This issue of our magazine takes on the emerging field of road ecology to learn how roads interact with the landscapes they cross. We explore new ideas for mitigating roads’ ecological damage while making them safer for drivers and wildlife. Articles cover such topics as road noise, protecting dragonflies from vehicle mortalities, new materials for wildlife highway crossing structures, and how to address the Interstate 80 barrier to migrating big game in Wyoming. View >

AUTHORS: Kristen Pope, Morgan Heim, Birch Malotky, Rhiannon Jakopak, Amber Furness, Gregory Nickerson, Kylie Mohr, Claire Giordano, Aubin Douglas, Tessa Wittman, Nathan C. Martin, Meghan Kent, Manasseh Franklin, and Corinna Riginos

DATE: 2021

KEYWORDS: Roads, highways, crossing structures, wildlife, ecology, science, noise, infrastructure, development, building, design, roadkill, amphibian, dragonfly, engineer, interstate, management, recreation

Wyoming’s surface water quality standards (SWQS), Chapter 1 of the Water Quality Rules, include designated uses, water quality criteria and antidegradation provisions to ensure that the state’s streams, lakes, and wetlands support their appropriate uses. The federal Clean Water Act directs states to review their SWQS at least once every three years, known as a triennial review. The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality decided to pursue a collaborative public process that utilized a group of representative stakeholders to provide input, perspectives, and suggestions to inform WDEQ’s triennial review of the SWQS. This collaborative process report provides a summary of the situation assessment’s outcomes, a description of the collaborative learning process, and the outcomes of those deliberations. View >

AUTHORS: Dr. Jessica Western

DATE: September 2021

KEYWORDS: Collaboration, water quality, surface water, standards, review, Wyoming

This report provides an overview and summary of the Conservation Conversations webinar series that took place from July through October 2020 hosted by the Ruckelshaus Institute in partnership with a coalition of eight university centers throughout the western United States. The series explored conservation challenges of the future and identified specific policies, programs, and strategies to help secure the long-term health of the nation's natural resources, wildlife, and landscapes. View >

DATE: January 2021

KEYWORDS: Conservation, conversations, webinar, challenges, economy, environment, biodiversity, rural, tribes, public lands, wildfire, management, migration, climate, justice, equity, Indigenous, recreation, parks 

This report summarizes results from a two-phase study by the University of Wyoming's School of Energy Resources and Ruckelshaus Institute that explores Wyoming residents' values, beliefs, and perceptions regarding the future of the state's energy economy. The purpose of the study was to examine Wyoming citizens' acceptance and approval of different energy future scenarios to provide a better understanding of what Wyoming residents envision for the future. View >

AUTHORS: Jessica Western and Selena Gerace

DATE: November 2020

KEYWORDS: Energy, energy development, Wyoming, future, oil, coal, natural gas, renewable energy, nuclear, social license, energy future, Q-study, survey, SER

In late 2018, the Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming entered an agreement with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to facilitate a collaborative public process to explore management options and seek consensus regarding strategies to reduce the prevalence of Chronic Wasting Disease in Wyoming’s ungulate populations. This report describes the structure and outcomes of that process. View >

AUTHORS: Jessica Western

DATE: July 2020

KEYWORDS: Collaborative solutions, collaboration, wildlife, disease, management, process, public, solutions, recommendations, ungulates

Rural voters in the American West have a strong commitment to environmental protections and conservation. This finding holds true even when protections may negatively impact economic growth, although voters expressed serious reservations about governmental oversight. This study analyzed data collected through a poll of over 1,800 voters nationwide as well as findings from focus groups with voters in eight Western states. Researchers compared the attitudes of rural and urban voters to understand differences and common ground in environmental policy preferences.  View >

AUTHORS: Robert Bonnie, executive in residence in the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University; Drew Bennett, MacMillan Professor of Practice in the UW Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources; Emily Pechar Diamond, assistant professor of communication studies at the University of Rhode Island; Elizabeth Rowe, Master of Environmental Management degree candidate in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University

DATE: July 2020

KEYWORDS: Conservation, environment, rural, West, poll, focus groups, voters, federal land, private land, open space, policy, government, protection, rural/urban divide, economy

In May 2019, the University of Wyoming’s Haub School and Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources and College of Law, along with Texas A&M University’s Natural Resources Institute and School of Law, convened a workshop that brought together 22 federal ESA and state wildlife conservation experts to reimagine the state-federal relationship and discuss opportunities for states to engage more meaningfully in species conservation efforts. This remarkable conversation resulted in a series of agreements in principle that state and federal agencies can collaboratively take to improve species conservation on the ground. View the report or the workshop website >

AUTHORS: Temple Stoellinger, Michael Brennan, Sara Brodnax, Ya-Wei Li, Murray Feldman, and Bob Budd

DATE: 2020

KEYWORDS: Endangered Species Act, endangered species, threatened species, state, federal, agency, conservation, recovery, wildlife, policy, collaboration

Summary of agreements in principle from the May 2019 workshop that brought together 22 federal ESA and state wildlife conservation experts to reimagine the state-federal relationship and discuss opportunities for states to engage more meaningfully in species conservation efforts. Also includes next steps highlighting agreements in principle of interest to particular stakeholder groups. View >

