The principle adverse impacts to wildlife result from surface disturbance related habitat loss and fragmentation; the principle beneficial impacts to wildlife result from management that restricts surface-disturbing activities in known or potential wildlife habitat and disruptive activities (e.g., motorized vehicle use, recreation) that can cause the abandonment of nest site or home ranges. Based on the actions and uses allowed, alternatives ranked in order of increasing potential adverse impacts and decreasing beneficial impacts to the wildlife categories presented in this section are B, D, A, and C. Alternative B includes the most management to minimize wildlife habitat loss and fragmentation, such as making areas administratively unavailable to oil and gas leasing, followed by D, A, and C respectively. Alternative C allows the most surface disturbance and resulting habitat degradation and loss, followed by alternatives A, D, and B. With the exception of limiting wind-energy development and ROW authorizations to a greater extent than Alternative A, Alternative C has the fewest measures with which to control habitat loss and fragmentation, followed by A, D, and B. Alternative B also designates the most ACECs and all LWCs as Wild Lands (571,288 acres), resulting in beneficial impacts to wildlife over a large area. Alternative D designates 52,485 acrea as Wild Lands. Alternative C does not restrict surface-disturbing activities in most sensitive areas and has few actions to improve habitat quality. Alternative B has the most restrictions on motorized vehicle use during crucial wildlife periods, followed by alternatives C, D, and A. Under Alternative B, restricting motorized vehicle use and surface-disturbing activities in the Absaroka Front Management Area provides the greatest beneficial impacts to wildlife species, especially big game and predators. Less restrictive management is applied to the Absaroka Front Management Area under Alternative D, and under Alternative C, the area is managed consistent with other resource objectives, with the exception of limiting motorized vehicle use to designated roads and trails with seasonal limitations. The area is not managed as a Management Area under Alternative A.

The spread of invasive species adversely affects wildlife by displacing native vegetation and altering ecosystem function. Alternative B would slow the spread of invasive species the most because it is projected to involve the least amount of surface disturbance and has the most stringent reclamation requirements, followed by alternatives D, A, and C. Vegetation treatments under Alternative C would result in the greatest amount of short-term surface disturbance, but if habitat loss and displacement of wildlife is temporary, this alternative may result in the greatest long-term benefit to wildlife by restoring fire adapted habitat and reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire, followed by Alternative D. Alternative B would result in the least short-term disturbance to wildlife from prescribed fire and fuels treatment, but also would result in the greatest risk of large wildfire that would destroy wildlife habitat, followed by alternatives A, D, and C.

Alternative B includes the most improvements to habitat quality, provides for more measures to restrict activities that can damage soils and habitats, reserves the most forage for big game on crucial winter range, and sets aside the most land for ACECs with emphasis to benefit wildlife resources followed by alternatives D, A, then C (Table 4-9). Alternative C has minimal guidance to protect or improve habitat quality, and no ACECs are designated to conserve wildlife habitat. Alternative D would result in similar habitat improvement actions in riparian/wetland areas as Alternative C, but this alternative places greater restrictions on surface-disturbing activities in these areas than alternatives A and C and applies an NSO restriction on all wetlands greater than 20 acres, limiting potential adverse impacts from long-term surface disturbance to a greater extent. In general, Alternative D has similar measures to protect and improve habitat quality in grassland and shrubland communities as under Alternative B; however, under Alternative D, fewer ACECs are designated that would beneficially affect wildlife such as big game (Table 4-9). Forest management under Alternative D would cause impacts similar to Alternative A, except that allowing larger clear cuts may result in habitat loss for some species that prefer closed canopies. Seasonal restrictions on surface-disturbing activities around active raptor nests would affect the most forested habitat under Alternative B, followed by alternatives A, D, and C. In addition, alternatives B and D provide year-round CSU stipulations to protect approximately 47,731 acres of forested habitat. Alternative B provides the most protection from surface-disturbing activities for big game on crucial winter range and parturition habitat, followed by alternatives D, A, and C (Table 4-9).