Volunteers remove old fencing from the Roan Plateau.

After visiting the Roan Plateau in late August I knew our upcoming October fence pull was going to be a hard one! The fence line in question was “let-down” fencing, a fence that is designed to be removed from its posts and laid down on the ground for winter. When constructed correctly, this type of fencing can be very wildlife friendly. Unfortunately, it requires upkeep annually to pull down and put back up the fence, something that has not being done for this fence line in years. This meant the fence remained up throughout the year disrupting wildlife movements and hindering migration from the summer ranges on the top of the plateau to winter ranges down on the valley floors. Luckily, it was no longer necessary for the sheep grazing operation in the area and was now able to be removed! This is where volunteers come in!  

                                                                                      

All my stress about poor timing of early and adverse weather conditions of early October slowly faded as volunteers arrived the day before to join a group campout. Staged at a beautiful BLM administrative cabin surrounded by the gold of the changing aspen trees, volunteers enjoyed an evening of shared wild game dishes, hunting stories, and discussions about the future of the Roan Plateau. The next morning, volunteers went to work. BHAer's partnered with Wilderness Workshop volunteers, worked alongside BLM and CPW staff, to completely remove a high traffic section of the fencing. The work was slow and required removing five individual strands of barbed wire from wooden posts called “stays.” The next step was pulling the wire free from the sagebrush, aspens, and snowberry shrubs that have grown around it over the years. Finally, volunteers rolled up the freed wires and deposited the rolls into the BLM dump trailer to be taken to the recycler. This process was not easy, but volunteers quickly fell into their individual rolls and got into a rhythm. I am always impressed with how quickly these projects progress. The first hour or so the work is a bit slower as individuals find which role they can best fill. By mid-morning, the pace of workquickens as people start to get their role mastered and fall into a rhythm. By the end of the day, a finely tuned system has been established, and the group works as a unit flying down the fence line!

                                                                                                                                                     

There is something special about the connections formed through this type of volunteer work. People who may seem from the outside to be completely different find commonalities and come away with a connection that has a very real impact. I often hear volunteers expressing renewed optimism and reinvigorated drive to continue protecting public land. Stewardship projects like these are a piece of the conservation puzzle and give an opportunity for people to reconnect, something vital to the protection of these wild places.

The Roan Plateau is facing a renewed threat in the form of oil and gas leasing that threatens to leave the landscape scared with drill rigs and carved up by roadways. However, with dedication from individuals like our volunteers who prove they are willing to invest their time and effort to protect the Roan, something can still be done. If this work sounds interesting to you, check out BHA’s event website for a list of projects in your area. Finally, thanks to Wilderness Workshop, BLM staff, and CPW for all their help and dedication to this project!