The abundant prairie grassland and sagebrush habitat blanketing the rugged Tom Thorne/Beth Williams Wildlife Habitat Management Area (WHMA) in southeast Wyoming provides ideal winter range for elk, mule deer and bighorn sheep, but until recently, accessing much of the 2,961-acre WHMA posed a challenge. Its 10.5-mile boundary fence once stood 60 inches tall—strung with 48-inch-high woven wire topped with three or four strands of barbed wire—often impeding or entangling critters attempting to cross in and out of the WHMA.
A decade ago, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department committed to replacing the entire boundary fence to meet wildlife-friendly specifications. Over the years the agency converted about 4 miles of fence, removing the old woven and barbed wire and replacing it with a bottom strand of smooth wire located 18 inches off the ground, followed by three strands of barbed wire reaching 40 inches high.
In 2023, the agency garnered funding from RMEF to finish the job, and by the end of December 2025, had converted all 10.5 miles of boundary fence to wildlife-friendly specifications. Now, small animals and young ungulates can easily slip under the fence while adults can safely jump over.
RMEF contributed $5,000 to the effort. In 2025, RMEF helped complete 79 miles of wildlife-friendly fencing improvements through fence removal and modifications to facilitate big game movement.