AUTHORS: Emilene Ostlind, Temple Stoellinger, and Sara Brodnax

DATE: 2020

KEYWORDS: Endangered Species Act, endangered species, threatened species, state, federal, agency, conservation, recovery, wildlife, policy, collaboration

Tens of thousands of invasive species—from cheatgrass, blights, and tamarisk to hogs, fire ants, and boa constrictors—damage natural ecosystems, agricultural systems, human-built infrastructure, and even public health throughout the United States, costing billions of dollars each year. In the American West, invasive species present some of the biggest and most complex environment and natural resources challenges we face today. Addressing them requires not only huge investments of money and human capacity but also creative thinking and innovative approaches. View >

AUTHORS: Bonnie Heidel, Sarah Jane Keller, Tessa Wittman, Sara Teter, Emilene Ostlind, Aubin Douglas, Kristen Pope, Ben Johnson, Maria Anderson, Sally Leaf, Emily Reed, Melinda Harm Benson, and Governor Mark Gordon

DATE: 2020

KEYWORDS: Western Confluence magazine, invasive species, native species, conservation, wildlife, vegetation, weeds, agriculture, management, science, water, aquatic, exotic species, cheatgrass, mussels, bees, mountain goats, big horn sheep, fish, pets, strategy

This summary provides results from a survey conducted by researchers at the University of Wyoming’s Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources and School of Energy Resources of Wyoming residents’ values and beliefs related to the state's energy future. Part of a two-phased social science study of values and beliefs regarding the future of energy production and development among Wyoming residents, future analyses will explore the relationship between demographic data and the values and beliefs measured in the survey. The second phase of this study slated for summer 2020 will consist of interviews with individuals involved in and/or who are negatively or positively affected by energy production in Wyoming to explore the reasons for these survey results. A full report is expected fall 2020. View >

AUTHORS: Jessica Western and Selena Gerace

DATE: 2020

KEYWORDS: SER, Wyoming, energy, future, coal, mining, oil, gas, wind, solar

The Ruckelshaus Institute in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation, the Western Landowners Alliance, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and The Pew Charitable Trusts convened workshops in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada to bring stakeholders together to discuss big game migration corridor management. The purpose of the workshops was to open a dialogue around management and conservation of wildlife migration corridors, find common ground on potential actions, and identify fruitful next steps for managing and conserving wildlife migration corridors in the West. View >

AUTHORS: L. Steven Smutko and Nicole M. Gautier

DATE: 2020

KEYWORDS: Collaboration, wildlife, migration, big game, agriculture, ranch, private land, conservation

Researchers at the Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources interviewed landowners and agency personnel with a stake in migration corridor conservation to capture local attitudes and opinions towards big game migration corridor management and conservation. View >

AUTHORS: Drew Bennett and Nicole Gautier

DATE: 2019

KEYWORDS: Whitney MacMillan Private Lands Stewardship Program, wildlife, migration, big game, agriculture, ranch, private land, conservation

In this study, the authors explore a proposal to collect a “conservation fee” from visitors to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks by assessing different options such a fee, examining the legal hurdles to these options, and analyzing their various revenue generating capacities. View >

AUTHORS: Arthur Middleton, Temple Stoellinger, Bryan Leonard, Harshad Karandikar, Holly Doremus, Claire Kremen; brief by Emilene Ostlind, Temple Stoellinger, and Arthur Middleton

DATE: 2020

KEYWORDS: Research brief, wildlife, tourism, economics, law, conservation, policy

The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies funded the Ruckelshaus Institute at the University of Wyoming to conduct research on the social science research needs and priorities to help natural resource managers integrate social and ecological perspectives into more comprehensive sagebrush management strategies. View >

AUTHORS: Jessica Western, Drew Bennett, Claire Barnwell, Kit Freedman, Steve Smutko, and Tessa Wittman

DATE: September 2019

KEYWORDS: Social science, ecosystem, management, sagebrush, wildlife, conservation, public lands, reso

Hunting can reduce mountain sheep horn size by removing older animals from a population and skewing the herd toward younger animals with smaller horns or by removing animals with genetic material for large horns from the herd. Researchers at the Haub School examined tens of thousands of harvest records of bighorn sheep from the western US and Canada to determine whether hunting pressure was causing genetic change in bighorn sheep herds. View >

AUTHORS: Tayler LaSharr, Ryan Long, James Heffelfinger, Vernon Bleich, Paul Krausman, Terry Bowyer, Justin Shannon, Robert Klaver, Clay Brewer, Mike Cox, Andrew Holland, Anne Hubbs, Jonathan Muir, Bruce Sterling, Kevin Monteith; brief by Rhiannon Jakopak and Tayler LaSharr

DATE: 2019

KEYWORDS: Research brief, wildlife, conservation, management, hunting

This study used camera traps to collect visitor use data near the summit of Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, to determine if counts from near the trailhead could accurately estimate use at the summit and to provide a framework for using data from a lower elevation, easily accessible area to estimate visitor use in remote, high-elevation locations. View >

AUTHORS: Dave Pettebone, Ashley D’Antonio, Abigail Sisneros-Kidd, and Christopher Monz; brief by Abigail Sisneros-Kidd and Emilene Ostlind

DATE: 2019

KEYWORDS: Research brief, outdoor recreation, tourism, alpine, management, trail use, visitors

