Commission meeting held
Discussion surrounding balancing fiscal challenges with increasing agency projects and expenses was highlighted during the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget approval process at the March 18-19 Wyoming Game and Fish Commission meeting in Torrington.
New leadership appointed
The appointment of new leadership takes place annually, and two commissioners stepped into the roles previously held by President Ashley Lundvall and Vice President Mark Jolovich.
Jolovich was unanimously selected as the new president, while Rusty Bell was selected as vice president.
Preliminary budget receives approval
Meredith Wood, Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) chief financial officer, provided a detailed presentation for the 2027 budget proposal.
Wood provided projected expenses and costs of operation for the department, as well as some ongoing challenges in creating a budget to balance infrastructure needs and wildlife management objectives.
The proposed budget for FY27 is $110,640,013 for all divisions in the agency. This includes $108,564,988 in standard budgets and $2,075,025 in one-time projects. The budget is an $8.3 million increase from last year.
Key drivers for the increase include inflation, pay increases and capital construction or deferred maintenance projects for infrastructure.
The current projected revenue for FY27 is $112,452,574. Primary funding sources include license sales, federal aid, grants and interest.
Wood noted, while the annual budget is built to account for inflation and cost in-creases, the current projected revenue is static.
“Revenue has been relatively flat for a long time, which has obviously resulted in funding sacrifices to department programs as fixed costs increase,” Wood said. “We continue to prioritize our wildlife objectives, however, costs will continue to increase across the board and it will become increasingly difficult to keep up with inflation.”
Across-the-board license increases have not been approved by the Wyoming Legislature since 2008. Since then, there have been a few adjustments to select nonresident fees and preference points.
Wildlife conservation and infrastructure needs
The balance between managing wildlife objectives and agency infrastructure maintenance was highlighted by WGFD Chief Sean Bibbey, who provided a comprehensive Infrastructure Management Plan, which is slated to begin in FY28.
For FY28-37, WGFD has identified $62 million in major infrastructure projects across the state. Projects range from new building construction and major renovations to ongoing preventative maintenance needs on WGFD property.
Much of the deferred maintenance is the result of other objectives, including wildlife and habitat projects, taking precedence over infrastructure needs.
“Getting these deferred maintenance needs down on paper and trying to prioritize them has been a long-term goal for our division,” Bibbey said. “There has been a lot of work that has gone into this. We are trying to get a good handle on taking care of what the commission owns and making sure we have the correct priorities.”
Commissioner Fonzy Haskell commended Wood and the WGFD fiscal team for their work on the FY27 budget.
“I think you are doing a very good job being fiscally responsible, and I think it is important to tell the general public how responsible the department is on these things,” he said. “I want to commend you for the work you are doing and finding ways to make those dollars stretch. I think this means we need to put the dollars we have back into WGFD personnel and infrastructure. If we arenʼt putting it into our buildings it could catch up with us, so I appreciate you doing the work now.”
WGFD Deputy Director Eric Wiltanger echoed this sentiment, thanking all agency divisions for successfully building an effective budget.
“Wood and our entire team play an invaluable role in making sure our agency is set up for success to fund our projects throughout the year,” Wiltanger said. “Their hard work is the reason we can confidently fund our projects year-round.”
The commission gave unanimous approval to the preliminary budget, which will be given final approval during the July 2026 meeting in Sheridan.
Summary of mule deer research
In the final presentation for the meeting, Embere Hall, WGFD Science, Research and Analytical Support Unit supervisor, provided an annual review of the five-year Mule Deer Monitoring Programʼs research and data collection.
This program monitors mule deer throughout the state. The research team uses a variety of methods from GPS collaring and hunter surveys to exploring new technology to age animals through DNA.
Hall said the extensive collection has helped scientists gain a better understanding of mule deer, and funding this research has set the department ahead in gathering the amount of information it takes to learn more about the species.
“Funding this study has allowed us to complete an abundance surveys for 25 of 37 herds,” Hall said. “In four years, we have been able to accomplish what it would have taken us four decades to do at our prior funding level.”
Harvest surveys conducted this year sampled information from nearly 45,000 hunters, developing a clearer understanding of how successful harvests were and where hunters were able to see the most success.
Wyoming’s mule deer herds are found in a variety of ecosystems throughout the state.
Each herd has unique behavior patterns, survival rates and specific needs. By assessing what herds need – from habitat improvements to migration assistance – Hall said the research team is able to better understand what projects can provide the best help for the species.
“One of the pieces of this project I’m particularly proud of is, as we’ve been getting data from all of these big efforts and all of this work field personnel are putting into it, we’ve been able to turn it around and use it for management decisions,” Hall said.
The next Wyoming Game and Fish Commission meeting is scheduled for April 21-22 in Riverton. During the April meeting, 2026 hunting season setting will be submitted to the commission for approval.
A full list of season setting meetings being held statewide can be found at wgfd.wyo.gov.
WGFD is dedicated to conserving, enhancing and protecting Wyoming’s exceptional fish and wildlife resources and the habitats that support them. For more information, visit wgfd.wyo.gov.
