Wyoming’s 160-mile-long Sublette antelope migration corridor will retain full protection despite the request to remove protections from two regions. Following strong opposition from wildlife advocates and retired biologists, the commission unanimously voted down the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s (WGFD) proposal to remove the Red Desert and Farson region from the protected corridor, according to WyoFile.

“With 20 years of science, data and the vast support of the public, I believe this should move forward to the next stage,” said Commissioner Ken Roberts.

WGFD proposed removing the Red Desert and Farson segments, noting that those areas “didn’t rise to a level that warranted protection under Wyoming’s policy,” according to WyoFile.

“There’s no bottlenecks, and the threat levels were limited — that, to us, precluded designation,” said Martin Hicks, WGFD deputy chief of wildlife. Hicks noted that the two segments lacked a “high-use” of habitat, which is the designation for areas used by more than 20% of collared antelope.

Supporters of removing the two specific segments included local rancher and Wyoming Stock Growers Association lobbyist Jim Magagna and oil and gas developers – both of which had potential interests in the two segments under review. 

However, retired biologists, hunters and conservationists — those opposing changes to protections — urged the commission to preserve all 10 segments of the Sublette antelope migration corridor. As one of the world’s largest and most well-studied pronghorn populations, it especially prompted concern from Brock Wahl of the North American Pronghorn Foundation, who warned of the risks of inaction or a misstep in designation, according to WyoFile.

“If we can’t get it right in this particular instance, I feel as if it sets a very bad precedent for anything going forward,” said Wahl.

Game and Fish Commissioner Rusty Bell of Gillette pointed to the strong public support as his reason for backing Roberts’ motion to designate all 10 migratory segments used by the Sublette antelope herd.

“I think people want to see designation,” said Bell. “I’m going to go along with what the people have said.”