Project Description
Project Completion Report
Tom Thorne/ Beth Williams WHMA Wildlife Friendly Fence Conversion
Wy-Wild Sheep Foundation Grant for $10,000
[WGFD Grant Agreement No. RO1358]
[Performance Period 6/22/23-6/22/25]
Project Manager: John Henningsen, Habitat and Access Specialist
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
1212 South Adams Street
Laramie, WY 82070
(307) 721-7939
Project Location: Tom Thorne/Beth Williams Wildlife Habitat Management Area; BLM Rawlins Field Office; Wyoming State Trust Land; Private Land. The Thorne/Williams Wildlife Habitat Management Area (WHMA) is 2,961 acres, primarily Wyoming Game & Fish Commission-deeded land along with special use leases on Office of State Lands and Investments and Bureau of Land Management lands managed by the Wyoming Game & Fish Department. (Thus, fence conversions took place on State (WGFD and OSLI), BLM, and private land (boundary fence that is WGFD responsibility but is located on the neighboring private property due to the landscape).
County: Albany
Latitude-Longitude: (map point carried out to six decimals points located along the fence line)
41.780150 / -105.357140
Introduction/Background: (explanation of problem/challenge that creates the need for this project, include items that may add interest to a story about the area/work performed)
The Thorne/Williams WHMA is rough terrain comprised of sagebrush shrublands and prairie grasslands. The entire WHMA is within designated mule deer crucial range and is almost entirely designated bighorn sheep crucial range. The area is important as winter range for elk, mule deer, and bighorn sheep. Most of the existing boundary fence had been 48” woven wire plus 3-4 strands of barbed wire, making for an especially impermeable 60” high barrier. At the outset of this project, we aimed to convert about 7 miles of boundary fence to a wildlife friendly standard. Those would be the last 7 miles of impermeable 5-foot high fencing on and around the Thorne/Williams WHMA. There are about 10.5 miles of fence around the entire boundary of the WHMA. A few miles of fence conversions have already occurred over the preceding decade, but the 2023-2025 effort would be the most ambitious in terms of scope and difficulty of terrain.
Project Accomplishments/Work Summary: (describe details about your approach and methods; include what, where, how, when, why)
We calculated materials costs, estimated contractor costs, and sought funding sources beginning in January 2023. We began acquired new fencing materials shortly thereafter.
Cash contributors included RMEF, Muley Fanatics Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, Wyoming Big Game License Coalition, Wyoming Wildlife Natural Resource Trust, and Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation. We also received about 1 mile of fence materials in-kind from the BLM (Thorne/Williams WHMA is partially composed of BLM-owned parcels).
Aside from planning, WGFD staff were working on this fence conversion project already in 2023. This included many days in the field removing abandoned barbed wire and acquiring and mobilizing new fence materials. In August of 2023 we removed 1 mile of fence using about twenty (20) volunteers- organized through Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation. That portion of fence was later re-built as wildlife friendly by our contractor. In September 2023, another ½ mile of unnecessary internal fencing was removed (and not replaced) with 14 volunteers from the Wildlife Fellowship Program- a collaboration among The Wildlife Society’s Wyoming Chapter, University of Wyoming, and WGFD.
Concomitant with our fence conversion work, the WGFD Survey Crew located boundary monuments around Thorne/Williams WHMA. This required WGFD staff time in both 2023 and 2024. Many original boundary monuments had been displaced during past fence construction, or moved by past landowners- necessitating extensive resurveying for accurate placement references in legal documents.
We chose a fencing contractor through a competitive bid process. That contract with Monument Land Services, LLC was established during fall of 2023. They commenced work in April of 2024. In 2024 we removed and re-built 2.63 miles; the final 3.62 miles were done in 2025.
The rugged terrain and difficult access made every portion of this fence a challenging endeavor. We were able to use a skidsteer and wire winder for less than 1 mile of fence because of the difficulty in getting a full-size skidsteer close to the fence. Thus, almost all of the old fence was rolled up by hand and carried out to a limited number of access locations that could then be reached by UTV or pickup. In a very limited number of spots the contractor was able to use a compact track loader with an auger for digging new post holes.
We were able to save some costs by re-using some of the existing line posts- pressure treated wood posts. All braces were built new, and many additional braces were added. Newly constructed fence is four strands: bottom strand of smooth wire at 18” off the ground, then three strands of barbed, with the top strand at 40” high. Four wire gates were added to the north boundary that can be left open when cattle are not present. In two sections of about 100 yards each we used adjustable fence clips so that the top wire can be lowered and bottom strand raised when cattle aren’t present.
