Powder River Fence Initiative

Who is the Powder River Fence Initiative?

• Formed in 2022 as the Bighorn Fence Initiative, and renamed in 2025 as the Powder River Fence Initiative, the group has removed or modified 15+ miles of fence across private and public lands in and around the counties of Sheridan, Johnson, and Campbell, along the eastern face of the Big Horn Mountains, stretching out into the foothills, high plains, grasslands, and valleys surrounding.
• Partners for PRFI is an ever-growing regional list including the US Forest Service, BLM, NRCS, Wyoming State Lands, Wyoming Game and Fish, Wyoming Department of Transportation, The Nature Conservancy, Mule Deer Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Trout Unlimited, The Wyldlife Fund, Wyoming Wilderness Association, Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation, Wyoming Sportsman’s Group, Bowhunters of Wyoming, Sheridan Community Land Trust, and Cloud Peak Backcountry Horsemen.

The Powder River Fence Initiative advocates for landscape connectivity and sustainable land use by promoting multi-use fencing that supports both safe wildlife movement and responsible livestock management through collaborative, conservation-minded solutions.

Following this mission, PRFI works to improve wildlife migration and movement by helping remove unneeded fencing from public and private land. PRFI also works with landowners to replace fencing with wildlife-friendly fencing that allows for safe passage of wildlife on their property, while still maintaining livestock control and boundary identification.

Powder River Fence Initiative focuses its efforts in and around the counties of Sheridan, Johnson, and Campbell, along the eastern face of the Big Horn Mountains, stretching out into the foothills, high plains, grasslands, and valleys surrounding.

Fences can create a barrier to wildlife movement. In certain areas, this barrier is essential for agriculture operations; however, in other places, it can be altered to reduce fence maintenance and allow wildlife to pass. When a fence is too high, wildlife may not be able to cross it at all or risk entangling themselves in the fence. When a fence has wire too close to the ground, wildlife can injure or entrap themselves in an attempt to crawl under. If a mother crosses a fence but her young are not able to crawl under, the young are often abandoned and perish. Wildlife-friendly fencing is necessary to avoid these deaths and damage to fencing from unsuccessful wildlife crossings.