Federal land managers are not identifying a “preferred” path forward as they assess whether to renew permits for two elk-feeding sites on the Bridger-Teton National Forest, one in Bondurant and another along the Greys River.
Up for review are the 35-acre Dell Creek and 100-acre Forest Park feedgrounds, sites where the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has congregated elk and fed them hay during the winter since the 1970s.
Forest officials have prepared a draft environmental impact statement that includes four scenarios: continuing to feed elk status quo, denying the permit immediately, allowing a three-year phase-out, and allowing feeding only on an emergency basis in severe winters.
Although land management agencies typically identify their preference in an environmental impact statement, that’s not happening in the ongoing planning process.
“The biggest factor is there are two other efforts going on right now, one with the [National] Elk Refuge and their EIS process and then with the state’s elk feedground management plan process,” said Randy Griebel, ecosystem staff officer on the Bridger-Teton. “We don’t want to influence anything on their side, and vice versa.”
To provide data for the Bridger-Teton’s EIS, the U.S. Geological Survey recently completed research projecting what might happen if chronic wasting disease propagates through the feedground region if feeding continues, is phased out over three years or shut off abruptly.
The short of it: continuing feeding both spikes prevalence rates of the deadly ungulate sickness and causes herd sizes to plummet. There were also benefits with continued elk feeding predicted, like reducing disease-related costs for stockgrowers. Contagious fetus-killing brucellosis can be passed from elk to cattle.
Game and Fish seeks a long-term permit from the Bridger-Teton after its old permit for the Dell Creek Feedground was revoked. In 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Freudenthal invalidated the feedground’s permit after finding that the state never formally applied to continue using the land. Temporary permits have been issued for the winters since.
Wyoming officials listed four purposes for the feedground renewal in their application to the forest: reducing conflict with nearby livestock; reducing the risk of brucellosis transmission to livestock; maintaining elk population objectives without excessive winterkill; and preventing vehicle collisions with elk on U.S. Highway 191.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is in the process of preparing a formal response that will be submitted to the Bridger-Teton Forest, Deputy Chief of Wildlife Doug Brimeyer said.
The public can also weigh in. Comments can be submitted online or mailed to: Forest Supervisor Hudson, P.O. Box 1888, Jackson, WY, 83001. The deadline is Jan. 16.
This article was originally published by WyoFile and is republished here with permission. WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
