Habitat is where it’s at!...(left, center). “A total of 1114 bait sites were re-newed for 2018,...

Special dates and points of interest:

SPRING ARCHERY SEASON FOR BLACK BEAR IN HUNT AREAS 9,10, 11 AND

12 OPENS APRIL 15; GENERAL SEASON IN HUNT AREAS 9,10, 11, AND 12

OPENS MAY 1. GENERAL SEASON IN HUNT AREA 35 OPENS APRIL 15. REFER

TO THE 2018 BLACK BEAR HUNTING REGULATIONS.

LIVING IN LARGE CARNIVORE COUNTRY SEMINAR, APRIL 26, GREEN RIVER,

GAME AND FISH REGION OFFICE, 5:30 PM-PLEASE CALL TO PREREGISTER

AT 1-800-843-8096.

DON’T HAVE YOUR HUNTER EDUCATION CERTIFICATE? CHECK OUT COURSE

LISTINGS AT OUR WEBSITE HTTP://WGFD.WYO.GOV.

LOST YOUR HUNTER EDUCATION CARD? YOU CAN PRINT AS MANY COPIES

OF YOUR CARD AS YOU WANT, FOR FREE, AT THE WGFD WEBSITE.

REMEMBER: YOU CAN BUY ALL YOUR HUNTING LICENSES, REQUIRED

STAMPS AND MANY MORE PRODUCTS AT THE WGFD WEBSITE FROM THE

COMFORT OF YOUR OWN COMPUTER!

STOP POACHING HOTLINE IS 1-877-WGFD-TIP. YOU CAN ALSO REPORT A

WILDIFE VIOLATION AT THE WGFD WEBSITE HTTP://WGFD.WYO.GOV. OR,

TEXT KEYWORD WGFD AND MESSAGE TO TIP411

Wyoming Game and Fish Department Newsletter Andy Roosa photo April 2018

Page 1

Habitat is where it’s at!

WGFD Green River Region Personnel and volunteers are surveying sage grouse on their mating grounds, called leks, during the months of April and May. Please enjoy these magnificent birds from a distance. Please use binoculars or a spotting scope and do not drive into the middle of their lek. There is a sage grouse viewing guide at this link: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Habitat/Sage-Grouse-Management/Sage-Grouse-Lek-Viewing-Guide Thank you Rock Springs Game Warden Andy Roosa for the photographs.

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~Busy black bear bait registration~ Hunting season open houses and final meeting well attended~

More than 50 bear hunters registered a new bait site on Monday April 2, the first day new bear bait sites could be registered. This registra-tion period followed a preference period for previously registered bait sites. New bait sites are first come, first served. Some of the hunters were standing in line at the office door at 4:30 am. Since April 2, more than 100 black bear bait sites have been registered by office managers Sheila Deinhardt (below) and Regina Dickson (left, center). “A total of 1114 bait sites were re-newed for 2018, down from previous years (~1500) with the new regulations in effect that required registrants to place baits and provide coordinates in order to have the preference for early renewal this spring,” Dickson said.” The new regulations freed up a significant number of sites that were not being used although they had been registered in years prior.

There were 142 people who attended the six hunting season proposal open houses in the Green River Region and 25 people attended the final public information gathering meeting on April 3. That is a good turnout! Large Carni-vore Conflict Coordinator Brian DeBolt also presented the draft grizzly bear hunting regula-tions. (photos below)

Mountain View Wildlife Biologist Jeff Short (above left), GR Wildlife Supervisor Todd Graham (above/center in red shirt) and Brian DeBolt (below left in cen-ter) presented to the crowd April 3.Green River biolo-gists and game wardens presented the hunting seasons proposals for their respective districts.

