Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge(CMNWR) south of Cokeville, Wyoming is centered around a 20-mile stretch of the Bear River and its associated wetlands and uplands. The Refuge was established in 1992. While the approved acquisition boundary for the Refuge totals 26,657 acres, only 9,259 have been purchased or are protected through conservation easements to date. Land acquisition is ongoing from willing sellers only.

Wetlands within the acquisition area provide excellent habitat for a variety of migratory and resident wildlife species. The area was identified as the number one priority in the Bear River Focus Area Plan for the Inter-Mountain West Joint Venture. The Refuge supports one of the highest densities of nesting waterfowl in Wyoming, species including White-faced Ibis, Black Tern, and numerous other marsh and shorebirds; provides excellent potential for reintroduction of Trumpeter Swans; and provide habitat for Mule Deer, Elk, and Pronghorn.

Currently Cokeville Meadows is managed as a satellite of Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge 75 miles to the east. The Refuge remains closed to the public except for the wildlife viewing station that is situated along the west side of HWY 30 approximately 10 miles south of the town of Cokeville.

Cokeville Meadows NWR is a relatively new and growing Refuge with limited staff. Management activities are diverse and often focus on working cooperatively with local ranchers to accomplish projects and management goals.

Lands that are newly acquired are posted with boundary signs and evaluated for wildlife use, habitat potential, invasive weeds, fencing needs, contaminants, and other items. Under Special Use Permits, local ranchers and Refuge managers mutually benefit by working cooperatively to reach Refuge habitat goals and project goals. Ranchers assist Refuge staff with irrigation of wet meadows and other wetlands, maintenance of ditches and other irrigation facilities, providing food plots for wildlife, maintaining vigor of wet meadow vegetation through selective haying , weed control, conversion of marginal croplands to permanent native vegetation, and other projects such as Refuge cleanups, and fence maintenance and construction. In exchange, ranchers receive hay and crop shares. Refuge staff also work closely with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to identify and achieve management goals and objectives. Refuge staff and biologists from Wyoming Game and Fish also conduct regular wildlife surveys.

To reach the Refuge, travel south from Cokeville, Wyoming, on State Highway 30. The acquisition boundary of Cokeville Meadows NWR begins about one mile south of the town of Cokeville and continues 16 miles to the south. Highway 30 forms the eastern acquisition boundary of the Refuge. Non-contiguous Refuge lands are located within the valley intermingled with tracts of private, State and Bureau of Land Management lands.

A new muti-purpose building has been constructed on the Refuge to help staff previously stationed at Seedskadee better manage the lands. It houses an office, maintenance shop, and small apartment to for seasonal employees and researchers.

Construction was finished in December of 2009 and the building should be fully operational in the spring of 2010.

Refuge Land Ownership Map

The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 requires that all refuges be managed in accordance with an approved CCP which, when implemented, will achieve refuge purposes; help fulfill the Refuge System mission; maintain and, where appropriate, restore the ecological integrity of each refuge and the Refuge System; help achieve the goals of the Wilderness Preservation System; and meet other mandates. The CCP will guide management decisions and set forth goals, objectives, and strategies to accomplish these tasks. The Service hopes to complete the CCP for Cokeville Meadows NWR over the next two years.

For updates on Cokeville Meadow's CCP process please visit the Mountain-Prairie Region Planning website at http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/planning/ccp/wy/ckv/ckv.html

The Service is proposing to establish the Bear River Watershed Conservation Area in the northeastern corner of Utah, extending into southeastern Idaho and southwestern Wyoming.

This large-landscape, conservation easement strategy would protect important habitat for a variety of fish, mammals, and migratory birds and major migration corridors connecting the northern and southern Rocky Mountains. In addition, the proposed conservation area would facilitate watershed-wide conservation efforts and would protect valuable farmland and ranchland.

• Comprises a project area within the Bear River watershed.


• Potential land protection with conservation easements bought from willing sellers