Generous contributions help to fund 23 miles of wildlife-friendly fencing in the Red Desert

Twenty-three miles of wildlife-friendly fencing have been completed in the Red Desert Fence Initiative area near Tipton, thanks to generous contributions from the Knobloch Foundation and the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust. The work was carried out by NL Land and Livestock LLC and supported by collaborative research from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Hall Sawyer of Western Ecosystems Technology, Inc.

“Within a year of completing the Red Desert pronghorn study, a key fence was replaced, allowing pronghorn access to more than 10,000 acres of critical winter range,” said Nicole Korfanta, Executive Director of the Knobloch Family Foundation. “It’s thanks to the passion of our partners and a committed landowner that we achieved this lightning-fast conservation success.”

The project replaced woven wire fencing with wildlife-friendly 4-strand barbed/barbless wire. This change enables pronghorn to access more than 15,000 acres of crucial winter range previously blocked by fencing — an essential adaptation in years of severe winter conditions.

“This is a game changer for southern Wyoming,” said Bob Budd, Executive Director of the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust. “We appreciate the leverage created by our partners to make critical projects like this a reality.”

Research by Hall Sawyer highlighted the significant barriers to migration posed by non-wildlife-friendly fencing. This project reflects a growing effort to work with private landowners to improve habitat connectivity and support pronghorn survival.

Thanks to the generous backing of Wind River Brewery in Pinedale and support from WYldlife For Tomorrow, this project was successfully executed, but more work remains. Continued efforts to convert outdated fencing will be essential to ensure long-term habitat access for migrating wildlife.

Additional support came from the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission Trust, Wyoming Governor’s Big Game License Coalition, Muley Fanatic Foundation, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partner’s Program, The WYldlife Fund and the Little Snake River Conservation District.