ROCK SPRINGS — Two Sweetwater County residents were recently appointed to the Wyoming Wildlife Task Force created to study top-priority wildlife policies, issues facing the state related to the allocation of hunting opportunity, sportsperson access, and other issues.
According to a press release from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the 18-member task force was formed and appointed by Governor Mark Gordon, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the president of the Senate, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission president and the Game and Fish Department director.
The two Sweetwater County representatives are Joshua Coursey, Muley Fanatics Foundation executive director, and Liisa Anselmi-Dalton, former legislator and hotel owner.
Coursey was selected to represent the sportsmen and sportswomen of Wyoming, while Anselmi-Dalton will represent the tourism side.
“This group of individuals appointed to the Wyoming Wildlife Taskforce reflects a collective of perspectives and expertise from citizens and leaders that will be valuable to our work on licensing and public access and other issues identified by the committee. Topics will require ingenuity, research and deep discussions,” Commission President Pete Dube said in the release. “We are grateful to have their commitment.”
Over the next 18 months, the task force will analyze numerous topics. The first meeting will probably take place sometime this summer, however members of the task force will be receiving information to review prior to the first meeting.
Coursey said Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik wants the meetings to take place in person, which is why they are holding off for now.
“My aim is to weigh all of the information shared, discuss intimately the content presented, seek answers to questions unknown and actively collect feedback, ideas and suggestions from as many different perspectives I can flesh out,” Coursey said.
Anselmi-Dalton said she applied for the task force because when she was a Wyoming Senator she served on the Travel, Recreation and Wildlife Committee and really developed an interest in those areas. She was also encouraged by Nesvik to apply for the task force.
Anselmi-Dalton said she’s particularly interested in wildlife crossings, traffic concerns and travel. She also goes hunting and fishing with her husband and is interested in those topics as well.
“I thought it would be nice to keep doing some sort of public service,” Anselmi-Dalton said.
Both Coursey and Anselmi-Dalton are looking forward to receiving information from the task force to prepare for the in-person meeting. They know the issues coming before them will not only impact Sweetwater County, but the entire state.
“This task force is important to the entire state. The subject matters that will be discussed within this task force have significant value to the recreational opportunities afforded to sportsmen and sportswomen,” Coursey said. “No region or populous will be immune to any of the decisions that may result from recommendations put forth by this task force.”
Some of the issues Coursey anticipates coming up include preference points, limited quota areas, waiting periods, access to landlocked public lands, choosing a weapon, and the amount of resident and non-resident licenses. He said all of these will have a direct impact regardless of where someone lives in Wyoming.
The end goal of the task force is to present conclusions and recommendations to the Legislature, Game and Fish Commission, and Governor Mark Gordon to support decision making on Wyoming’s wildlife resources, the press release states.