A report on public opinion involving conservation: Nine out of ten Wyoming voters said conservation issues involving public lands, waters, and wildlife are as important, if not more important, than other issues related to the economy, health care, and education, when deciding whether to support an elected official. View >

AUTHORS: Kit Freedman

DATE: 2019

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, agriculture, sustainability, public opinion, voting, conservation, public lands, water, wildlife

An online focus group of 20 Wyoming residents and a statewide poll of 400 Wyoming registered voters surveyed public attitudes on wildlife and issues related to wildlife migration corridors. Results showed support for a range of policies to conserve big game migration corridors, but the intensity of support declined for policies perceived to negatively impact the state’s economy. View >

AUTHORS: Nicole M. Gautier, Drew E. Bennett, and Robert Bonnie

DATE: 2019

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, wildlife, open spaces, conservation, migration

The Ruckelshaus Institute and the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database wrote a Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. The NRCA assesses current conditions for important natural resources, identifies data gaps, and describes factors influencing park resource conditions. View >

AUTHORS: Reilly Dibner, Nicole Korfanta, and Gary Beauvais

DATE: 2018

CATEGORIES: Natural Resource Conservation Assessment, Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, conservation, assessment, NRCA

Issue 08, 2018
Return of the Grizzly: No longer federally protected, is the great bear ready to strike out on its own? By Manasseh Franklin
Collaborate or Litigate: Local collaboration faces off against outsider litigation in the long, slow process to help a threatened species By Courtney Carlson
Endlings By Alec Osthoff View >

AUTHORS: Manasseh Franklin, Courtney Carlson, Alec Osthoff, and others; edited by Emilene Ostlind and Nicole Korfanta

DATE: 2018

KEYWORDS: Western Confluence, , collaboration, conservation, endangered species, threatened species

The Ruckelshaus Institute and the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database wrote a Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Badlands National Park. The NRCA assesses current conditions for important natural resources, identifies data gaps, and describes factors influencing park resource conditions. View >

AUTHORS: Reilly Dibner, Nicole Korfanta, and Gary Beauvais

DATE: 2018

CATEGORIES: Natural Resource Conservation Assessment, Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Badlands National Park, conservation, assessment, NRCA

The Ruckelshaus Institute and the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database wrote a Natural Resource Condition Assessment for the Fort Laramie National Historic Site. The NRCA assesses current conditions for important natural resources, identifies data gaps, and describes factors influencing park resource conditions. View >

AUTHORS: Reilly Dibner, Nicole Korfanta, and Gary Beauvais

DATE: 2018

CATEGORIES: Natural Resource Conservation Assessment, Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Fort Laramie National Historic Site, conservation, assessment, NRCA

Issue 09, 2018
Why We Have Federal Lands: The citizens and leaders behind our public land heritage By Chris Madson
Banking on Trails: Laramie could be the next western town to cash in on public lands recreation By Kit Freedman
Rebel Yell: Why the Sagebrush Rebellion didn't end with Malheur By McGreggor Cawley
View >

AUTHORS: Chris Madson, Kit Freedman, McGreggor Cawley, and others; edited by Emilene Ostlind and Nicole Korfanta

DATE: 2018

KEYWORDS: Western Confluence, public lands, sagebrush, Laramie, Wyoming, recreation, outdoor recreation

A report on the population growth in Wyoming from 2010-2015. View >

AUTHORS: David T. Taylor and Nicole Korfanta

DATE: 2018

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, population

The Ruckelshaus Institute and the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database wrote a Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Scotts Bluff National Monument. The NRCA assesses current conditions for important natural resources, identifies data gaps, and describes factors influencing park resource conditions. View >

AUTHORS: Reilly Dibner, Nicole Korfanta, and Gary Beauvais

DATE: 2018

KEYWORDS: Natural Resource Conservation Assessment, Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Scotts Bluff National Monument, conservation, assessment, NRCA

This publication provides a basic background of the legal foundation upon which planning is built in Wyoming. It is the third in a series of articles on land use and community planning in Wyoming. View >

AUTHORS: William J. Gribb and Jeffrey D. Hamerlinck

DATE: 2018

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, planning, land planning, community planning, Wyoming

This study assesses familiarity with seven private land conservation strategies to identify knowledge gaps and provide expert opinion on how well these tools work. View >

AUTHORS: Drew Bennett, Liba Pejchar, Beth Romero, Richard Knight, Joel Berger; brief by Sara Teter

DATE: 2018

KEYWORDS: Research brief, conservation, private lands

This research brief summarizes a legal analysis exploring the legislative history of the Endangered Species Act and making an argument for strengthening the role of states in conserving listed species. View >

AUTHORS: Temple Stoellinger; brief by Emilene Ostlind and Temple Stoellinger

DATE: 2018

KEYWORDS: Research brief, environmental law, endangered species, sage grouse, conservation, policy, threatened species

This report takes inventory of the types of resources, ecosystem services, and public benefits protected from development by conservation easements in Wyoming. View >

AUTHORS: Nicole Korfanta, Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources; Benjamin Rashford, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming; Amy Pocewicz, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Eric Schacht and Bo Alley, Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust; and James Luchsinger, The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming

DATE: 2018

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, public opinion, voting, conservation, agriculture, ecosystem services, private lands

Researchers used telemetry data from 184 deer across a 17-year period to determine whether deer habituated to energy development and if their response varied with winter severity. They found that mule deer did not habituate to gas development, and the population declined by 36 percent despite aggressive on-site mitigation efforts and a 45 percent reduction in deer harvest. View >

