South Pass Aspen Work Restores More Than 3,700 Acres of Big Game Habitat

More than 3,700 acres of aspen stands in Wyoming's South Pass area have had encroaching conifers removed through a long-running habitat partnership. The work targets country that supplies winter range and calf- and fawn-rearing habitat for elk, mule deer and moose, along with summer range for sage grouse.

From 2015 through 2026, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation contributed more than $111,000, helping leverage more than $2.7 million for the effort with the Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming Game and Fish Department and other partners. Those figures describe the project across that period, not a new grant awarded this September.

Aspen need disturbance to regenerate. Encroaching trees compete for sunlight, water and space, reducing the room available for new aspen growth. Removing conifers from existing stands is intended to renew the food and cover those stands provide. Aspen also help retain water around creeks and rivers and can serve as natural fire breaks.

The project sits at the southern end of the Wind River Range in west-central Wyoming. For hunters, the significance is habitat that supports big game through several demanding parts of the year, rather than a new season or access announcement. The September 11 project report documents treatment acreage; it does not report a measured increase in animal populations.