Monday, May 4, 2026 |
Photo – Seminoe Reservoir, beach at the boat club – Courtesy Bureau of Reclamation
Wyoming Game and Fish is concerned about the unusually warm and dry winter and how it will affect wildlife.
The past winter has been one of the driest and warmest on record. Because of that, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is closely monitoring wildlife habitats around the state.
Due to the lack of precipitation, water levels at the Seminoe and Pathfinder reservoirs are extremely low at this time. Game and Fish Casper Region Fisheries Supervisor Matt Hahn said despite the low water, fish populations in both lakes are unlikely to be affected.
Both reservoirs are between 30 and 40 feet below average. Hahn said water levels are the lowest in 20 years and that the drop has created new risks that boaters should be aware of.
While fishing restrictions are unlikely for the Seminoe and Pathfinder reservoirs, Hahn warned that the low water levels may raise temperatures in downstream habitats. If conditions worsen, Hahn said Game and Fish may ask anglers to limit fishing in those areas.
Hahn said Game and Fish prefers voluntary restrictions over official closures. However, if temperatures continue to rise and anglers disregard the agency’s requests, river fishing access may be prohibited.
Between the Pathfinder and Seminoe reservoirs lies the Miracle Mile. Hahn said the blue‑ribbon trout fishery is not showing any negative effects from the warm and dry weather and is unlikely to see any restrictions this summer.
Casper Region Public Information Specialist Janet Milek said the unusually warm and dry winter is also expected to negatively affect land animals. Milek said the mild winter spared their fat stores, but the lack of moisture will limit the grasses the animals rely on to rebuild their reserves for the next year.
Meanwhile, Game and Fish biologists are hoping for a wetter winter. In the meantime, Milek said the agency is doing what it can to support the animals through summer.
In the Laramie Region, which covers the Snowy Range and Platte Valley, Game and Fish is reporting “some of the driest conditions observed in the past 30 years.” The latest snowpack measurements show the North Platte Basin at 34 percent of average, the Laramie Basin at 12 percent, and the South Platte Basin at a critically low zero percent. Because of the extremely dry conditions, fisheries biologists have stopped stocking fish at Shirley Basin and Elk Mountain reservoirs, where their survival is unlikely.
