Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative 2018 Annual Report

Dear Members, Partners, Cooperators, and Friends,

The year 2018 marked another extremely busy and successful year for WLCI. In addition to our remarkable on-the-ground conservation accomplishments, we paid a very worthwhile visit to the U.S. Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture leadership and congressional representatives; completed and disseminated the WLCI 10-year report; completed the WLCI Conservation Tracking Database; and organized and presented WLCI science at the second joint science conference between WLCI and the Wyoming Chapter of The Wildlife Society.

WLCI partners developed and implemented conservation actions in sagebrush, aspen, riparian and other high priority focal habitats. BLM WLCI Project funding included over $462,000 and partner contributions were over $1.5 million. For every dollar WLCI contributed, there was an additional $3.32 through partner contributions. We continued to address our landscape level priorities through projects designed to control invasive plant species, improve fish access to high quality habitat, reduce impediments to big game movement and migration corridors, and improve seasonal wildlife habitat for Greater sage-grouse and numerous other wildlife species.
A big “Thank You” to Mary Thoman (representing Conservation Districts and the WLCI Executive Committee), Zack Bowen (USGS Science Lead), and Jim Wasseen, (WGFD, WLCI Coordination Team) for traveling to Washington D.C. in order to inform new federal agency leaders about WLCI and to share our exciting 10-year success story. Over the course of three days they met with agency leadership within the BLM, NRCS, USFWS, USGS, and the USFS and with U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Mike Enzi and U.S. Congresswoman Liz Cheney.

WLCI also celebrated another very rewarding science milestone: our second joint science conference with the Wyoming Chapter of the Wildlife Society held in Laramie. The conference highlighted diverse information and findings on priority species and habitats important to WLCI. Over 200 people participated in the conference and workshops.

It has been a great privilege and honor to serve as the Chair of WLCI’s Executive Committee over the past two years. We accomplished a lot of important on-the-ground conservation and we successfully shared the WLCI story across the broader conservation community. I appreciate the hard work and diligence of the Coordination Team, Local Project Development Teams and other WLCI teams and committees, and the myriad state and local partners without whose support WLCI could not succeed. Finally, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Kent Connelly as our next Executive Chair: Kent represents County Commissioners within WLCI and has the breadth of knowledge and experience to ensure the continued success of WLCI.

Respectfully,

Tyler A. Abbott
WLCI Executive Chair