Federal Budget Cuts Threaten Future of Wyoming Wildlife Research Unit

The future of the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit — a cornerstone in wildlife migration science — is in jeopardy amid proposed deep budget cuts and restructuring plans under the Trump administration, WyoFile reports.

As federal officials direct the US Geological Survey (USGS) to draft “liquidation plans” for its 43 cooperative research units nationwide, the uncertainty surrounding the Wyoming team has sparked concern from conservationists and research partners alike.

Founded in 1977, the Wyoming unit has gained national recognition for advancing the science of large mammal migration. Led by USGS scientists Matt Kauffman, Anna Chalfoun, and Annika Walters, the team has not only contributed critical research but has also helped shape public understanding and policy related to wildlife conservation. Most notably, Kauffman heads the Wyoming Migration Initiative, which has produced detailed migration maps and launched a global effort to track ungulate movements.

The USGS, which employs the unit’s faculty, is reportedly planning to significantly downsize or eliminate the cooperative program as part of a broader reduction in the Ecosystems Mission Area. That division, which houses the cooperatives, employs roughly the same number of staff — around 1,200 — as the reported layoffs planned across the agency. An internal directive circulated among unit leaders called for the disposal of vehicles and equipment within two weeks, signaling the urgency and severity of the potential cuts.

Tony Wasley, president of the Wildlife Management Institute — one of the cooperative program’s long-standing partners — confirmed the development of shutdown plans. He acknowledged that it remains unclear whether some units may survive the reduction, but warned that time is of the essence as partners consider how to sustain the research capabilities without federal support.

“We’re doing everything we can to maintain what we view as critical capacity for conservation,” Wasley said.

The Wyoming unit operates in partnership with the USGS, the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Wildlife Management Institute. Despite the gravity of the situation, many of these agencies have not offered detailed public responses. University officials have stated they have not received confirmation of faculty terminations, while the Game and Fish Department declined to comment.

The cooperative’s potential dissolution could halt a wide array of active and ongoing research. In addition to Kauffman’s high-profile migration studies, Chalfoun and Walters conduct ecological research that informs state wildlife management strategies, such as the Wyoming State Wildlife Action Plan. Their labs have collectively mentored nearly 60 graduate students, many of whom now work in conservation roles across Wyoming.

Greg Nickerson, the only other full-time employee of the Wyoming Migration Initiative, said Kauffman’s leadership is central to the program’s effectiveness.

“There is a tremendous amount of work that would not be happening without Matt,” he noted, pointing to contributions like migration mapping and a recently launched global atlas.

Former officials echoed those concerns. Bob Lanka, a former Game and Fish administrator and graduate of the unit, emphasized its role in tackling complex ecological questions.

“Like, how do songbirds react to oil and gas development? And not only how do they react, but why?” he said.

Steve Williams, a past director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and former co-op unit student, was more blunt:

“This is a hell of a way to run a government if you’re looking for efficiency,” he said.

Williams argued that the cooperative program is widely valued by states and universities alike.

“Wyoming’s unit is the poster child of what research cooperatives can do,” he said, crediting its work with influencing federal conservation policy.

While a temporary court order has paused most federal reduction-in-force notices through May 23, the long-term outlook remains grim. Trump’s proposed 2026 budget includes $564 million in cuts to the USGS, and internal emails suggest the administration is considering a complete elimination of the Ecosystems Mission Area, which has received up to $28 million annually in federal support for its cooperative programs.

For now, discussions continue behind the scenes among public and private partners about whether — and how — the cooperative units might persist without federal funding.

“This model has really developed here in Wyoming,” Nickerson said. “If it’s lost, we’ll be losing more than just research. We’ll be losing a foundation for science-driven conservation.”