AUTHORS: Hall Sawyer, Nicole Korfanta, Ryan Nielson, Kevin Monteith, Dale Strickland; brief by Kit Freedman

DATE: 2017

KEYWORDS: Research brief, wildlife, energy development, conservation, mule deer, natural gas, habitat

In the fall of 2016, Friend of Fish Creek asked the University of Wyoming Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources to prepare a memorandum detailing the legal and regulatory background of water quality law in Wyoming. This document includes a background section on water quality law at the federal, state, and local levels, and delves into legal questions surrounding regulation of water contamination in the Fish Creek watershed. View >

AUTHORS: Micah Christensen, University of Wyoming College of Law Student; Conner Nicklas, University of Wyoming College of Law Student; and Temple Stoellinger, Assistant Professor Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources

DATE: 2017

KEYWORDS: Water, law, regulation, community, pollution, contamination, quality, legal analysis, Fish Creek, Wyoming, septic

Issue 07, 2017
Carbon Capture: Wyoming Could Lead the World to a Clean Energy Future By Emilene Ostlind
Turbines on the Horizon: How the Western Grid Could Unlock Wyoming's Wind Energy By Nicole Korfanta
The Next Frontier: Net-Zero Energy Homes in Wyoming By Kit Freedman
View >

AUTHORS: Emilene Ostlind, Nicole Korfanta, Kit Freedman, and others; edited by Emilene Ostlind and Nicole Korfanta

DATE: 2017

KEYWORDS: Western Confluence, energy, renewable energy, wind, wind turbines, Wyoming, power, solar, carbon

The goal of this document is to provide an overview of the origins, purpose, process, and benefits of local government land-use planning in Wyoming to empower citizens to become part of the process in their local communities. View >

AUTHORS: William J. Gribb and Jeffrey D. Hamerlinck

DATE: 2016

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, planning, land planning, community planning, local governance

Issue 05, 2016
Can a Tourist-Driven Economy Fill the Gap as Energy Revenue Falters? By Samuel Western
National Parks Respond to Climate Change By Kristen Pope
The Booming Business of Antler Hunting on Private Lands By Nicole Korfanta
View >

AUTHORS: Samuel Western, Kristen Pope, Nicole Korfanta and others; edited by Emilene Ostlind and Nicole Korfanta

DATE: 2016

KEYWORDS: Western Confluence, tourism, economics, outdoor recreation, wildlife, winter, camping, national park, horses

Issue 06, 2016
How Ranchers Make Ends Meet in the Twenty-First Century By Geoff O'Gara
Carnivores, Not Condos: Ranches Provide Key Wildlife Passages Between Two Protected Ecosystems By Sarah Jane Keller
Conservation Easements: An Open Spaces Protection Tool Worth Reforming By Emilene Ostlind
View >

AUTHORS: Geoff O'Gara, Sarah Jane Keller, Emilene Ostlind, and others; edited by Emilene Ostlind and Nicole Korfanta

DATE: 2016

KEYWORDS: Western Confluence, private lands, conservation, cowboy, ranch, flood irrigation, trespass, drought, tribe

Governor Matt Mead created the Task Force on Forests in 2013 to study the benefits forests provide, and analyze and consider new response strategies and recommendations for both active and passive management. The Forest Task Force reached consensus on 12 major recommendations comprising 53 sub-recommendations, for the Governor’s consideration. View >

AUTHORS: Jessica Clement, Anna Cleveland, and Steve Smutko

DATE: 2015

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, government, governor, forests, forest task force

In 2008 the U.S. Forest Service updated its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures to permit a more iterative approach that facilitates collaborative public engagement. This workshop brought together experienced NEPA practitioners to discuss integrating iNEPA into agency practice. The document outlines iNEPA, its legal foundations, collaborative approaches to the process, and opportunities and challenges related to iNEPA. View >

AUTHORS: Jessica M. Clement, Kit S. Freedman, David Loomis, Joe Carbone, et al.

DATE: 2015

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, NEPA, iNEPA, USFS, US Forest Service, National Environmental Policy Act, land use, management

To help the road planning process for the Pole Mountain Unit, five short videos show Forest Service staff members describing how the road system on the Laramie Ranger District of the Medicine Bow National Forest interacts with the surrounding ecosystem and the types of public input they were looking for. View >

AUTHORS: Kit Freedman and Emilene Ostlind

DATE: 2015

KEYWORDS: Video series, pole mountain, forest service, ecosystem, Medicine Bow, national forest, Laramie ranger district, travel management, road, camping

This bulletin examines how different patterns of housing development in the WUI influence firefighting costs in the Rocky Mountain West and explores ways local governments could increase firefighting efficiency through strategic land use planning. View >

Video >

AUTHORS: Anna M. Scofield, Benjamin S. Rashford, Donald M. McLeod, Roger H. Coupal, Scott N. Lieske, and Shannon E. Albeke

DATE: 2015

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, planning, land planning, community, Rocky Mountains, west, fire, firefighting, development, house, home

The Medicine Bow Conservation District contracted the Ruckelshaus Institute to produce a poster and brochure to raise awareness and help landowners and conservation groups create inexpensive fence markers to reduce sage grouse mortality. View >

