News – Sheridan Media
Users of the Bighorn Mountains will see considerable improvements to wildlife habitats as the Wyoming Game and Fish Department conducts multiple projects in cooperation with the Bighorn National Forest. The projects will be visible to forest users in coming weeks.
According to Game and Fish, the majority of the projects involve cutting encroaching coniferous (evergreen) trees to enhance riparian areas and associated wet meadows that provide high quality forage for moose and other ungulates. Other projects involve cutting conifers to enhance growth of aspen tree communities.
As the projects are completed, the cut trees are left on the ground as physical barriers to wildlife and livestock to reduce browsing pressure on new growth of willows, aspen, and other desirable vegetation.
Conifers are being removed from a total of 1,000 acres across more than two dozen sites in the northern Bighorns, Game and Fish reports.
The most visible projects are taking place on various forks of Little and Big Goose creeks, along Big Goose Road from Rapid Creek to Ranger Creek and along Highway 14 from Burgess Junction to Owen Creek. Other work is taking place in more remote areas such as Big Willow Creek, Bear Gulch and others.
Funding for these projects is provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service and the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Fund.
According to a news release from the Game and Fish Department, the projects will likely be completed at the end of July.
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Last modified: July 23, 2025