We were fortunate to be treated to unseasonably warm (albeit windy) weather in November-December of 2025. The lack of snow allowed WGFD staff and the fencing contractor to complete construction on the new fence just before the calendar turned to 2026.
Field Start Date: 07/15/2023
Field Completion Date: 12/31/2025
2024
| Project Type/Method of Treatment | Fence Miles |
| Fence removed (fence removed and not replaced) | 0.5 |
| Fence modified (existing fence that was not removed but was modified to be wildlife friendly) | |
| Fence installed (replacement of existing and/or new fence) | 2.63 |
| Total Miles of Fence (without duplicating miles that received more than one treatment method during grant performance period) |
2025
| Project Type/Method of Treatment | Fence Miles |
| Fence removed (fence removed and not replaced) | 0.5 |
| Fence modified (existing fence that was not removed but was modified to be wildlife friendly) | |
| Fence installed (replacement of existing and/or new fence) | 3.62 |
| Total Miles of Fence (without duplicating miles that received more than one treatment method during grant performance period) |
Land ownership for fence location: (USFS, BLM, State, Local Govt, Private, etc.)
| Landowner | Miles of Fence |
| State (WGFD and OSLI) | 4.0 |
| BLM | 1.71 |
| Private (adjacent neighbor) | 0.54 |
| Total Miles of Fence | 6.25 |
Project Expenditures/Funding: (list each partner separately; partner name, partner contributions and what each partner’s funds were used for, if in-kind, assign a monetary value, dollars reported should be actual vs. proposed and should relate directly to the work reported accomplished, list all partners, both cash and in-kind and note as such)
| Partner | Contribution Amount | In-kind Y/N | Budget Item
(what were funds used for/or goods & services provided if in-kind)
|
| RMEF | $5,000.00 | N | Fence Materials |
| Wyoming Game and Fish Department | $67,869.10 | Y | Personnel, vehicles, equipment |
| BLM Rawlins Field Office | $6,400.00 | Y | Direct contribution of fence materials |
| Wyoming Governor’s Big Game License Coalition | $19,195.42 | N | $13,398.70 for contracted labor; $5,796.72 for fence materials |
| Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust | $54,455.30 | N | $50,455.30 for contracted labor; $4,000.00 for fence materials |
| Mule Deer Foundation | $5,000.00 | N | Fence Materials |
| Muley Fanatic Foundation | $4,000.00 | N | Fence Materials |
| Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation | $9,999.01 | N | Fence Materials |
| Total Project Cost | $171,919.80 |
Who completed the work: (agency staff, contractors, volunteers, other; describe): WGFD staff, contractors, various volunteers- all detailed above.
Other wildlife that will benefit from this project: (check all that apply)
| Bighorn Sheep | ☒ |
| Black Bear | ☒ |
| Black-tailed Deer | ☐ |
| Moose | ☐ |
| Mule Deer | ☒ |
| Other Grouse | ☒ |
| Other Upland Game Birds | ☐ |
| Pronghorn Antelope | ☒ |
| Sage Grouse | ☐ |
| White-tailed Deer | ☒ |
| Wild Turkey | ☒ |
| Species of Conservation Concern | ☐ |
Describe benefits to other wildlife/vegetation, include species of concern and endemic species: Wildlife friendly fence allows ungulates and all other wildlife to jump over and crawl under, reducing harm to wildlife while also reducing fence maintenance costs.
Describe non-wildlife specific benefits: (hunting, recreation, municipal water supply, etc.)
Trail cameras placed to observe wildlife interactions with the existing fence (60” high) made it evident that hunters will also appreciate easier fence crossings. A popular route for deer and elk hunters is to hike beginning at Johnson Reservoir and head northeast to adjacent BLM parcels. Most of the fence we converted during this project is remote- not visible to the public unless they hike a fair distance in rough terrain. Before fence conversion, hunters (same as deer, elk, pronghorn, and bighorn sheep) would aim for a hole in the fence- obviously a place where many animals over the decades had desperately squeezed through.
Media Coverage: (attach copies or provide links) None as of yet.
Moving Forward: (monitoring in place and ongoing/future work planned). We trust, and will not attempt to quantify, that conversion to wildlife-friendly fences will enhance landscape permeability and decrease fence-related ungulate mortality. Every spring WGFD staff will examine all the boundary fences around Thorne/Williams WHMA and conduct any necessary repairs, while also closing gates and re-setting adjustable spans in preparation for the presence of livestock. Every fall after livestock have been taken off the unit and/or neighboring properties we will open all possible gates and lower/raise the adjustable spans.