DATE: 2015

KEYWORDS: Poster, sage grouse, wildlife, fence, private land, conservation

The objective of this bulletin is to demonstrate how residential development potential of private agricultural land can be used to better target conservation easements to achieve the maximum benefit for wildlife given limited conservation dollars. View >

Video >

AUTHORS: Benjamin S. Rashford, Abigail M. Scott, Matthew Hayes, and Hall Sawyer

DATE: 2015

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, land planning, community planning, wildlife, conservation, agriculture, private land

Issue 03, 2015
One Irrigator's Waste is Another's Supply By Ariana Brocious
Supercomputer-Powered Model Improves Water Planning By Stephanie Paige Ogburn
Aquifer Recharge: Underground Storage Helps Sustain Water Supplies By Emilene Ostlind
View >

AUTHORS: Ariana Brocious, Stephanie Paige Ogburn, Emilene Ostlind, and others; edited by Emilene Ostlind

DATE: 2015

KEYWORDS: Western Confluence, water, aquifer, irrigation, flood, modeling, return flow, beaver, snow, diversion, conservation, sagebrush

Issue 04, 2015
Two Migrations: The Splash of One Fish Ripples Through an Ecosystem By Charlie Reinertsen
The Feedgrounds Conundrum: Brucellosis Spreads By Emilene Ostlind
Bird v. Bird: Sage Grouse and Their Avian Predators By Sarah Gilman
View >

AUTHORS: Charlie Reinertsen, Emilene Ostlind, Sarah Gilman, and others; edited by Emilene Ostlind

DATE: 2015

KEYWORDS: Western Confluence, wildlife, habitat, disease, ecosystem, sagebrush, sage grouse, conservation, trout, elk, grizzly, migration, wind energy, birds, ants, energy

Issue 02, 2014
Beetle-Kill Fuels Bioenergy By Kelly Hatton
The Economics of Protecting Homes in the Wildland-Urban Interface By Samuel Western
If Beetle-Killed Trees Aren't Using Water, Where Is It Going? By Liz Nysson
View >

AUTHORS: Kelly Hatton, Samuel Western, Liz Nysson, and others; edited by Emilene Ostlind

DATE: 2014

KEYWORDS: Western Confluence, bark beetle, beetle kill, trees, water, research, forests, Rocky Mountains, energy

The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests contracted the Ruckelshaus Institute to produce public outreach materials that would help forest visitors understand the bark beetle outbreak. In partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, we produced ten short films exploring how the bark beetle outbreak affects fire, water, recreation, and other aspects of the forest. View >

AUTHORS: Morgan Heim, Emilene Ostlind, and Aaron Voos

DATE: 2014

KEYWORDS: Video series, bark beetle, national forest, Medicine Bow National Forest, Routt National Forest, U.S. Forest Service, Wyoming, Colorado, trees, fire, wildlife, water, hunting, timber, resources

A report on public opinion involving conservation: Statewide poll results reflected Wyomingites’ views that the current and future condition of the state and its resources remains positive. Overall, voters displayed a strong interest in conservation and were in favor of dedicating additional state funds to protect land, air, water, wildlife habitat, and ranchlands in Wyoming. View >

AUTHORS: Kit Freedman and Nicole Korfanta

DATE: 2014

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, public opinion, voting, conservation, public lands, water, wildlife, ranching, agriculture, sustainability

Issue 01, 2014
Greater Sage Grouse: The Bird that Brought the West Together By Mike Brennan
Cattle as Ecosystem Engineers By Justin Derner, Emily Kachergis, and David Augustine
Conservation Grazing: Ranchers Lead the Way By Emilene Ostlind
View >

AUTHORS: Mike Brennan, Justin Derner, Emily Kachergis, David Augustine, Emilene Ostlind, and others; edited by Emilene Ostlind

DATE: 2014

KEYWORDS: Western Confluence, conservation, Wyoming, ecosystem, sage grouse, weset, grazing, ranching

This bibliography, created in partnership with the Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest, highlights resources on bark beetle ecology and biology, ecological impacts and responses, management approaches and implications, and social and economic impacts and considerations of the bark beetle epidemics in the western United States and Canada. View >

AUTHORS: Gregory S. Pappas

DATE: 2013

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, forests, biology, ecology, bark beetle, land use, management

This publication contextualizes payment for ecosystem service markets and explains mitigation banking, conservation banking, and habitat exchanges and how these markets might work in Wyoming. View >

AUTHORS: Kristi Hansen, Anne Jakle, and Mary Hogarty

DATE: 2013

KEYWORDS: Energy Mitigation Initiative, conservation, ecosystem services, economics, habitat, wildlife, energy development

Summaries of expert presentations from the public forum that took place in Casper, Wyoming, in April 2013. An overview of why we need conservation finance, the basic tools and structures of conservation financing, and some of the emerging approaches to leverage private and public funds for conservation. View >

AUTHORS: Anne Jakle

DATE: 2013

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, land use, management, conservation, conservation finance

This publication provides an introduction to Wyoming’s land resources and the concept of land use, including land ownership patterns, land-use activities and functions, and the drivers behind recent land-use patterns and development trends. View >

AUTHORS: Jeffrey D. Hamerlinck, Scott N. Lieske, and William J. Gribb

DATE: 2013

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, planning, land planning, community planning, Wyoming, land-use, natural resources

