Pronghorn picnic to cap Earth Day celebration

Joy Ufford, jufford@pinedaleroundup.com
Posted 4/15/21

Earth Day is the perfect time to take a good look around and see where the outside world and our wildlife need extra attention.

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Pronghorn picnic to cap Earth Day celebration

Posted

SUBLETTE COUNTY – Earth Day is the perfect time to take a good look around and see where the outside world and our wildlife need extra attention.

Sublette County is home to the animals’ centuries-old migration route known as the “Path of the Pronghorn,” which has been mapped, researched and protected. Also, the prehistoric antelope jump site is explained very well at Trappers Point about 5 miles west of Pinedale, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

For this reason – and to simply celebrate springtime – a special event is planned for Wednesday, April 21, to bring wildlife lovers together for an update on the Sublette pronghorn herd.

“This is to remind us how cherished our Sublette pronghorn are and what steps we can take to keep this herd healthy and freely roaming, said Elaine Crumpley of Citizens United for Responsible Energy Development. 

Speakers

CURED is coordinating the evening that features Wyoming Game and Fish’s Brandon Scurlock and Jordan Kraft from the Pinedale Region Office. Also on the agenda are University of Wyoming’s Dr. Jerod Merkle and Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation’s Renee Seidler. Each has their own specialty and interest in the future of the Sublette pronghorn herd.

Scurlock has supervised the Game and Fish’s brucellosis management program for the Pinedale and Jackson regions. He is now the Pinedale regional wildlife management coordinator and oversees wildlife research in the Upper Green River Valley, biological data collection and developing hunting seasons.

Kraft is South Pinedale’s senior game warden and has been here for the past 11 years. He is the co-chair for the Game and Fish’s statewide pronghorn working group, a member since 2012.

Merkle, who works with the Wyoming Migration Initiative, has studied the movement, migration and habitat use of large mammals and big game including pronghorn. He worked with Game and Fish to map migration corridors across the state, including the Sublette pronghorn herd. Merkle will review past and present collar studies and discuss the migration routes and obstacles.

Seidler is executive director of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation and has studied wildlife movements. She will discuss the group’s wildlife-friendly fence program and how it can improve the landscape for wildlife. 

Picnic

The April 21 celebration begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Pinedale Library with a free “picnic” dinner for those who RSVP by April 18. People are asked to bring their own water bottles or cups and are also welcome to bring their own food and beverages.

The event will also be on Google Meet. To RSVP or get the Google Meet link, contact Elaine Crumpley at 307-360-7466.