Wyoming Environmental Stewardship Award Day
CHEYENNE –Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has proclaimed July 12, 2023, as Wyoming Environmental Stewardship Day. Governor Gordon signed the proclamation during a ceremony in Cheyenne on Wednesday, April 12, 2023.
For twenty-eight years, Wyoming Environmental Stewardship Day has marked the day of the Environmental Stewardship Tour hosted by the Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) and the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. The annual event showcases the year’s award recipient’s conservation efforts.
The 2023 recipient of the award is the Big Creek Ranch in Encampment, Wyoming.
Big Creek Ranch, which is currently owned by the Gates Family of Denver, was originally established in 1878. Mark Dunning serves as the Ranch Manager for Big Creek Ranch where he oversees the cow/calf/yearling operation. The stewardship practices of Big Creek Ranch can be arranged into three categories: adaptive rotational grazing, ranching conservation projects, and cooperation with local conservation initiatives. For these reasons, and many others, they have been chosen to receive this prestigious award.
“It has been a tough year for stockmen and for wildlife. When you have people that care about wildlife and the condition of the range, it is fitting that we honor those that demonstrate this good work.,” the Governor stated during the Proclamation Signing on April 12.
The Big Creek Ranch will celebrate Wyoming Environmental Stewardship Day with their community on July 12 in Encampment. They will also be recognized at the Wyoming Stock Growers Association’s 2023 Wyoming Cattle Industry Convention Awards Luncheon on June 9, in the presence of WSGA members and ag industry leaders in Riverton.
For more information about the Wyoming Stock Growers Association Environmental Stewardship Program, please contact Olivia Sanchez at the Wyoming Stock Growers Association Office at olivia@wysga.org or (307) 638-3942. More information about the WSGA can be found online at www.wysga.org.
