UPDATE: Due to travel concerns stemming from the snowstorm in central and southern parts of the state, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission has canceled its March meeting, which was set for this week in Cody. The meeting had been scheduled for Tuesday, March 16 and Wednesday, March 17.

The Commission announced it intends to extend its meetings on April 19-21 in Jackson to address outstanding topics from March. The Cody meeting was the only one scheduled that's an easy drive for those in the Big Horn Basin, although the November meeting is scheduled for Riverton (about 160 miles south).

The meeting would have been the first public appearance for three new commissioners, including Park County’s Ashlee Lundvall. Also at the gathering, Arthur Middleton, a professor at the University of California — Berkeley, was scheduled to do a presentation of patterns of predation on elk and livestock and the commission was to vote on the department’s 2022 budget.

Earlier story follows:

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission will meet in Cody, March 16-17. The public is invited to attend in person or via Zoom video conferencing. Citizens will have a chance to comment on each specific agenda item and can speak to the commission about any matter, regardless of their attendance method.

For those who would like to attend in person, the meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn at Buffalo Bill Village Resort, 1701 Sheridan Ave. The meeting will follow state public gathering recommendations, and masks are required if social distancing is not possible.

The commission will be asked to vote on preliminary approval of the fiscal year 2022 budget and will elect a new president and vice president. 

Commissioners will also hear informational presentations and updates on several items, including the construction of the new Cody Regional Office, current research, monitoring, management and conflict activities of Wyoming’s large carnivores and the Access Yes program.  

On Wednesday, Game and Fish staff will update the commission on the department’s elk feedgrounds public engagement process. The department, along with contracted facilitator Tara Kuipers of Cody, recently finalized Phase I of the ongoing effort and summarized the first stage of feedback in a report available on the Game and Fish Feedgrounds webpage.

The commission will hear an overview of the report and how the department will carry out for Phase II, which is slated to include shared-learning events and extensive discussions with a diverse group of stakeholders. These efforts will help drive the development of a long-term elk feedgrounds management plan for Game and Fish. 

The meeting will also mark the first meeting for Commissioner Ashlee Lundvall of Cody, the new representative for the Big Horn Basin.

The full agenda with all presentations is available on the Game and Fish website: wgfd.wyo.gov/About-Us/Game-and-Fish-Commission.