The Environmental Governance Dimensions of Migratory Pronghorn Conservation in Western Wyoming
Researchers:
Andrew Sampson (Student, M.S. in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University)
Ed Gallo-Cajiao (Assistant Professor, Colorado State University)
Project objectives
Determine the actors, institutions, collaborations, funding, and knowledge shaping the conservation and management of the Jackson Hole migratory pronghorn herd.
Project Description
Animal migration is a key ecological process valued by humans in so many ways, yet it is declining. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, pronghorn summering in Jackson Hole undertake the second-longest migration in the contiguous United States, a 120-mile journey from Grand Teton National Park to the upper Green River basin. Many conservation actions, such as the construction of wildlife overpasses or fence retrofitting, have been implemented to help protect and manage this migration. While there has been empirical work done to analyze some of these individual actions, no research has been done to determine who all the actors involved are, what the institutions are, and the overall collaboration processes among actors for conserving this herd using a full life cycle approach. Environmental governance, understood broadly as the way actors collaborate across sectors and jurisdictions for collective action related to environmental goals, is a fitting lens to analyze the conservation of this migratory herd. In this study, the Grand Teton migratory pronghorn herd is defined as the individuals who spend the summer in Jackson Hole and undergo an annual migration south to the upper Green River basin to join with the larger Sublette herd in the winter. The purpose of this research project is to use environmental governance theory and frameworks to assess how the actors, institutions, knowledge, and funding mechanisms drive conservation and management efforts for the Grand Teton migratory pronghorn herd.
Methods
Andrew will be based out of Pinedale over the summer 2026, as he will do most data collection on site. The primary source of data will be collected via semi-structured interviews with key governance actors along the migratory corridor. Initial interviewees will start from a seed sample determined through professional networks of researchers on this project. From these initial interviews, a snowball approach for future referrals will be used to find additional interviewees. The next form of data collection will be from document analysis. Key policy documents will be identified from interviews and archive searches for further analysis. Lastly, Andrew will collect participant observation data from meetings that occur in the study system pertaining to the conservation and management of Grand Teton migratory pronghorn.
Contact
Andrew Sampson (andrew.sampson@colostate.edu)
