The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) and Wyoming Community Foundation (WYCF) announce their continued partnership thanks to a generous $109,000 grant from an anonymous private donor. This is the third year this generous donor and WYCF has supported MDF's mule deer habitat restoration efforts. Designated for Wyoming's Snowy Range in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, this new funding stream will support upcoming MDF projects that will have landscape-scale benefits for mule deer and wildlife.
This private support builds on a multi-year partnership facilitated through WYCF. After an initial 2023 contribution for mule deer habitat improvements, additional funding supported 2024 shrub planting efforts on the Mullen and Badger Fire burn scars. This continued investment will be used for forest health and wildfire mitigation efforts in the Snowy Range and reflects confidence in MDF's ability to deliver meaningful, on-the-ground conservation outcomes for mule deer and other wildlife.
"This level of sustained support allows us to think bigger and work more strategically across this southeastern Wyoming landscape," said Greg Sheehan, President and CEO of the Mule Deer Foundation. "We're grateful to our gracious partner who believes in our mission and is committed to improving habitat in one of Wyoming's most important mule deer regions."
"The mission of WYCF is to connect donors that care with causes that matter to build a better Wyoming," said Allison Anderson, Director of Programs for WYCF. "This partnership has been an excellent example of that mission in action, demonstrating the impact that passionate and generous donors can have when working with a great non-profit like MDF to enhance and restore our state's valued wildlife habitat."
This funding will help advance fuels reduction and habitat improvement near Kennaday Peak in the Snowy Range. This area holds crucial winter and transitional range for mule deer and elk, and future work will also be in partnership with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the Saratoga-Encampment-Rawlins Conservation District.
MDF's work on the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest is strengthened by a unique partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Since 2021, MDF has maintained a shared local position with the agency that increases its capacity to implement habitat projects and secure additional funding for priority landscapes. This collaboration is closely tied to the Medicine Bow Landscape Vegetation Analysis (LaVA) Project, a landscape-scale initiative the Forest Service launched in 2020 to address forest health challenges across approximately 288,000 acres. Decades of changing forest conditions have impacted wildlife habitat and increased wildfire risk, making coordinated restoration efforts essential.
Expanding habitat work in the Snowy Range builds on other restoration efforts in the area. MDF has identified additional treatment sites within the proximity of a 2022 MDF shrub enhancement project and an upcoming Forest Service timber sale. By aligning these efforts, MDF, with private and agency partners, can create a larger, more connected landscape that will enhance forage and cover for the Baggs and Platte Valley mule deer herds and their migration corridors. This generous donation will play a vital role in supporting mule deer and elk populations in southeast Wyoming throughout the year.