This primer lays an informational foundation and understanding of terminology for mitigation stakeholders. It outlines the mitigation process (avoidance, minimization, and compensation) and sets the stage for wildlife mitigation triggers and guidelines surrounding natural gas development in Wyoming. View >

AUTHORS: Anne Jakle

DATE: 2012

KEYWORDS: Energy Mitigation Initiative, natural gas, wildlife, wildlife mitigation, conservation, energy

A report on the population growth in Wyoming from 2000-2010. View >

AUTHORS: David T. Taylor, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, and Shawn G. Lanning, Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center, University of Wyoming

DATE: 2012

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, population, growth, rural, urban

With an abundance of outdoor amenities, Wyoming is a popular place to have a temporary residence for seasonal recreation or other occasional use. Growth in the number of these “second homes” plays an important role in driving residential development in Wyoming. This is a report on second home growth in Wyoming from 2000-2010. View >

Supplemental table >

AUTHORS: David T. Taylor, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, and Shawn G. Lanning, Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center, University of Wyoming

DATE: 2012

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, population, population growth, second home, vacation home, recreation, rural, urban, development

This publication draws from scientific, working, and statutory knowledge to provide a survey of current wildlife mitigation practices for wind energy projects—both in Wyoming and outside the state. It also explores what might be next for wildlife mitigation and wind as development moves increasingly to federal lands. View >

AUTHORS: Anne Jakle

DATE: 2012

KEYWORDS: Energy Mitigation Initiative, development, wind energy, science, Wyoming, wildlife, conservation, electricity, renewable energy

This guide for landowners seeking information on commercial wind energy development outlines the process of wind energy development for landowners, highlights key issues they may face throughout the wind energy development process and describes the growing practice of landowner wind energy associations and the changing legislative landscape in the state. View >

AUTHORS: A. Jakle, M. Geiger, C. McDonough, and J. Lovato

DATE: 2011

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, energy, wind energy, wind development, wind, private land, ranch

While the mission of the WWNRT is to enhance and conserve wildlife habitat, it has also positively impacted the Wyoming economy. We conducted the analyses reported in this publication to better understand how projects funded by the WWNRT have contributed to our state’s economy. View >

AUTHORS: David T. Taylor, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming; Jill Lovato, Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming; Jessica Sargent-Michaud, The Trust for Public Land; Daniel Stevens, The Trust for Public Land

DATE: 2011

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, planning, wildlife, economy, conservation, habitat

Summary of a forum designed to answer the following key questions: 1) What is hydraulic fracturing? 2) Why and where is it used in Wyoming oil and gas development? and 3) What are the potential environmental impacts associated with its use? View >

DATE: 2011

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, energy, fracturing, hydraulic fracturing, oil, gas

A comprehensive resource guide for exploring land conservation options with private landowners, communities, land trusts and local planners, the toolkit provides information to help land managers engage effectively and collaboratively in ways that support the ecological sustainability and integrity of adjacent federal and state lands. View >

Private Lands Conservation Toolkit website >

AUTHORS: U.S. Forest Service and the Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming

DATE: 2011

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, land use, management, conservation, sustainability, private lands

In our Bark Beetle Management Workshop, we brought scientists and forest managers together — along with a variety of other interested stakeholders — to explore management options, share ideas, and define a vision for the future of the West’s forests. Our proceedings report the key management and research ideas. View >

AUTHORS: Anne Jakle, Sara Brown, Dan Tinker, Jill Lovato, and Nick Dobric

DATE: 2010

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, land use, management, conservation, sustainability, bark beetle, forest, tree, water, wildlife

A compressed folder containing several files including a fact sheet, concept paper, list of advisory teams, research priorities and resolutions. View >

DATE: 2010

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, wildlife, open spaces, brucellosis, Yellowstone, disease

This publication highlights the efforts of the CCC to conserve wildlife migration corridors in Sublette County, provides further explanation of how the wildlife-friendly fencing program works, and describes the context and significance of this collaborative conservation effort. View >

AUTHORS: Abby Mellinger and Diana Hulme, William D. Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources; Lara Ryan, Jordan Vana, and Katy Teson, Green River Valley Land Trust

DATE: 2010

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, planning, wildlife, economy, conservation, migration

A summary of current scientific knowledge about the implications of climate change for water resources in the West, this report should spur discussions on how to better manage Wyoming’s water resources in the face of drought and climate change. View >

AUTHORS: Stephen Grey and Chamois Andersen

DATE: 2009

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, climate change, water, resources, drought, irrigation, management, storage, diversion

A comprehensive review of land use trends in Wyoming, this document compiles eight years of collaborative research efforts by UW faculty for the Open Spaces Initiative. View >

State of the Space

AUTHORS: Diana Hulme, Chamois Andersen, Katelyn Parady, Jeff Hamerlinck, Scott Lieske, and Indy Burke

DATE: 2009

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, State of the Space, land use, agriculture, ranch, private land, public land, development, energy

Dealing with produced water quantity and quality arguably has been the most difficult of the issues surrounding coalbed methane development. This is a report on the findings of a DOE-NETL funded project focused on coalbed methane produced water management. View >

AUTHORS: Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources

DATE: 2008

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, resources, water, natural gas, energy, development, methane

The central message from this report is the need to better link local and state water planning efforts, and to identify mechanisms to chart a new course toward sustainable land and water development. The economic benefits of better coordination between water development and land use planning should also be considered. View >

