The wheels are in motion — and potentially nearing a finish line — to convey some 3,461 acres of U.S. Bureau of Reclamation property abutting the North Platte River to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. 

Although there’s been renewed life in the federal land takeover movement in Wyoming and beyond, the conveyance has nothing to do with that. Rather, the land transfer was kicked off a handful of years ago by Game and Fish, whose leadership at the time expressed interest in acquiring the acreage spanning Converse and Platte counties for wildlife habitat and hunting. 

“Their former director and our former director got together and realized that it was an area that’s popular for the sporting public,” said Matt Pollock, Game and Fish’s Casper Region habitat and access coordinator. 

“Director [Carlie] Ronca and Director [Brian] Nesvik came to the conclusion that, if there was a way we could figure this out, it’d be great to put it into the hands of the Game and Fish, and we could manage it as a wildlife habitat management area,” he added. 

Although the title remains with the federal government, the goal of managing the property as wildlife habitat has already been achieved. It’s used for pursuing deer, upland birds, waterfowl and for fishing, Pollock said. In the spring of 2023, Game and Fish took over management of the land and created the North Glendo Wildlife Habitat Management Area.

The creation of that management area was covered in a short article by Game and Fish’s publication, “Wyoming Wildlife,” but otherwise it received little to no publicity. Changes have been few, though the state agency put up some gates, signs and closed some roads.

“Many areas became muddy due to driving off-road or on dirt two-tracks when it was wet,” the “Wyoming Wildlife” article stated. “The hope is to reclaim those areas and some roads to provide more and better habitat for wildlife.” 

Meanwhile, work continued to convey the title of the tract from the Bureau of Reclamation to Game and Fish. Originally obtained for floodplain reasons back in the 1950s, the federal agency classified it as “acquired land” and subsequently reported it as “excess,” according to Hailey Glarrow, a natural resource specialist for the bureau’s office in Mills. 

“It doesn’t really serve a project purpose for us anymore,” Glarrow said. 

The bureau’s mission is water-related — it builds and manages dams, canals, etc. — but it’s not considered a land management agency.  

In mid-February, the U.S. General Services Administration posted a notice alerting other federal agencies that it was disposing of the properties. An inquiry to the GSA — which has been in the news for its DOGE-related property disposals — yielded no responses. 

According to the GSA’s notice, other federal agencies had until Tuesday to express interest in the Bureau of Reclamation’s property near Glendo Reservoir. By mid-morning that day, Glarrow had not heard from anybody. 

The next step in the process is what’s called a “public benefit and homeless-use screening,” Glarrow said. It’s a 30-day process, she said, during which the window would be open for Wyoming to formally acquire the land. 

“Game and Fish would step in and put their bid in during step two,” Glarrow said. 

The “bid,” however, would not be monetary. 

“We’re not going to be paying anything,” Pollock said. 

The Game and Fish Commission has already approved moving forward with the acquisition, spokeswoman Janet Milek said. 

If somehow the transfer fell through, then the 3,461 acres head to an open auction, Glarrow said. Although fellow federal agencies have not signaled any interest in acquiring the property, private parties have found the riverside wetlands and meadows sprawling out from Glendo Reservoir appealing.

“I’ve heard a lot from the public,” Glarrow said. 

Folks haven’t been reaching out in support of Game and Fish’s acquisition. Rather, they want to buy it, she said.

Correction: this story was updated to fix the name of a former Bureau Reclamation employee. -Eds.