Wyoming Pronghorn Migration Corridor Nears Final Approval After 25-Year Push
Why It Matters
After more than two decades of debate, Wyoming is on the verge of formally protecting one of North America’s longest land-mammal migration routes. The Path of the Pronghorn carries the Sublette Pronghorn Herd as far as 150 miles each season — from near Interstate 80 northward to Grand Teton National Park — across terrain that has long faced pressure from energy development, agriculture, and competing land-use interests.
The designation would mark the first time Wyoming has completed the full state-led corridor designation process established under a governor’s executive order, a milestone that supporters say sets a precedent for how the state handles wildlife migration going forward.
What Happened
A stakeholder working group appointed by Gov. Mark Gordon wrapped up its final review of the corridor in Pinedale, agreeing on a set of recommendations that will now be forwarded to the governor for his review and final decision.
The 11-member panel — representing wildlife, conservation, energy, agriculture, mining, and county government interests — voted to move the designation forward, though not unanimously and not without reservations. Oil and gas representative Jasmine Allison voted to let the process proceed with “serious reservations.” Agriculture representative Mike Henn and mining representative Craig Rood voted to designate “with reservation.” The remaining eight members gave full support.
Sublette County Commissioner Lynn Bernard made clear at the outset of Friday’s meeting that his county still had concerns about the designation, stating that the county intends to maintain authority over its own land. Despite that, no working group member voted outright against the corridor designation moving forward.
Gov. Gordon’s deputy policy advisor, Sara DiRienzo, said she would finalize the draft recommendations after a last round of minor edits from members, then present them to the governor for his decision.
A Quarter-Century in the Making
The effort to protect the pronghorn corridor dates to the early 2000s, when rapid natural gas development in the Pinedale Anticline and Jonah Field raised alarms among wildlife biologists. Conservation biologist Joel Berger, then a Jackson Hole resident, was among the early advocates pushing land managers to act before the migration route became impassable.
In 2003, Berger published a paper asking whether it was acceptable to allow a species to go extinct within a national park — a pointed challenge aimed at inaction on the corridor. Progress was slow. The U.S. Forest Service protected roughly 47,000 acres in the northern portion of the route through a Bridger-Teton National Forest plan amendment in 2008, but broader protections stalled for years amid opposition from extractive industries and local government.
More than seven years ago, a coalition of energy companies, counties, and agriculture groups effectively halted Wyoming Game and Fish’s first attempt to designate the full corridor. In response, Gov. Gordon introduced a new migration policy framework through executive order, establishing the working group process that is now reaching its conclusion.
Berger, now working from afar, called the development a meaningful turning point. “Wyoming sometimes leads, and Wyoming sometimes lags way behind,” he said in remarks reported following Friday’s meeting. “It’s really nice to see Wyoming, after a quarter of a century, step up.”
By the Numbers
- 150 miles: The approximate seasonal migration distance of the Sublette Pronghorn Herd
- 47,000 acres: Protected in the northern corridor segment by the Forest Service in 2008
- 11 members served on the governor-appointed working group
- 8 of 11 members voted fully in favor of the designation; three voted with reservations
- 25+ years since early advocacy efforts began in the early 2000s
Zoom Out
Wyoming’s pronghorn corridor sits within a broader regional conversation about wildlife migration and federal land management across the Mountain West. Federal proposals to manage wild horse populations and new herd plans across 750,000 acres of Wyoming’s Red Desert reflect the same underlying tensions between conservation goals and energy and ranching interests that have defined the pronghorn debate for decades.
Supporters of the corridor designation have emphasized that the framework adopted is development-permissive — designed to protect migration without foreclosing economic activity in the region.
What’s Next
The finalized recommendations will be presented to Gov. Gordon for his review. Gordon, whose term is set to conclude, could sign off on the designation, or the decision could fall to a future governor. The process established under the executive order gives the governor full authority over the final outcome.
How the state manages the two easternmost corridor segments — which were excluded from the current designation process at the governor’s direction — remains an open question that wildlife advocates are expected to continue pressing.
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