AUTHORS: David Cook, Roger Coupal, Jeffrey Hamerlinck, Jenna Heerman, Diana Hulme, Scott Lieske, and Donald McLeod

DATE: 2008

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, planning, land planning, community planning, Wyoming, land-use, natural resources, water, water development

Housing and industrial development in Wyoming has been the subject of statewide polls and surveys during the past several years to assess citizen opinions on water and the preservation of Wyoming’s ranches, open spaces, wildlife habitat, and scenic vistas. This publication presents results from a poll conducted in 2007, supplemented with summaries of similar studies recently conducted in Wyoming. View >

Agricultural Sustainability

AUTHORS: Diana G. Hulme and Abigail Mellinger, Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources; Jim Magagna, Wyoming Stock Growers Association; and Andrea Erickson-Quiroz, Wyoming Chapter, The Nature Conservancy

DATE: 2008

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, agriculture, sustainability, public opinion, voting, conservation, public lands, water, wildlife, ranching, private land

In the summer of 2006, Congress passed a law that makes conservation easements more attractive and the deductions associated with donated easements more available, especially for those engaged in active farming or ranching operations. This report is an update on Wyoming's involvement. View >

AUTHORS: Nicholas M. Agopian and Melinda Harm Benson, Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources

DATE: 2007

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, conservation, agriculture, ranching, conservation easements, law

A report on the population change in Wyoming from 2000-2005. View >

AUTHORS: Scott Lieske, Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center, and David T. Taylor, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics

DATE: 2007

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, population, growth, change, rural, urban

The workshop reported here demonstrates commitment to reversing the pallid sturgeon's historic decline in the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, identifies and prioritizes research and management actions to contribute to recovery and outlines some of the challenges that remain. View >

AUTHORS: Harold L. Bergman, Ann M. Boelter, and Katelyn Parady

DATE: 2007

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, wildlife, water, sturgeon, management, river, Mississippi, Missouri

Proceedings of a working symposium held in Laramie, Wyoming, of technical experts from around the world assembled with the specific task of addressing the brucellosis vaccine, vaccine delivery and diagnostic challenges of bison and elk in the Greater Yellowstone Area. View >

AUTHORS: United States Animal Health Association Special Committee on Brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Area

DATE: 2006

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, wildlife, open spaces, Brucellosis, elk, bison, Yellowstone, disease, research

Proceedings of a workshop on "Water, Drought and Wyoming's Climate," to communicate understanding of climate variability related to water, discuss needs of water managers and other stakeholders and facilitate discussion and future collaboration surrounding water in Wyoming. View >

DATE: 2006

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, resources, water, climate, drought

An overview of management options for coalbed methane produced water with an emphasis on implementing potential beneficial uses for the water. View >

AUTHORS: Diana Hulme

DATE: 2005

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, water resources, water, management, energy development, natural gas, coalbed methane

A review of the benefits of coalbed methane development including labor income and tax revenues compared with the costs of that development, including but not limited to the cost of water lost and the cost of environmental impacts related to poor quality water. View >

AUTHORS: Roger Coupal

DATE: 2005

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, resources, water, management, economics, energy development, coalbed methane, natural gas

Since the publication of “Conservation Easements: an Introductory Review for Wyoming” in 2002 , a number of related questions have arisen. Questions about term easements and tax issues are covered in the original publication. This supplement addresses questions on perpetuities, mineral estates, and purchase of development rights. View >

AUTHORS: Melinda Harm Benson

DATE: 2005

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, conservation, mineral rights, split estate, law, economics, private land, development, conservation easements

The Wyoming Governor’s Office asked the University of Wyoming to address a series of questions on options for dealing with water produced through coalbed methane development. This report provides context for and answers to those questions. View >

AUTHORS: Melinda Benson, Harold Bergman, Ann Boelter, et al.

DATE: 2005

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, resources, water, drought, management, energy development, coalbed methane, natural gas, law, conservation, produced water, management, disposal

Questions sometimes arise over the relationship between Wyoming’s Rule Against Perpetuities and the use of conservation easements, which are generally held “in perpetuity.” This report is a closer examination of the meaning of “perpetuity” in each of these contexts. View >

AUTHORS: Melinda Harm Benson

DATE: 2004

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, conservation, easements, law, economics, private land

This bulletin, along with Coupal et al. 2004, represents a contribution to the analysis of land ownership and management of segments of big game habitat in Wyoming. It is intended to help integrate conservation of natural resources and rural land development more effectively by identifying areas where big game migration corridors may be threatened. View >

AUTHORS: Dennis Feeney, UW Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics; Gary Beauvais, Wyoming Natural Diversity Database; Roger Coupal, UW Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics; Shawn Lanning, UW Department of Geography; Scott Lieske, UW Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics; Nathan Nibbelink, Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center; and Kirk Nordyke, Wyoming Game and Fish Department

DATE: 2004

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, planning, Wyoming, wildlife, economy, conservation, wildlife migration, natural resources, rural

Over the past several years a number of surveys, focus groups, assessments, and polls have consistently determined that Wyoming residents believe it is important to conserve Wyoming’s working farms and ranches, water and air quality, wildlife, and the unique western culture that these lands provide. This publication presents results from a poll conducted in 2004 and summarizes information from earlier surveys and studies. View >

Agricultural Sustainability

AUTHORS: Ann M. Boelter and Kathryn D. Mays, Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources

DATE: 2004

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, agriculture, sustainability, public opinion, voting, conservation, public lands, water, wildlife, ranching, private land

Proceedings from a workshop organized and facilitated by the Ruckelshaus Institute meant to help managers develop a research program to identify critical factors influencing pallid sturgeon declines and how those factors are affected by river operations and management. View >

AUTHORS: Quist, M.C., A.M. Boelter, J.M. Lovato, N.M. Korfanta, et al.