~School programs in the region~ Truman Elementary dissects owl pellets~

Page 3

Green River Region Personnel commonly go into classrooms and teach about wildlife. Evanston Game Warden Nick Rob-erts spent two days teaching students at Clark Elementary School about wildlife in Wyoming. Students enjoyed handling the hides, skulls and antlers and had lots of interesting ques-tions. (left top) Green River I&E Specialist Lucy Wold worked with students from Truman Elementary School to learn about owl biology and ecology, which included dissecting owl pellets to learn what owls eat and how they are connected in the food chain or food webs. (below)

Page 4

~Wyoming Range deer capture ~Jr. Duck Stamp Contest~ AIS training

Kemmerer Game Warden Chris Baird, Afton Game Warden James Hobbs, wildlife biolo-gists Gary Fralick and Jeff Short, Evanston Game Warden Nick Roberts, Cokeville Game Warden Neil Hymas and I&E Specialist Lucy Wold assisted the Wyoming Range mule deer researcher from the University of Wyoming Coop Research Unit capture collared deer. (left top) Office manager Sheila Deinhardt was a judge at the annual Jr. Duck Stamp Contest. (left below) The winners of the 2018 Wyoming Junior Duck Stamp Program were recently an-nounced from the 546 total art entries that were received from around the state, from stu-dents in kindergarten up to 12th grade. Wyo-ming’s Best of Show is an oil paint rendition of a ruddy duck drake by Kateri Bell of Cody, WY. Her painting will advance to the National competition on April 20 in Bismarck, ND. Green River Region Aquatic Invasive Spe-cies Coordinators Wes Gordon and Jessica Murray are gearing up for AIS watercraft in-spection trainings for the public in SW Wyo-ming and Utah. (below right) Public inspec-tions have already been held in Evanston and Green River, but there will be one in Ogden, UT on May 5 and Vernal, UT on May 12, 9-4, both at the Utah Division of Wildlife Office. For more information on Aquatic Invasive Spe-cies contact Wes Gordon 307-875-3223.

Jr. Duck Stamp Contest judges left to right: Dave Kimble, Joy Bannon, Mindi Crabb, Marty Carollo, and Sheila Deinhardt.

UW Dr. Kevin Monteith (right) Project Leader Tayler Nicole LaSharr

James Hobbs (left) Chris Baird (right)

Page 5

~Hunter Education in the Green River Region~

Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) Coordinator Jim Wasseen taught a hunter education class at the C Street Library in Rock Springs and re-ceived assistance from office manager Regina Dickson, I&E Specialist Lucy Wold, fisheries biologist Troy Laughlin and Rock Springs Game Warden Andy Roosa. (top, left) For the third year, students from the Fire Law and Leadership Academy at Rock Springs High School par-ticipated in a hunter education class. Their teacher John Cundall organized the firearms training where mem-bers of Wyoming Highway Patrol, Rock Springs Police Department, Bureau of Land Management , Sheriff’s Of-fice and Green River WGFD personnel Tory Laughlin, Lucy Wold, Kevin Spence, Jim Wasseen, John Walrath , Gary Boyd and volunteer Matt Gardner all took the students through each of the five firearms stations. Stu-dents also learned to use inert pepper spray in case of a bear attack.

Office Managers Sheila Deinhardt (left) and Regina Dickson (right) are very busy registering watercraft and selling AIS Decals, when they aren’t registering black bear bait sites. Spring fever is in full effect with ICE-OFF on Flaming Gorge Reservoir and open water slowly appearing at Fontenelle Reservoir. Like everyone else, the ladies are anxious for warmer weather and adventures outside.

http://wgfd.wyo.gov Office Phone: 307-875-3223

Office Fax: 307-875-3242 Toll Free Instate 1-800-843-8096

~Critter Spotlight~ American robin

By Mark Zornes a.k.a. Leopold

Page 6

Conserving Wildlife-Serving People We are on the web! http://wgfd.wyo.gov stay connected

One of the most familiar birds to most Americans, robins live in all states in the U.S., excluding Ha-waii, where it has been documented as an accidental occurrence. American robins live in Wyoming year-round, with some withdrawal from higher altitudes in the winter.

Robins feed primarily on caterpillars, millipedes and centipedes, beetles, earthworms, and fruits. They have even been documented eating juvenile snakes of some of the smaller species.

Robins can be considered a pest to those growing fruits, but provide significant benefit through con-trol of injurious insects.

Robins nest in trees, just below the thickest canopy. They produce 3-5 eggs and incubate those eggs for around 11-14 days.

Young, which are born in a helpless and dependent state, leave the nest in about two weeks. Both parents feed young throughout their early life.

Young robins are often brought to our office after they have fledged. It is best to leave these young alone; the parents are often nearby and actively feeding them, even when on the ground.

In Europe, many of the thrush species (the family to while the American robin belongs) are consid-ered game birds, but all species of thrushes in North America are protected.