 Driving the highways and scenic byways at Chris Cross Wonderful Wyoming might prompt one to wonder why in so many places there's such a fence line contrast between what grows in the highway right away and land on the other side of the fence. Often we see cattle or sheep on the other side of the fence. Is that the difference? The right of way isn't grazed while the land across the fence is. Although this may seem to make sense, it is rarely the reason for dramatic fence line contrast between highway rights of way and the adjacent land. Rather, much of the land and highway rights of way has been reclaimed following road construction with a price tag of a few hundred to several hundred dollars per acre. Reclamation involves using equipment to prepare a seed bed, seeding new plants, fertilizing, mulching, and perhaps controlling erosion. The areas have essentially been farmed and comparing them to native range lands on the other side of the fence is like comparing apples to oranges. From the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service, I'm Paul Myman.