SUNLIGHT BASIN HABITAT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

CODY – Performance is the measure of ones ability to get the job done. In the case of improving habitat for wintering elk on the Sunlight Wildlife Habitat Management Area, the job certainly got done -- it exceeded expectations.

Hoping to achieve the goal of producing between 2,000 – 2,500 pounds of forage per acre, habitat managers were elated when their analysis indicated that production was determined to be 2,610 lbs/acre.

The project, formally known as the Sunlight Basin Meadows Upgrade, was a team effort. Through grants obtained from the Wyoming Wildlife Federation, Bow Hunters of Wyoming and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Game and Fish Department was able to cost-share in the improvement of 200 acres of prime elk winter range.

“We knew the project would improve things, but this is truly a success story,” said Cody Habitat and Maintenance Supervisor Steve Ronne.

Ronne contributes the success to three things: fertilizer, weed management and water. By using a mixture of specially blended fertilizer and applying it at 270 lbs/acre, grass and forb growth proved to be exceptional. “To perpetuate this success, soil surveys will be completed to determine the need for future fertilization and how frequently it should be applied,” added Ronne.

Chemical treatments were used to eradicate undesirable plants such as Canadian thistle, kochia, lambsquarters and mustard. “Although the treatments were labor intensive, the results proved to be well worth it,” Ronne added. Noxious weeds are also a problem in other parts of Sunlight Basin. In late 2002, a noxious weed Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) program for the entire basin area was formed. As a member of the CRM, the Game and Fish will assist private landowners, Shoshone National Forest, National Resource Conservation Service and the Park County Weed and Pest in weed mapping and weed eradication.

A third element responsible for the habitat improvement is an improved water delivery system and spring snow that fell just after fertilization. “We had good spring moisture and also upgraded the irrigation system to maximize our irrigation potential, and we hired a part-time irrigator to keep an eye on things,” said Ronne.

The Sunlight Basin area is more than important -- it’s crucial. “The Sunlight Basin Meadows are considered crucial winter range for nearly 1000 elk, as well as mule deer, bighorn sheep and moose,” said Ronne. “It is also provides access to thousands of acres of national forest.”

-WGFD-
 

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