FRIENDS OF DUBOIS BADLANDS

To unify the public toward understanding, appreciating and protecting
the unique features and resources of Dubois Badlands 

Painting by Laney Hicks

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

To unify the public toward understanding, appreciating and protecting the unique features and resources of Dubois Badlands 

Understanding the Badlands

Our primary goal is to educate people about the incredible variety of wildlife, the unique habitat and the stunning scenery.

Appreciating the Badlands

Our activities emphasize getting people into the habitat so they can see for themselves the richness of the Dubois Badlands.

Protecting the Badlands

A large part of our educational focus is on helping people understand how some of our normal activities can have severe impacts on the land and on the wildlife.

Our Badlands truly are a wonderland of scenery and beauty, home to an ample variety of wildlife and a place to be treasured. 

What you can do in the Badlands

Hike

Hiking is the best way to discover the beauty and mystery of these badlands. Find clues about how animals live that frequent the Badlands. Watch how water changes the landscape in a storm.

Photograph

Few places in the world offer a more varied and interesting opportunity to photograph the evocative nuances of the landscape.

Meditate

Find peace and joy in the solitude and majesty of these wild lands. The Dubois Badlands are locally known to be a powerfully spiritual place which rewards your introspection.

Discover our Wilderness

Although the Badlands often look deserted in the middle of the day, they are home to hundreds of birds, plants and mammals and of course insects!  The large number of mammals that live here is surprising to many people because some can only be traced by their scat and tracks.  The beautiful herds of rare bighorn sheep are well known and often seen.

 


mammals

paintbrush

 


plants

stone fly casings

 


insects

swallow

 


birds

 


geology

med logo

our recent activities

The Dubois Badlands are high desert vistas of fragile red, white, gray and tan sandstone cliffs with deep arroyos, plateaus and towering spires providing homes for bands of bighorn sheep, elk, deer, antelope, cougar, coyote, mountain bluebirds, soaring eagles and a quiet place for people to enjoy nature.
Friends of Dubois Badlands is dedicated to preserving
the health and sustainability of the badlands habitat
through education, Citizen Science activities, outreach and engagement for the social, economic, and
environmental benefit of the Dubois community and
visitors from around the world.

Our first project in 2021 was one of invasive species control.  We eliminated an invasive tamarisk tree that had taken root in one of the canyons of the Dubois Badlands and tried spraying a large area for cheat grass.

2022 featured a project to take down some of the barbed wire fencing in the Dubois Badlands Wilderness Study Area to improve wildlife movement in the area.

2022 started off with a fascinating presentation by Bruce Thompson on the wonders of the Dubois Badlands.   This continued with a hike into some of the little known areas of Mason Draw and their intriguing scenery. 

2023 promises a large variety of exciting activities including the beginning of species inventories in the badlands, hikes, and work projects with the BLM.

The future

Next Scheduled Activities: June, 2023

We are starting a new Citizen Science project:  laying the foundation for an ongoing species inventory of specific areas of the Dubois Badlands Wilderness Study Area.  We start with plant and bird inventories, adding later, invasive plant species and insects. Participants learn the basics of doing an inventory, recording their findings and gain insight about the species involved.  Later in the summer we will have work projects with the BLM, geology acivities and additional hikes.

Come join the fun! These Badlands baseline inventories need your observations and help!  Check the calendar on our Activities page.

There are thousands of acres of badlands both East and West of the town of Dubois, North of the highway. Many areas have different ownership and usage requirements. The parcel from Mason Draw to the East past Byrd Draw has been under protection as a Wilderness Study area, but this is temporary. Please respect private ownership tracts which are not open to the public without permission and thus are not part of the FODB focus.

Current Staus

For the last 30 years, 4600 acres of BLM land just East of Dubois has been a Wilderness Study Area offering protection similar to any designated National Wilderness area, There is a bill before Congress proposing 4200 acres of this land become a National Conservation Area with many advantages for conservation .

WPLI Bill in Congress

Bill S-1750, known as the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative (WPLI), has been reintroduced into the US Congress this year. It proposes that the majority of the old WSA become a National Conservation Area.

National Conservation Area

National Conservation Lands offer the American people exceptional opportunities for hunting, solitude, wildlife viewing, fishing, history exploration, scientific research and a wide range of traditional uses. The BLM manages these public lands for the benefit of current and future generations.

You will enjoy seeing our occasional News letter: Badlands Bulletin.

Our latest news

These blog posts describe the projects that we have undertaken.

Fence Pull

Dubois Fence Pull The Dubois Fence Pull was jointly sponsored by the BLM, Wyoming Wilderness Association, National Bighorn Sheep Center and Friends of  Dubois Badlands. The project removed some old fencing that was no longer…

Mason Draw hike

The Mason Draw Hike and the Zoom talk that preceded it were part of an educational presentation by Bruce Thompson. It was sponsored jointly by the National Bighorn Sheep Center and the Friends of Dubois…

Invasive Species Project

The Invasive Species Project: Tamarisk! In August, 2021 a group of us in the newly formed Friends of Dubois Badlands removed a young tamarisk tree that had started to grow in one of the canyons…

Contact Us

PO Box 1852, Dubois, WY 82513

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