Opinion It’s hard to imagine a wildlife species that symbolizes Wyoming more than the pronghorn antelope. They roam freely across our state, fill our freezers, and you’ll see them on almost any short- or long-distance drive you take, blending seamlessly with the landscape where they evolve d to thrive.  For our family, the Sublette antelope herd is particularly special. We’ve hunted the herd for decades in the foothills between Farson and the Wind River mountains. Over that time we’ve seen all sorts of challenges for the herd — terrible winters, epidemics and lost habitat — so we applaud the steps the state may take to now protect this herd and their migration. Last fall, the rifle opener for antelope in our hunt area fell on Sept. 10, which was ironic because that was the same day the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission voted on the future of the Sublette herd’s migration corridor. Though this corridor has been documented for years, the state has yet to put policies in place to protect that migration. Protecting the habitat that Sublette antelope need to move between summer and winter range is personal for us. The area between Farson and the Wind River mountains is one of only three muzzleloader hunting areas in the state. We’ve already seen the number of available tags decline drastically over the years, so we’re all for maintaining unfragmented habitat to give this population a leg up and prevent things from sliding further in the wrong direction. Having already harvested our antelope, we decided to show up in person and watch things unfold at the commission meeting. We sat there for over three hours, through biologist presentations and dozens of public comments asking the commission to recommend the corridor be designated in full by the governor, who makes the final decision. Designation would add some level of protection to the migration.  The sentiment in that room, and from all of us who testified, was damn near unanimous in support of designation, and to the credit of our Game and Fish commissioners, they listened. We left feeling heartened by the swell of support for the herd’s migration, and by our commissioners who prioritized what was best for the wildlife. Unfortunately, rather than following the recommendation of the commission to designate the whole corridor, the governor opted to remove two segments from consideration, including the “East of Farson” segment where our family hunts. The rest of the Sublette antelope herd’s migration is still up for protection through designation, but key pieces of the corridor amounting to more than 200,000 acres will be ignored. This is not what’s best for the herd. Now Gov. Gordon has appointed a working group to review the science, socioeconomics and conservation opportunities of a corridor designation. They met on Feb. 2 for the first time, and we hope the working group members don’t lose sight of the broad public support for the Sublette herd or the challenges the herd faces across its range. We don’t know if any members of the working group were in the room at that commission meeting in September, but because we were there, we can say definitively that the general public is counting on them to do right by these animals and find a way to protect their migration. The Sublette herd is one of the largest populations of antelope on the planet. They need to cover a lot of country to maintain those numbers, and keeping their seasonal ranges intact and connected is the only chance they have to continue to do that. For our family’s sake, and all  fellow Wyomingites who value this herd, we urge the working group to stick up for the needs of the antelope and get this designation across the finish line. The post Do right by the Sublette antelope herd appeared first on WyoFile . ...read more read less