Sara Domek is Wyoming’s Migration Program Director for The Nature Conservancy. Sara grew up in the small town of Kemmerer and later moved to Pinedale, giving her a rare, firsthand perspective on Wyoming’s working landscapes— both from a natural resources and a conservation standpoint. Her upbringing, paired with years of experience working in nonprofits, agencies, and boots-on-the-ground conservation, makes her uniquely suited to lead TNC’s efforts to protect Wyoming’s world-renowned wildlife migrations.
If you’ve spent any time driving through Wyoming, you’ve probably cruised past some of the most important migration corridors in North America—maybe without even realizing it. Sara and her team are working to keep those landscapes permeable, helping mule deer, pronghorn, elk, and other species continue the seasonal journeys they’ve been making for thousands of years. We talk about the science behind migration, how seemingly small barriers like fences can create big challenges for wildlife, and how collaborative conservation— between landowners, agencies, and nonprofits— can create real, lasting wins.
Sara also shares some fascinating details about Wyoming’s longest mule deer migration, the importance of building trust with local communities, why cheatgrass is a bigger villain than it looks, and how carefully designed wildlife crossings can benefit both animals and people. We also get into her favorite books, why she’s hopeful about the future, and, once again, the simple but powerful idea that success in conservation often comes down to strong relationships.
This is a thoughtful and inspiring conversation with someone who truly embodies the spirit of collaborative, community-driven conservation. I hope you enjoy!
Header photo courtesy of TNC and by Scott Copeland, headshot by Sara Domek
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EPISODE PARTNER:
This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.
During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. You can access all of the episodes here.
To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org
RESOURCES:
Topics Discussed:
- 2:50 – Intro, growing up in Wyoming, and valuing natural resources
- 6:09 – Pinedale and the Wind Rivers
- 7:15 – Plan after high school
- 10:37 – Finding TNC
- 14:16 – Sara describes her job
- 17:21 – Mule deer and pronghorn migration corridors
- 21:57 – Fencing and migration
- 26:25 – Getting the word out about fencing
- 29:27 – Migration primer: distance, predators, and collisions
- 35:54 – Valley of the warm winds
- 42:37 – RCPP programs
- 45:27 – Cheatgrass 101
- 48:54 – Important partners
- 51:08 – Prioritizing projects
- 54:40 – What Sara’s looking forward to
- 57:57 – Where to learn more
- 1:00:22 – Book recs
- 1:03:04 – Parting words
Information Referenced:
- Rusty Bell and Justin Loyka on M&P talking about the coal industry
- Youth Conservation Corps NPS program
- National Bighorn Sheep Center in Dubois, Wyoming
- Wyoming Migration Initiative
- Red Desert to Hoback mule deer migration, the world’s longest mule deer migration
- Wild Migrations: Atlas of Wyoming’s Ungulates
- Dubois = the Valley of the Warm Winds. Though Ed and Sara don’t tend to always agree with the “warm” part.
- Big Game Partnership, which supports migration work in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana
- Some of Justin Loyka’s work on blending migration with industry in a way that’s safer for migrating ungulates.
- Sublette County Conservation District, which focuses on wildlife-friendly fence work
- Wyoming Sagebrush Sea’s native plants work related to maintaining habitat for wildlife, including traveling ungulates
- Yellowstone migration photos by Joe Riis
- TNC’s “Impacts of Roadways on Wildlife” report from 2022, a general overview
- Wyoming’s Department of Transportation animal collision cost estimates. Human fatality costs for collisions with moose is over $13,000.
- WY Game and Fish Department migration information
- Wyldlife Fund and Greater Yellowstone Coalition and the Dubois crossings project
- A series on wildlife crossings in Montana
- Absaroka Fence Initiative
- An example of an RCPP program application. And this is just the how-to.
- Cheatgrass
- TNC and the University of Wyoming’s fencing prioritization tool
- Book recs: The Solace of Open Spaces, Ordinary Wolves
Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:
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- Emilene Ostlind – Storytelling for the New West
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- Chris Pague – Stories, Science, and the Southern High Plains
- Douglas Brinkley – Exploring the Past to Find Inspiration for the Future
- John Vaillant – A Riveting Exploration of Fire
Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.
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