Appropriations committee advances $16 million for large-scale wildlife habitat and invasive-grass projects in Senate File 88

The House Appropriations Committee voted to pass Senate File 88 after hearing a summary from Director Budd on a portfolio of landscape-scale wildlife habitat and invasive-grass projects that the director said require legislative approval.

Director Budd summarized the projects and the funding source during the committee meeting, saying, “We are required by law that if a project gets over $400,000 from the board that it be come back for approval by the legislature.” He described work on invasive annual grasses, conifer encroachment removal, erosion control, fence modifications, and native grassland treatments that span multiple landowners and agencies.

The projects described include work in Thunder Basin and the Bags Valley Headwaters focused on sage grouse and mule deer; the Kemmer 189 migration project to install highway fencing near Evanston to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions; a Wind Riverfront cheatgrass project…