As Wyoming’s outdoor recreation scene grows, biologists are uncovering new details about how people are impacting wildlife health.
According to the Wyoming News Service, biologists use motion-triggered speakers and trail cameras to capture what happens when animals hear humans. Wildlife advocates are urging land managers to use the data to plan where to install future trails and campsites.
Hikers and mountain bikers frequently enter an animal’s zone of influence, Meghan Riley with the Wyoming Outdoor Council explained.
“An animal might hear or smell you, and bolt. And you might not even see that that has happened,” she said. “It might not look like a big deal, but that animal is expending energy at the time of the year when it most needs to conserve energy.”
When people frequently pass through an animal’s area, experts say it can stress the animals and prevent them from feeding.
The U.S. Forest Service is collecting data on these interactions in the Bridger-Teton National Forest and is considering making revisions to its land management plan.
Riley said the research is important for land and wildlife managers to prevent overuse in certain areas.
She said, “I think there’s a way to make sure that people have the access to the outdoors that they need to thrive, but do it in a way that is intelligent and protective of the wildlife resources that we all cherish.”
One way to ensure wildlife get needed breaks, Riley noted, is to implement brief seasonal closures in key areas like keeping people out of big-game winter range lands or summer nesting areas when calves are being born.