WGFD Director Angi Bruce highlights department priorities

In the Jan. 7 episode of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s (WGFD) recently-launched Wyoming Wildlife Podcast, WGFD Director Angi Bruce joins podcast Host Robert Gagliardi for a conversation highlighting the department’s priorities for 2026.

Bruce also discusses her experiences as director since her appointment in September 2024 and provides some updates about WGFD’s areas of interest for the 2026 legislative session.

Positive attitude

To begin, Bruce reflects upon some of the experiences she has had since beginning her role as WGFD director. 

She expresses gratitude for a widespread sentiment of respect shared by Wyomingites for the WGFD and wildlife in general – an attitude she called an “eye opener.”

“The public in Wyoming supports wildlife and the department,” Bruce notes, emphasizing she felt a high level of respect as soon as she stepped into her role.

Bruce further says she believes this respect to be a product of “years of service from employees who are very dedicated to fish and wildlife management in the state.”

Top priorities

Next, Bruce turns her comments to highlighting some focus areas for WGFD in 2026. She notes throughout her first year as director, her main priorities focused on collaborating with other WGFD staff to make departmental operations more efficient and effective.

This year, Bruce says more of the work will be forward-facing, with a particular focus on habitat and mule deer conservation.

“A big focus we’ve been talking about for this coming year is developing a statewide mule deer conservation strategy,” Bruce comments. “We’re starting to frame up what the department feels we need to help recover healthy mule deer populations in this state.”

Bruce says an all-hands-on-deck approach to conserving mule deer populations will be needed to help correct the downhill trend in populations across the West, not just in Wyoming. 

She further says WGFD experts have been working on a roadmap to mule deer conservation, which the department is excited to make available to the public as the year progresses.

Bruce says she looks forward to receiving feedback and participation from the public, especially regarding policy and funding decisions. 

Additionally, Bruce highlights habitat restoration and protection as another priority for WGFD this year. 

She acknowledges the WGFD’s long track record of restoration work involving riparian areas, fisheries and stream habitats, sagebrush habitats and forests, while also noting the question of what to do next and how to do more. 

“The department is very dedicated to improving and restoring habitat in this state,” Bruce says. 

From the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to private landowners, Bruce says collaborating on habitat management with stakeholders will continue to be a top priority in 2026.

“We need to do more and we know that,” Bruce says. “We’re really going to be exploring how we can do more on a landscape scale, more efficiently and effectively, with all of our stakeholders.”

“In Wyoming, we are very fortunate to have a very unfragmented landscape and a lot of habitat left,” she adds. “We need to focus on improving the quality of this habitat, and we can do it in a lot of different ways.” 

One area of focus Bruce mentions is protecting forage through increased efforts to control invasive species like cheatgrass, noting a focus on management, eradication and education goes a long way in controlling damaging grasses.

Legislative focus

In closing, Bruce comments on a few areas of interest for WGFD during the 2026 Legislative Session. 

She points out, since the department does not receive any general funds from the state, WGFD is less dependent upon the outcome of the 2026 Budget Session. 

Still, Bruce notes the department does report their budget to state legislators to keep lawmakers informed on where funding comes from and what it’s being spent on. 

Further, she makes note of ongoing debates surrounding landowner licenses, a conversation which was started roughly four years ago by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission.

Bruce says WGFD is continuing to participate in conversations and monitor for potential bills regarding caps on landowner licenses, although she is unsure of how much debate regarding wildlife issues will see the legislative floor during this year’s short budget session. 

Finally, Bruce shares some details on the legislative testimony process which WGFD participates in to increase awareness and education and advocate for the department. 

She reiterates in cases involving relevant legislation, WGFD does not do any lobbying but rather shares testimony on how a proposed bill would affect department operations.

In closing, Bruce notes she has been pleased with the presence of legislators in recent years who she believes to value wildlife in Wyoming, understand its economic impact on tourism and advocate for what Wyomingites want to see regarding wildlife issues. 

Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.