DATE: 2004

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, wildlife, open spaces, sturgeon, management, rivers, river management, Missouri River, fish

This publication describes the relationships among private lands, public lands, and seasonal range as well as the economic importance of private lands in providing seasonal habitat for six major big game species in Wyoming: pronghorn, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, mule deer, and white-tailed deer. This analysis was conducted to assess some of the potential consequences of habitat loss on private lands due to rural land development. View >

AUTHORS: Roger Coupal, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics; Gary Beauvais, Wyoming Natural Diversity Database; and Dennis Feeney and Scott Lieske, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics

DATE: 2004

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, wildlife, economy, conservation, wildlife migration, public lands, private land, elk, moose, mule deer, pronghorn, white-tailed deer, mule deer, bighorn sheep

Out of economic necessity, most agricultural operations in the West cover large areas, and thus agriculture contributes substantially to maintaining open spaces on private ranch and farm lands. This bulletin looks at the role that agriculture plays in maintaining open spaces in Wyoming View >

Agricultural Sustainability

AUTHORS: David T. Taylor, UW Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics

DATE: 2003

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, agriculture, sustainability, public opinion, voting, conservation, public lands, water, wildlife, ranching

This report details the results of a pilot project to promote Community VizTM based planning support systems in Wyoming. Phase I was a “proof of concept” pilot project set in Albany County in southeastern Wyoming to demonstrate the application of Community VizTM to a Wyoming-specific issue and to determine potential challenges. View >

AUTHORS: Scott N. Lieske, Steve Mullen, Mike Knapp, Jeffrey D. Hamerlinck

DATE: 2003

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, land use, management, conservation, GIS, water, aquifer, irrigation

In the rural West, including Wyoming, the purpose of many conservation easements is to protect the land’s agricultural use and open space. This is a review of Wyoming's conservation easements View >

AUTHORS: Allison Perrigo and Jon Iversen

DATE: 2002

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, conservation, agriculture, conservation easements, private land, agriculture, ranch

A report on the population change in Wyoming from 1990-2000. View >

AUTHORS: David T. Taylor and Scott Lieske, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming

DATE: 2002

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, population, growth, change, rural, urban

There are many options for preserving open space. This bulletin focuses on mechanisms that have been used in Wyoming and elsewhere to generate public funds for protecting open space. View >

AUTHORS: Jon Iversen, Allison Perrigo

DATE: 2002

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, conservation, private lands, funding, economics, tools, law, ranch, agriculture, sustainability

With an abundance of outdoor amenities, Wyoming is a popular place to have a temporary residence for seasonal recreation or other occasional use. Growth in the number of these “second homes” plays an important role in driving residential development in Wyoming. This is a report on second home growth in Wyoming from 1990-2000. View >

AUTHORS: David T. Taylor and Scott Lieske, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming

DATE: 2002

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, planning, land planning, community planning, Wyoming, land-use, vacation home, second home, outdoors, recreation, rural, urban

The changes that occur when rural agricultural lands are converted to residential use have become an increasingly important issue in many counties throughout the United States. This is a report on the cost of community services for rural residential development in Wyoming. View >

AUTHORS: Roger Coupal, David T. Taylor, and Don McLeod, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics

DATE: 2002

KEYWORDS: Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, planning, land planning, community planning, Wyoming, land-use, community services, rural, farm, agriculture, development

ENR surveyed Wyoming citizens about whether opportunities for collaboration and consensus building should be enhanced in Wyoming. The final report discusses the issues related to consensus building and collaboration, and offers a series of next steps to use the existing wealth of knowledge, skills and resources present in Wyoming to meet the identified needs. View >

AUTHORS: Andrea Brandenburg and Ann Boelter

DATE: 2000

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, conservation, collaboration, collaborative, process, solutions

Based on interviews with over 130 individuals, this report describes the range of interests and concerns surrounding elk and bison herds in the Jackson, Wyoming, area and provides recommendations for developing a public involvement strategy for their management. View >

AUTHORS: The US Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, The University of Wyoming's Institute for Environment and Natural Resources, The Meridian Institute

DATE: 2000

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, wildlife, open spaces, bison, elk, wildlife management, Jackson, public, disease, national park

This document summarizes a workshop co-sponsored by Environment and Natural Resources and the O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West on “Communication and Consensus: Strategies for Fulfilling the Nation’s Environmental Policy." It explores the potential role of collaborative problem solving processes in the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and makes a number of observations and recommendations which, when taken as a whole, can significantly improve the administration of this far-reaching law. View >

AUTHORS: O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West at The University of Montana and The Institute for Environment and Natural Resources at The University of Wyoming

DATE: 2000

KEYWORDS: Reports and proceedings, Rocky Mountains, NEPA, collaboration, decision-making, National Environmental Policy Act, process, management