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Teton County honors wildlife scientist Matt Kaufman for migration research
Summary
The county commission presented a letter of commendation to Dr. Matt Kaufman of the University of Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, recognizing his research on ungulate migration and leadership of regional migration initiatives.
The Teton County Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 22 presented a letter of commendation to Dr. Matt Kaufman, leader of the University of Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, praising his research on migratory ungulates and statewide collaboration.
Commissioner Karlman introduced Kaufman's work as central to the county's 2025–26 strategic initiative on ecosystem stewardship. "Your work helps us give that phrase meaning," Karlman said, noting collaborations with Wyoming Game and Fish, the University of Wyoming, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Jackson Hole Wildlife League and private donors.
Commissioner Probst read the commission's letter into the record, citing Kaufman's leadership of the Wyoming Migration Initiative and his role in informing the U.S. Department of the Interior Secretarial Order 3362 (2018), which prioritizes habitat conservation for big game migration across western states. The letter also notes Kaufman's 15 years as unit leader, his role in the Ungulate Migrations of the West project and the 2024 Aldo Leopold award from the American Society of Mammalogists.
Dr. Kaufman spoke from the public podium and confirmed a question about a widely followed collared deer (referred to in the meeting as "Deer 665"): "Yes, she did have twins," Kaufman said, explaining researchers determine fetal counts by ultrasound at capture on winter range. He added that whether those fawns survived is "less clear" and that researchers usually confirm survival by following up in winter range surveys.
Kaufman also described the Greater Yellowstone region as a focal area for migrations and said the region's network of parks, forests and an engaged constituency provides a better chance to conserve migrations.
The commission's letter thanked Kaufman for advancing public understanding and for partnerships that support migration research, conservation and local quality of life. The board approved the letter for attestation and mailing; the clerk will attest the document and the county will mail it to Kaufman.
Provenance: Dr. Kaufman's remarks and the commission's commendation appear during the meeting's commendation agenda item; the transcript includes Kaufman's public comment confirming the twin fetuses and commissioners' remarks about the Wyoming Migration Initiative and Secretarial Order 3362.
