Seven landowners from across the state were recognized by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department with the 2020 Landowner of the Year Awards. These awards, now in their 25th year, honor the outstanding practices in wildlife management, habitat improvement, access for hunters and anglers and conservation techniques by these individuals and families.

In the Game and Fish’s Cody Region — which encompasses the Big Horn Basin — the honor went to John and Nancy Joyce of JA Corp.

The Joyces’ property is located east of Manderson on the Nowood River. The river meanders through their property for 7 miles, supporting up to 20 dfferent species of fish — including sauger, burbot, flathead chub, moun-
tain sucker and smallmouth bass.

With the help of their sons, the Joyces maintain 1,500 acres of land where they graze sheep and grow crops using water from the Harmony Ditch diversion off the Nowood River. In 2006 and 2007 a study estimated over 55,000 fish were entrained into the Harmony Ditch each irrigation season and permanently lost from the Nowood River fishery.   

Being conservation-minded, the Joyces “wanted to prevent the loss of fish down their canal, allow for year round passage in the Nowood River, and eliminate annual maintenance to divert water,” the Game and Fish explained. “They collaborated with the department to develop solutions to meet these goals.”

A project was designed that improved fish passage and sediment transport, reduced fish entrainment and annual maintenance, and stabilized approximately 1,200 feet of streambank.

Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik said the Landowner of the Year award is a way to say thanks to landowners.

“Today’s landowners are more than ranchers or farmers, they are key partners,” Nesvik said. “Landowners preserve critical migration corridors, they improve habitat through costly enhan-
cement projects, and they provide important access which allows for our hunting and angling heritage to continue into the future.”

In Wyoming, half of all land is privately owned, which means that landowners have a significant impact on wildlife conservation.

Award recipients are nominated by Game and Fish employees and selected by the regional leadership teams as model citizens for the conservation, ethical use and stewardship of Wyoming’s natural resources. The WYldlife Fund sponsored this year’s event.

Other Landowners of the Year were:

• Green River Region: The Hickey Family, Hickey Ranch

• Lander Region: Carl and Kim Asbell, Asbell Family Ranch

• Sheridan Region: Bill and Beth White, The White Ranch

• Laramie Region: The True Family and Wayne Larson, foreman and Brandon Munn, ranch hand, Double Four Ranch/True Ranches

• Casper Region: Stacey and Janice Scott Family, Eagle Ridge Ranch

• Pinedale Region: Jim and Charlotte Finley, High Lonesome Ranch