Shirley Basin in Carbon County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)

Interconnected To All Life

Wyoming's Wildlife

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, October 20, 2018

1. Interconnected To All Life Marker

Inscription. In a before time, only the natural forces of wind, water, weather and fire affected plant and animal life in Wyoming. In later times: native Americans hunted, camped and lived in this basin. Since that time, the natural wildness of the land has changed. Yet changes, seen here over the past 200 years are not nearly as evident as those that have taken place elsewhere. Few places in the world still offer the diversity of native plant and animal species as do the sagebrush basins of Wyoming.

Many things that were here then are still here now. Sagebrush is still here and sage sparrows still nest in its branches . Sage grouse still nest in tall prairie grasses near sagebrush plants and pronghorn antelope still feed on tender sagebrush shoots. Over 280 species of Wildlife still freely range across the sage-covered plain Despite their lasting wildness, the basins and prairies of Wyoming have not totally escaped change. The bison, wolf, and grizzly bear are gone forever, never to return. The black-footed ferret, which once stalked through vast prairie dog towns in search of food, was nearly wiped out but may return

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to once again hunt the basin in fulfilling our present and future needs. We must not forget about the needs of the sagebrush, the little sage sparrows the sage grouse and the pronghorn antelope. We are all interconnected to the land and water and have to remember that their destiny is ours.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Environment.

Location. 42° 24.936′ N, 106° 22.819′ W. Marker is in Shirley Basin, Wyoming, in Carbon County. It is on Wyoming 487, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located at the Shirley Rim rest area. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4510 WY-487, Shirley Basin WY 82615, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Wyoming’s Westward Expansion Trails Region.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Republic of Texas.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 10, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 15 times since then. Photo 1. submitted on August 10, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.