.”

Without notification on his status, many have been surprised by his decision. Mong was someone you could count on to be straight forward and, as always, helpful.

“Tony’s great. I’m sorry to see him move out of his Game and Fish role. He’s been a hell of a biologist, and he was a boots-on-the-ground biologist. It wasn’t biology from a desk,” said former Park County Commissioner Lee Livingston, who is also one of the area’s top outfitters.

One of Mong’s most important traits was keeping his word, Livingston said.

“That’s one thing that I appreciated most,” he said. “For years, any time Game and Fish cut seasons, we hardly ever saw them come back, and Tony told us when he wanted to cut some deer seasons, if things got better the department would put those dates back.”

Things did get better — not great, but better, he said — thanks in part to Mong’s work in Cody.

“Then, he followed through on his promise,” Livingston said.

Growing frustrations

Mong felt it was time to search for a new opportunity after seeing changes in the department that left him frustrated. He understood there were political pressures on leadership, but Mong is the kind of guy who has a hard time compromising on his mission.

The final straw was the Wyoming State Shooting Complex, being built on what Mong called “critical habitat” for mule deer and other wildlife. He felt it was his job to protect habitat for the species — especially after spending nearly the past decade working day and night to bring mulies back from a dark place in the Cody Region.

“There were a lot of sleepless nights,” Mong said. “It was just another indication that maybe I had a different idea of what our mission was than those that were leading me.”

It angered Mong. Yet he saw it as a beginning of a death by a thousand cuts. Despite a 16-year tenure, he found it difficult to align with, what he called, the agency’s new approach.

Though he gave up his “dream job,” he never stopped believing in the importance of the work done by the department and hopes to have a strong relationship with them in the future.

Mong was born in south-central Missouri. He grew up hunting, fishing and foraging — like most kids born in the rural Ozarks region. It was a place where panfish and wild game were more than occasionally on the dinner table. Mong received a baseball scholarship to play at a small college. Playing America’s game was also a dream for him, but his arm went south along with his dreams of the big leagues and he transferred that passion to his career.

When he got the offer to work for Game and Fish in Baggs, Wyoming, he said he found a challenge that both afforded him a chance to make a good living to support his family and make a real difference in an exciting ecosystem. Moving to the Cody area after about seven years in Baggs was like icing on the cake.

“It has been a dream job. I mean, the 16 years have been phenomenal. Just you know, all the things that I’ve been able to do,” he said. “It just became more difficult to do the things I thought were of importance to protect wildlife.”

He stood by his guns about the importance of the habitat being displaced by the shooting complex, despite his leadership’s public approval of the site. Mong was very vocal, but in the end he was unable to sway the Legislature and his bosses to find a new space for the facility.

“I think it’s pretty evident there was a discrepancy in how we proceeded with that particular project. Now, is that particular project going to be the end all, be all? You know, kill every mule deer? No, but it is another cut to that population that I believe makes it more difficult for them to continue to thrive and grow in this area,” Mong said.

Game and Fish Director Angi Bruce told the board that the agency was “100%” behind the project.

“We all know that there’s been some miscommunication, or maybe some department staff sending a different message, and I just want to apologize for that,” Bruce told the Wyoming State Shooting Complex board a year ago. “Definitely, like I said, we’re 100% supportive, and I want to show that in any way, shape or form that we can and that you feel would be helpful.”

Bruce said the project plays right into the department’s efforts to recruit and retain new hunters — extremely important in keeping a firm grip on the Cowboy State’s outdoors heritage. And the shooting complex joint powers board has made a number of decisions, especially regarding the timing of various construction projects, to try and lessen the impacts to species during key times of the year.

Yet, to Mong, sometimes you need to make hard decisions to protect habitat and wildlife. Mong was unyielding in his commitment.

When he retired early from the department — leaving a large portion of his pension on his way out the door — Bruce offered kind words.

“Tony is a prime example of a Game and Fish employee; he is passionate, dedicated, and has an incredible ability to use words to build understanding and interest in wildlife management with everyone he interacts with. Tony will be missed, and we wish him the best in his new adventures,” she told the Tribune last week.

The kind words could go a long way in fostering a good working relationship with the department into the future. And, for Mong’s part, he is already taking time to help his replacement, former Cody Region wildlife biologist Austin Wieseler, who he fully supports.

A new future

Mong’s qualifications made it easy to find a new job allowing him to continue to fight for habitat and wildlife. Mong joined LegacyWorks Group as its East Yellowstone Initiative team regional project director on July 7. LegacyWorks Group works in the spaces between other organizations, inviting diverse groups to the table to address complex challenges.

“Through collaborative work in the East Yellowstone region, we work alongside many partners to support the working lands that provide habitat and connectivity for the migrating wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Region,” the organization heralds.

The organization is excited to land a talent like Mong.

“With 16 stellar years as District Wildlife Biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, he is looking to make a significant impact in a different role. Tony’s passion for the wildlife and people of the Absaroka Front extends to his understanding of the larger challenges of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. He is well positioned to step into this new role and flourish: He knows the country, the landowners, the partners, the researchers, the issues, the data and many of the funders that make this work possible,” the organization said in a press release announcing Mong’s new position.

The release celebrated Mong, saying when Tony hasn’t been collaborating with an array of stakeholders in the Cody area, he has traveled hundreds of miles in the backcountry following collared wildlife, investigating wildlife mortalities, talking with hunters and outfitters, learning about the challenges migrating wildlife face, checking camera traps, and spending time with the landowners who provide habitat for our migrating wildlife.

Mong took the job knowing the importance of leadership roles in making sure habitat and wildlife are protected at a time when the future of wild and public lands are uncertain.

“I believe our ability to conserve wildlife and wild places depends in part on our ability to tell the stories of those landscapes and the animals that depend on them.” Mong said. “I feel a responsibility to share these stories in ways that spark curiosity, inspire wonder, and ultimately motivate people to care for these landscapes and the wildlife that depend on them.”