CHEYENNE-The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has named four more species for the 2008 Species of the Season Challenge, a program to help the agency gather information about distribution and abundance of some of Wyoming's wildlife.

The species on the list for this summer are the white-tailed prairie dog, Abert's squirrel, burrowing owl and the Lewis's woodpecker. Outdoor enthusiasts encountering these species are asked to report their sightings to the Game and Fish Department.

As the name implies, white-tailed prairie dogs have a short tail with a white tip as opposed to the black-tailed prairie dog, which has a black-tipped tail. The white-tailed prairie dog is the most common of the listed species, occupying the western two thirds of the state.

The burrowing owl is generally found in open, dry grasslands and basin prairies. This small (7"-10") ground dwelling owl is often associated with burrowing animals such as prairie dogs, badgers and ground squirrels.

The Lewis's woodpecker is fairly large, (9"-11") dark colored for the most part, and prefers open ponderosa pine forests, open cottonwood riparian woodlands and burned stands of Douglas fir and mixed conifers. It is found below 8,500 feet.

The Abert's squirrel is probably the least common of this year's species. It occurs in the Harriman area of the Laramie Range in the southeast portion of the state. Sometimes called the tassel eared squirrel, the Abert's squirrel has tufts of hair extending beyond the tips of its ears, and is associated with ponderosa pine forests.

The species challenge is part of a Game and Fish effort to gather more information on the 278 species listed in Wyoming's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. The CWCS is the state management plan for Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Most of the species are included in the listing because of a lack of basic information on their status and distribution.

Game and Fish supervisor of biological services Reg Rothwell said the Species of the Season Challenge enables citizens to help document locations and abundance of the 278 species of concern. "The species on the list are there not necessarily because they are few in number," Rothwell said. "Many are there because we don’t know that much about them. Hopefully, the information we gain will help increase our knowledge about them and prevent some from federal listing in the future."

Rothwell said the CWCS will be updated in the next two years and information will be provided to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by 2010.

CHEYENNE - Setting hunting seasons and quotas for mountain lions and wolves are on the agenda for the July 30-Aug. 1 Wyoming Game and Fish Commission meeting in Dubois. Furbearing animal trapping seasons as well as regulations governing taxidermists and hunter safety will also be established. .

The commission will also hear presentations regarding the elk reduction hunt on the National Elk Refuge and Teton National Park and the Governor's Sage Grouse Implementation Team. Details on Wyoming's new Hunter Mentor Program and a review of the Game and Fish Department's financial condition will also be presented.

Events of July 30 consist of a tour of several areas in the Dubois region. Possible locations include the Spence/ Moriarity and Inberg/Roy wildlife habitat management areas and the Dubois Fish Hatchery. The tour will begin at the Trail Lake Conservation Camp at 8:15 a.m. and end at 5:30 p.m. at the same location. The Trail Lake Conservation Camp is located off highway 26/287 about 4.3 miles southeast of Dubois and turning south on county road 257. Follow the graveled road for 7.6 miles to the conservation camp. Members of the public and media are welcome to follow the commissioners on the tour and are advised to bring food and water.

The meeting continues at 8 a.m. July 31 at the Trail Lake Camp and will conclude Aug. 1 at the Headwaters Arts and Conference Center in Dubois. Anyone who would like a complete agenda or requires auxiliary aids to attend should contact Connie Coleman at (307) 777-4501.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department supports the Americans With Disabilities Act. Every effort will be made for reasonable accommodations.
(Editor: Commission meeting agenda attached)
(Contact: Connie Coleman (307) 777-4501)

Commission Meeting Agenda

 Thursday, July 31, 2008

Location:  Trail Lake -

#	Time	Who	What
1A.	8:00	Commissioner Galles	Call meeting to order, and motion to go in to Executive Session
1B.	8:01	Commissioners and Staff	Executive Session to Discuss Personnel, Legal and Confidential Real Property, and Approve Executive Session Minutes
	10:15		Break
1C.	10:30	Commissioner Galles	Reconvene Open Session
2.	10:31	Commissioner Galles	Approval of April 14, 2008, April 24, 2008, May 9, 2008, June 4, 2008 and June 18, 2008 Minutes
3.	10:35	Steve Ferrell	Proposed New Commission Meeting Dates for 2009
4.	10:50	John Kennedy	Real Property a.  Acquisition of the Howard Farms Property in Goshen County b.  Red Butte Phase 2 Habitat Conservation Project in Fremont      County c.  State Land Easement in Sheridan County d.  South Douglas Parking Area Acquisition in Converse      County e.  Cross Lazy Two Conservation Project in Sublette County f.  Garland Canal Access Project in Park County g.  Acquisition of the Pinedale Regional Office in Sublette      County
5.	11:35	Richard Reynders	2008 Financial Review and 2009 Proposed Budget
6.	12:05	Richard Reynders	License Selling Agent Applications
	12:15		Lunch
7.	1:30	John Emmerich and Scott Talbott	Update on Interim Topics with Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee, and potential legislation
8.	1:40	Scott Talbott	Damage Claim Appeal #08116, Greg Jones
9.	2:00	Brandon Hoffner	Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) Update
10.	2:30	John Emmerich	Governor's Sage Grouse Implementation Team Efforts
11.	2:40	Gwyn McKee, on behalf of Antelope Mine	Update on Previous Efforts to Mitigate Impacts to Mountain Plover Nesting Habitat and Prairie Dog Colonies at the Antelope Mine
	3:00		Break
12.	3:15	Larry Kruckenberg and Dave Smith	The Role of Joint Ventures in Delivering Bird Conservation Efforts in the West
13.	3:45	John Kennedy	Wyoming's Hunter Mentor Program
14.	4:00	John Kennedy and Wendy Hayes	Conservation Education Program Update - Whiskey Mountain Conservation Camp
	4:35		Adjourn for the Day

Friday, August 1, 2008

Open Session

Location:  Headwaters Arts & Conference Center, 20 Stalnaker Street, Dubois, WY

#	Time	Who	What
	8:30	Commissioner Galles	Reconvene Meeting
15.	8:31	Scott Talbott	Chapter 4, Furbearing Animal Trapping Seasons
16.	8:40	Scott Talbott	Chapter 29, Issuance and Sale of Wyoming Interstate Game Tags
17.	8:50	Scott Talbott	Chapter 36, Regulation Governing Taxidermists
18.	9:00	Scott Talbott	Chapter 26, Regulation Governing Hunter Safety
19.	9:10	Richard Reynders	Chapter 44, Regulation for Issuance of Licenses, permits, Stamps, Tags, Preference Points and Coupons
	9:20		Break
20.	9:40	Scott Talbott	Chapter 42, Mountain Lion Hunting Seasons
21.	9:50	Scott Talbott	Chapter 47, Gray Wolf Hunting Seasons
22.	10:35	Public	Public Comment for Items Not on the Agenda
23.	11:05	Grand Teton National Park and National Elk Refuge	Informational Presentation Regarding Elk Reduction Hunt on the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park
24.	11:35	Commissioners	Commission Comment Period
	12:00		Adjournment