By Wyoming Game And Fish LARAMIE – The Wyoming National Guard and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Laramie Region are creating unique opportunities by selecting projects on Wyoming Game and Fish Department lands to provide training opportunities to Guard personnel while benefiting sportsmen and wildlife.
The 133rd Engineer Company of the Wyoming National Guard is based in Laramie and Rock Springs. As an Engineer Support Company, the group can accomplish a wide array of earthmoving and vertical construction projects, making them perfect partners for Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Laramie Region.
The 133rd Engineer Company will help improve roads at several Wyoming Game and Fish Commission-owned properties, as well as help remodel Wyoming Game and Fish Department patrol cabins to meet current building codes. These projects will provide valuable work training for the soldiers and assist the Game and Fish Department with projects that would otherwise be sidelined as a result of heavy workload and competing project demands.
“This is a win-win situation for all the parties involved,” said Jerry Cowles, Habitat and Access Supervisor for the Laramie Region. The first project the Wyoming National Guard will undertake involves improving nine miles of dirt road at the Wick Brothers/Beumee Wildlife Habitat Management Area (WHMA) near Arlington. This project will include the installation and maintenance of cattle guards and culverts, as well as replace an automotive bridge. The property will remain open for the public during the project, with signs posted to notify visitors of the construction and subsequent heavy equipment work in the area. Sportsmen are urged to use caution around the sites.
These partnership activities will encompass a wide variety of projects the Game and Fish Department has been hoping to achieve, and are excited to now bring to fruition because of the skills provided by the Wyoming National Guard. These projects also provide enormous benefits to the Wyoming National Guard.
The goals of the 133rd Engineer Company are to provide relevant, ready, and trained forces to accomplish both state and federal missions. Thus, these projects align directly with their needs and goals. It is truly a win-win for the public and the agencies. Most recently, the unit completed a renovation of the Laramie Rifle Range, and two projects on Joint Training Site Camp Guernsey.
“We are looking forward to working with the soldiers with the 133rd Engineer Company,” Cowles said. “It’s a great opportunity for our organizations to work together for the benefit of the soldiers, wildlife and sportsmen. The Game and Fish Department is immensely excited about this opportunity and looks forward to additional projects where both the Wyoming National Guard and the public can benefit.”