Researchers Outline Hurdles to Saving Deer Route

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Researchers say protecting a recently discovered mule deer migration corridor in western Wyoming will require cooperation among a host of government agencies and private landowners.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide reported Wednesday up to 5,000 mule deer travel the 150-mile route twice a year between the Red Desert in southern Wyoming and the Hoback Basin near Jackson in northwestern Wyoming.

Hall Sawyer, a biologist who co-authored a 2014 report on the corridor, says one 30-mile section near Pinedale includes land administered by at least two federal agencies, the state and private owners.

He says that creates uncertainty over future land use and complicates management.

Highways and fences also present obstacles for the deer.

Sawyer says the state modified a fence along Wyoming Highway 28 to clear the route.