CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Angi Bruce will be the state’s next Director of the Game and Fish Department, Governor Mark Gordon’s office announced July 5.
Bruce, originally from Iowa, moved to Wyoming about seven years ago after taking the role of supervisor of the Habitat Protection Program. In April 2019, she was promoted to Deputy Director of External Affairs. As deputy director, Bruce worked closely with state and federal partners as well as energy developers and conservation groups. She oversaw the Department’s wildlife environmental reviews on mule deer and antelope migration corridor protections and Governor Gordon’s Executive Order Policy on Sage-Grouse.
In Iowa, she was the Deputy Chief of Wildlife for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. She brings 27 years of experience to the role.
Bruce will replace current Director Brian Nesvik, who plans to retire in September. Over the next few months, Bruce will transition into her new role, alongside Nesvik.
“I grew up on a farm in southwest Iowa,” Bruce said, “My dad, especially, exposed me to the outdoors at an early age, either on the farm or fishing, hiking and backpacking,” Bruce told Buckrail.
When talking about what led her to a career in resource and wildlife management, Bruce said, “I just loved being outside. It was a natural choice for me as a career.”
Bruce said her priorities as Director will be to continue to further the agency’s work in maintaining the world-class wildlife populations in the state.
“Wyoming is one of the last legacy spots in the nation with having our wildlife and ecosystem intact,” Bruce said, noting that Wyoming is home to some of the longest migration corridors in the world, intact sage-grouse populations, native bighorn sheep populations and native cutthroat trout.
“As we look at what is happening on the landscape in the last several years, there is more pressure on habitats, from feral horses, invasive species, increases in residential development and renewable energy,” Bruce said.
She says it is always top of mind to continue to work closely with federal partners at land management agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, which, she noted, manage about 50% of the land in Wyoming.
“Focusing on habitat quantity and quality to maintain those ecosystems is going to be key in the next decade,” Bruce said.
Bruce’s desire to get into the field and pursue a career at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department was rooted in her love for the outdoors from a young age. And while the significance of being the first female director is something not lost on her, that wasn’t what motivated her to get into the field.
“To me it’s a world I’ve always known, I don’t know anything else, and it has always been an extremely professional field of very passionate people,” Bruce said, when discussing her experience as a woman in the male-dominated field.
“Having this historic title is something I won’t forget,” Bruce said. “And hopefully, it influences future women as they get into the field.”
Rick King, Chief of the Wildlife Division, and Craig Smith, Deputy Chief of the Wildlife Division, were the other two candidates submitted to Gordon by Nesvik back in June. Both have 26 years of experience with game and fish.
“The Game and Fish Commission forwarded three exceptionally well-qualified candidates reflecting Wyoming’s commitment to wildlife and our natural resource heritage,” Governor Gordon said in a statement released by his office. “In her role as Deputy Director, Angi has demonstrated the department’s dedication to protecting our state’s leadership role in science and policy on wildlife issues large and small.”
“It’s a privilege to have this title in a state that I truly love,” Bruce said.
