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Why It Matters
Wyoming is enduring what some are calling the hottest, driest winter in recorded history, and the effects are rippling into the state’s wildlife populations. When natural water sources fail, animals like pronghorn and mule deer can face life-threatening dehydration — and a network of human-built water reservoirs scattered across Wyoming may be the only thing standing between them and a desperate miles-long trek to the nearest spring.
This summer, the drought has left at least one of those reservoirs — built to hold up to 500 gallons in a normal year — completely empty, prompting a coordinated repair and refill effort by volunteers, state wildlife managers, and several nonprofit conservation groups.
What Happened
In mid-June, roughly ten volunteers gathered at a fiberglass water guzzler with views toward the Continental Divide — a structure first installed in the 1990s by the Bureau of Land Management and Wyoming Game and Fish Department to support pronghorn and mule deer. Where the tank was full by the start of last summer, it sat dry this year.
Decades of wear had taken a toll on the structure. Wooden fence posts had rotted, barbed wire had collapsed, and the tank itself was filling with dirt and silt. The repair crew replaced the deteriorated barrier with continuous metal fencing mounted at least 18 inches off the ground — high enough to allow smaller wildlife to pass underneath while keeping livestock out.
Workers also constructed a new rain-and-snowmelt collection funnel using salvaged barn roofing material and PVC pipes to channel water directly into the tank. A partial roof was added over the reservoir to slow evaporation during the heat of summer. The Woods Landing Volunteer Fire Department was scheduled to haul water to refill the tank through the warmer months.
Wyoming Game and Fish Department led the effort, with support from federal partners including the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, as well as nonprofit groups Water for Wildlife, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
By the Numbers
- 500 gallons: the guzzler’s maximum capacity in a good precipitation year
- 10 volunteers participated in the mid-June repair effort
- Several hundred similar guzzlers are installed across Wyoming
- 18 inches: minimum fence clearance above ground in the newly rebuilt enclosure
- 1990s: decade when this guzzler was originally constructed
Stakes for Wildlife
Jerry Cowles, who participated in the repair work, put the stakes plainly: “These are critical. If they don’t have water up here, animals have to go the next nearest spot, which are springs a couple miles that way and more than a mile down to the Laramie River.”
That kind of forced movement adds physical stress to animals already taxed by drought conditions and can expose them to additional predation risks and vehicle collisions. Trail cameras mounted near Wyoming guzzlers have documented visits from moose, mountain lions, and blue grouse — showing that the structures serve a far wider range of species than their original design targets.
Guy Litt, another volunteer on the project, described the broader situation as “a bad situation that’s hard on people and animals,” adding that the severity of conditions made the repair work both obvious and urgent.
Zoom Out
Guzzlers are especially common in southwest Wyoming, including the Red Desert region, where surface water is naturally scarce even in wet years. The structures represent a decades-long collaboration between federal land managers and state wildlife agencies — a model of practical conservation that often flies under the radar compared to larger habitat initiatives.
Wyoming’s broader wildlife management landscape has seen increased attention in recent years. The Path of the Pronghorn migration corridor, a 25-year effort to protect a key wildlife movement route in the state, recently neared final federal approval — reflecting growing recognition that maintaining connected, functional habitat requires sustained commitment from both agencies and private citizens.
Some wildlife biologists have raised questions about the overall effectiveness of guzzlers for specific target species, and the scientific debate on their utility is ongoing. However, state managers and conservation volunteers on the ground argue that in drought years, the infrastructure provides measurable relief that natural systems simply cannot.
What’s Next
The Woods Landing Volunteer Fire Department is expected to make water deliveries to the guzzler throughout the summer season. With hundreds of similar structures spread across the state, wildlife managers and volunteer organizations will likely face continued pressure to inspect, repair, and resupply those installations as the drought persists. The broader question of long-term water availability for Wyoming’s wildlife — particularly if dry conditions extend into a second consecutive year — remains a concern heading into late 2026.
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