In Wyoming, officials recently gave the green light for a new shooting complex to be built on a 3-square-mile piece of land that is a designated crucial sanctuary for mule deer — a place the animals have always relied on. They didn't bother to do an environmental study.
What happened?
According to WyoFile, the state signed a 75-year lease. The problem is, this isn't empty land. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department issued a memo recommending the complex be moved because of wildlife conflicts, but that warning did not sway the ultimate decision.
It seems the project slipped through a crack in the rules. No one asked for a review, so a review never happened. "We have not done that before," Game and Fish Director Angi Bruce said, per WyoFile. "At the end of the day, this is a legislative action that passed and is now in state law. We're going to respect that."
Why is this concerning?
For the deer, this could be detrimental. They need undisturbed space to survive, especially during harsh winters. This isn't just about noise. According to World Deer, it's about disrupting migration routes they've used for generations. All around the world, natural habitats are shrinking. This means more dangerous human-wildlife encounters that would have otherwise been avoided.
Sticking an event center and shooting range in their home will add stress and push the herd into areas that are less safe. Wyoming values its hunting heritage, which can't exist without healthy wildlife. For a state with over 97,000 square miles of land, it seems there might have been a better location for the complex.
What's being done about it?
Communities in other parts of the world are proving it's possible to make more eco-friendly decisions. In Switzerland, officials sent a clear message: If you wrongfully kill a protected animal, you are banned from hunting for two years. Gran Canaria banned hunting in its most sensitive nature reserves. In Michigan, lawmakers are having a public debate about hunting rights.
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We can all help keep wildlife and the environment safer by speaking out when systems fail to protect nature, and by voting for candidates who support eco-friendly laws.
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