Conservation

Guzzlers for Wildlife in Pine Bluffs

The Cheyenne Audubon-High Plains Chapter (Wanda Manley, Kirk Miller and Lorie Chesnut) and the Laramie County Conservation District (Rex Lockman) worked together with volunteers from the Natural Resources Conservation Service – Cheyenne (Thomas Tjepkes and Tyler Therkildsen), Mountain West Farm Bureau Insurance (Joshua Tangeman), and the Wyoming State Engineers Office (Jeremy Manley) to create a “guzzler” to provide water to animals and birds in the Pine Bluffs Natural Area. Special thanks also goes to the Town of Pine Bluffs for providing water for all of the guzzlers and to Nova Manley, our swimming guzzler-test dog. The team also worked to shore-up the existing guzzlers after building a new one.

The slideshow below illustrates the process, which took about half of a day to complete. Soon after, a game camera at the site recorded Mule Deer and birds enjoying the water.

  • A very large old tire makes a great catchment tank!
  • Building the guzzler frame.
  • Completed guzzler frame. Note position over the catchment tank. The back end will be raised to allow water to flow into the tank.
  • Adding a tin covering on the guzzler. Water will flow into the catchment tank (note the angle).
  • Rex steps down dirt in the base of the catchment tank.
  • Next, he adds cement over the dirt in the base of the catchment tank. Adding water sets the cement.
  • Grass and native plant seeds around the guzzler.
  • Nova takes a swim in the new guzzler.
  • Our wonderful volunteers!
  • The Completed Guzzler.
  • A good day’s work in beautiful Pine Bluffs.
  • Mule Deer enjoy the new Guzzler just a few days later.