Wyoming

Wyoming's forests store much of the state’s critical water supply and provide habitat for some of our nation’s most iconic wildlife. The state’s vast and varied expanses of pine, fir, aspen and other trees also bolster a thriving recreation economy and benefit people and nature far beyond its borders.

And yet Wyoming’s forests are in trouble. Hotter, drier conditions are fueling more severe wildfires that can destroy large swaths of forest, put human communities at risk and threaten precious water resources. That’s why The Nature Conservancy is revitalizing Wyoming’s forests for the health of people and nature.

Water is the lifeblood of all living things, and in the arid West, it is an especially cherished commodity. In Wyoming, The Nature Conservancy has made keeping our natural water systems healthy a top priority.

The Colorado River has key headwaters in Wyoming, and the state’s forested mountains hold much of the snowpack that feeds into those headwaters streams and rivers. These waters provide habitat and sustenance for a wide range of animals downstream. The river also supports some of the nation’s most productive agricultural lands, as well as millions of people who live in the Colorado River watershed.

The Sagebrush Sea is the heart of the interior West. It has been home to Indigenous People for millennia and to generations of ranching families. A vast mingling of shrublands and grasslands, it rolls toward the horizon like a vast inland sea. More than 350 native bird and animal species inhabit this ecosystem, from pygmy owls and melodic songbirds to pronghorn and mountain lions. Some, like the greater sage-grouse, can survive nowhere else.