Photo information below: (left to right) Susan Henry, Nicole Henry, Garrett Henry, RMEF Regional Director Shawn Kelley, Ellen Henry, RMEF Chief Conservation Officer Blake Henning, RMEF Senior Conservation Program Manager Leah Burgess and RMEF Wyoming State Chair Cindy Christiansen
When you have a unique land conservation and access project that was both years in the making and needed a cooperative yet innovative approach to get across the finish line, you bet it is worth celebrating. And that is exactly what happened on September 10, 2024, at the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission meeting in Douglas. RMEF received recognition for its part in completing the Mule Creek project earlier this summer. RMEF was equally pleased to award and acknowledge its partners before the commission.
RMEF acquired and owned the 6,660-acre Mule Creek Ranch near the southern Laramie Range Mountain for two years as it meticulously sought the best conservation and management outcome to conserve the land’s wildlife values. As a result, the 2,660 acres on the western part of the property is now owned and managed by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) while 4,000 acres on the eastern part are owned and managed by the Henry family’s 88 Ranch, a family with a proven history in the area that values wildlife conservation and public hunting access. As public land, the WGFD portion is open for public access. However, WGFD also holds a voluntary conservation agreement and a permanent elk hunting access easement on the 88 Ranch land so the public may also access it to hunt.
Below are RMEF statements for its project partners:
88 Ranch & the Henry Family
“Your family’s history on the ranch and interest in maintaining its conservation, ranching, and public access values were instrumental to the project outcome achieved. The steady involvement and significant investment of time and resources your family showed as a grazing lessee, good neighbor and management partner to RMEF during our ownership tenure make us pleased and excited to know you will be there for the long haul. We know how important the traditions of family, ranching, hunting and conservation are to your family as we’ve worked alongside you, and you’ve shared your story with us. We hope you continue to find ways to share that story. We look forward to partnering with 88 Ranch, WGFD and others as you continue your ownership, management and stewardship of Mule Creek conservation and access easements.”
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
“We want to acknowledge and thank the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Commission for your outstanding partnership in the Mule Creek Ranch Conservation and Access Project. Congratulations on your new Wildlife Habitat Management Area, conservation easement and hunting access easement! We wish to especially thank the department’s habitat and access, terrestrial habitat, lands ranch and game warden staff from both the Laramie Regional Office and Cheyenne Headquarters office, whom all have contributed greatly to this successful outcome.”
Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Board
“For over a decade, Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Board (WWNRT) has supported projects on Mule Creek Ranch including prescribed fire, aspen treatments, conifer thinning, hunter access and the 2024 permanent conservation easement and access easements. The support of WWNRT has been critical to the enhancement of conservation values on the ranch and to the availability of public hunting opportunities there. Increasing elk harvest in Area 7 where elk are significantly over objective, and at the same time enhancing habitats for wildlife and agriculture has been a successful strategy on Mule Creek Ranch in which WWNRT has played a major role.”
RMEF also recognized retiring WGFD Director Brian Nesvik for his leadership and outstanding service to the state of Wyoming and its wildlife.
(Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)