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A community initiative in Wyoming is bringing down miles of fencing in order to help migrating wildlife. National Geographic profiles the Absaroka Fence Initiative, which organizes volunteers to dismantle unused barbed wire fences.
An estimated 600,000 miles of fences run across the American West. Scientists mapped 4,500 miles of fencing in one Wyoming county alone, many of them serving no purpose, and others erected without consideration for how they can harm native wildlife.
Scientists in an emerging field of research known as fence ecology are helping land managers and ranchers understand the impact of fencing. Because fences can't be seen in most satellite imagery, they're often left out of conservation planning and research.
The good news is that collaborative efforts like the Absaroka Fence Initiative are not controversial, even in places like Wyoming where conservation groups and ranchers sometimes disagree. As Tony Mong, the chair of the initiative, told National Geographic “Everyone can agree on this.”
Leasing to resume—but when?
Climate advocates and the oil industry are watching to see how quickly the Interior Department moves to auction new oil leases, following the agency's announcement this week that it will resume oil and gas leasing while it appeals a court ruling.
University of Colorado law professor Mark Squillace told Bloomberg that a sale in late 2021 is possible, adding that “So long as Interior can show it is planning a sale for the 4th quarter I don’t think that the court is likely to intervene.”
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From a human perspective, fences are for managing land and livestock, and they are barely visible from afar. For animals that need to roam, however, every ‘invisible’ fence line could be an actual barrier that they have to figure out how to overcome.”
