NERDY WORDS > Invasive species: non-native, plants or animals that enter ecosystems and spread, causing damage to native species and their habitats
Wyoming receives funding to thin invasive species
Not all NWTF members' sweat equity takes place outdoors aiding various habitat improvement projects. Any NWTF member who has donated time (and sweat) to an NWTF chapter's annual Hunting Heritage Banquet knows the payoff — money to fund on-the-ground work and programs.
In Wyoming, the Thunder Basin National Grasslands and Yellowtail Wildlife Management Area boast improved wildlife habitat because of NWTF funding. NWTF has supported projects to improve habitat and eradicate invasive species.
Thunder Basin
Thunder Basin National Grasslands in eastern Wyoming sits in the Powder River Basin between the Big Horn Mountains and the Black Hills. Last year, work under the NWTF's Northern Plains Riparian Restoration Initiative (NPRRI) focused on controlling Russian olive and saltcedar in watersheds along the Cheyenne River and its tributaries downstream. The NWTF partnered with the Thunder Basin Grazing Association, Thunder Basin Grasslands Prairie Ecosystem Association, the USDA Forest Service, and Converse County Weed & Pest to treat 63 acres directly — with trees ranging from a foot to 10 feet tall — and to spot-check more than 1,500 acres of riparian areas for invasive species, encompassing 73 miles of stream along with Lake Creek, Coal Bank Creek and other ephemeral (short-lived) draw bottoms.
Turkeys aren't the only game in town on this massive 572,000-acre area. Antelope, mule deer and sage grouse also live here. Prairie dog hunting is allowed in some areas of Thunder Basin National Grassland, and you can contact the Douglas Ranger District or the Douglas Area Chamber of Commerce for a list of private landowners who allow prairie dog hunting on their properties.
Douglas, located in the "county that loves company," has been rated as One of the Best Small Towns in America. You may even want to bring home a souvenir to show your pals — your very own jackalope license or your photo taken at Jackalope Square, home of the largest jackalope statue in the world.
Yellowtail Wildlife Management Area
"We know Russian olive will probably never be completely controlled. We're just trying to restore some diversity to the riparian systems," said Tom Easterly, wildlife biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. "We have planted willow, cottonwood and buffaloberry to help restore native species and restore some of the habitat values once provided by Russian olive." The project also works to eradicate saltcedar in Big Horn County.
Nine wildlife organizations contribute to a Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) for the Yellowtail Unit.
"A CRM, in Wyoming, is a group of stakeholders organized to deal with a specific resource concern," said NWTF Biologist Jared W. McJunkin. "In this case, it is a group comprised of local landowners, the local conservation district, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, Wyoming Game and Fish and others, coordinating with one another to control invasive species in the area. It is a very effective strategy and ensures consensus amongst the stakeholders regarding management actions."
Most recently, the National Park Service used a Fecon Bulldog mulching attachment on 18 acres of Russian olive and saltcedar on the Shoshone River Riparian. Overall, they have treated 366 acres in the past two years.
Hunters can take advantage of these newly opened areas in the spring at Yellowtail WMA, which is part of the larger management area No. 6. Yellowtail is located about 5 miles east of Lovell in north-central Wyoming. More than 35 miles of roads, along with trails, and at least 160 species of birds offer opportunities to enjoy nature there in the spring. Camping is permitted in most areas.
Drive Hwy. 37 in the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area and get ready to see roan, black, sorrel, blue, tan, mouse buckskin and grullas — a variety of colorings of this breed of horses that have roamed the Pryor Mountains since the days of Spanish conquistadors in the early 1500s. — Barbara Baird