Science Committee Update and Ramblings

By Dan Thompson, Science Committee Chair

Hello again true believers,

I enjoyed seeing all our compatriots in Sheridan at our Annual Meeting. There was a great deal of interactions among professionals and great talks about all our wildlife splendor and how our profession aims to better understand it. We were very fortunate to have several eager, dedicated volunteers sign up for the Science Committee, so we say THANK YOU and WELCOME ABOARD!

The diversity and expertise in our Science Committee has been helpful in the work we have been doing recently; reviewing the potential impacts of a proposed solar farm in Southwest Wyoming. As a Committee we have reviewed and provided comment on multiple environmental assessments and proposed operations, and to my knowledge this was the most active our Committee members have been. It was great to see the breadth of knowledge on mammalian and avian wildlife and crucial habitats and how proposed development now and in the future needs to take these factors into consideration. Thanks again to our Science Committee members and the continued support from the Executive Board at WYTWS. We are on the front lines of an ever-evolving system, and if the science doesn’t have a voice….all is lost.

Dan Thompson is the Large Carnivore Section Supervisor for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, where he oversees the State’s mountain lion, wolf, and grizzly and black bear management and research.