Winter is unforgiving across Wyoming’s open plains, where snow blankets the grass and bitter winds sweep across the rolling hills.
Generations of pronghorns have traveled across this land. They knew every hill and valley.
But perhaps most importantly, each knows where to look for remaining winter food.
Then something new appeared as Shirley Basin workers began arriving with construction vehicles.
Eventually, seventy-four wind turbines stood tall over one of the herd’s most important winter habitats.
Many thought the animals would leave the area. Researchers opted to observe rather than assume.
Everything suggested they would leave
Researchers at the University of Wyoming successfully fitted the pronghorns with GPS tracking collars. The collars tracked the herd throughout the year.
During cold weather periods, finding food becomes increasingly challenging.
So, when you locate a familiar grazing spot that is still available, it is particularly valuable.
The turbines altered the vistas of the plain. For nearly three decades, open space existed where these massive structures now towered.
All evidence indicated that the herd would avoid the area.
Because many species avoid large disturbance sites, researchers expected the same from this herd.
Tracking data would eventually reveal what happened next.
Winter arrived. The collars kept recording.
Each new location added another piece to the story.
The herd kept coming back
Surprisingly, initial results showed that the pronghorns were returning to the same familiar area. Additionally, they continued to use the familiar landscape where they grazed.
That wasn’t the end of the story.
Although the herd didn’t leave, something had clearly changed.
The GPS collars fitted by the University of Wyoming uncovered small changes that were easy to miss.
Animals used the land slightly differently. Something was clearly influencing where they chose to spend their time.
It reminded researchers that wildlife rarely reacts dramatically.
Oftentimes, big changes occur silently as well.
The herd didn’t disappear; it merely modified its daily routine. Years of monitoring finally explained what had been happening.
Why did they move to the other side?
The answer turned out to be surprisingly simple.
The study “Pronghorn Winter Resource Selection Before and After Wind Energy Development in South-Central Wyoming” published in Rangeland Ecology & Management explained what the tracking data ultimately revealed.
The pronghorns remained, but they used different areas than before. Tracking data showed that the herd still relied on its winter habitat. Instead, they spent far more time in areas farther from the turbines.
Rather than leaving their familiar territory entirely, they moved into quieter zones surrounding the turbines.
The change was easier to miss than expected
While they didn’t abandon their traditional range for food or cover, the close proximity of turbines made it risky to remain nearby.
By migrating further out onto the landscape, they expended minimal energy to traverse greater distances.
In some ways, their behavior wasn’t all that different from ours.
Large buildings are constructed adjacent to residential homes. Not all homeowners migrate away due to the presence of new construction.
Typically, residents continue to frequent their own homes; however, they simply spend more time elsewhere. Similarly, the pronghorn seemed to take a similar approach.
Without abandoning the routines that worked for them, they adapted.
Similar patterns also appeared during migration.
The animals migrated through the same general regions but frequently halted at positions farther removed from the turbines. Again, the changes were easy to miss.
There was no panic. The herd didn’t suddenly leave.
Quietly, they changed how they used the landscape they already knew.
Wind turbines altered where pronghorns perceived safe and comfortable spaces. But they never erased the place those animals had called home for generations.
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