Conservancy, ranch team up to improve habitat

Armed with wire cutters and chain saws, a team of volunteers spread across the LU Ranch on Thursday to remove a rusting old fence as part of an ongoing effort to improve livestock operations and wildlife habitat.

Working across an arid sagebrush steppe in the shadows of the Absaroka Mountain front, the crew dismantled the barbed-wire fence in a matter of hours, completing another joint project on behalf of the Nature Conservancy.

The area encompasses 200,000 scenic acres between Meeteetse and Thermopolis and includes 160 miles of perennial streams. Work to date has included the planting of native willow and aspen trees, cutting conifers out of riparian zones, and establishing range and water quality monitoring programs, along with Thursday’s fence removal.