skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump announces historic Iran-Israel ceasefire agreement to end '12 Day War'; IN college sports ban on trans athletes starts July 1; KY child overdose cases highlighted during National Safety Month; Report: More Gen Z students factor politics into college decisions.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Some in Congress question the legality of Trump's Iran strikes, as he announces a ceasefire. Gen Zers filter their college choices by politics, and Islamophobic rhetoric surfaces in NYC's tight mayoral race.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Giant data centers powering artificial intelligence want cheap rural land but some communities are pushing back, Hurricane Helene mobilized a North Carolina town in unexpected ways, and Cherokee potters make ceramics that honor multiple generations.

Conservation Groups Headed to Court Over Elk Feedlots

play audio
Play

Thursday, April 23, 2020   

JACKSON, Wyo. -- Conservation groups are doubling down on efforts to get federal agencies to stop controversial winter feeding of elk at the Alkali Creek feedground in the Gros Ventre drainage, Dell Creek feedground in Sublette County and Forest Park feedground in Lincoln County.

Kristin Combs, executive director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, says chronic wasting disease surrounds all three operations, and she hopes the courts will put a stop to a practice she believes puts entire herds at risk.

"Once a disease like chronic wasting disease gets into these feedgrounds, the chance of spread just increases exponentially when you have high densities of elk in one location," she stresses.

A coalition of wildlife advocacy groups filed a lawsuit this week charging the U.S, Forest Service of continuing to grant feeding permits without adequate environmental analysis, a move ordered by the U.S. District Court of Wyoming in 2018.

Supporters of the practice, including livestock producers and hunters, argue that feedlots keep elk away from livestock and herd numbers high.

Combs notes that Wyoming's iconic game could take a serious long-term hit if chronic wasting disease, which is fatal, sweeps through herds. She says there are alternatives to feedlots to prevent encounters with livestock, such as fencing around hay stores or keeping elk away from properties.

"There are other ways that we can be innovative and creative in solving this problem," she stresses. "Wyoming is one of the only states where you are not responsible for fencing livestock."

Combs points to analysis by non-governmental organizations and state agencies showing there is plenty of natural food to sustain thousands of elk and other big game over the winter in their native ranges.

The lawsuit also alleges that elk feeding at Dell Creek and Forest Park by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is being conducted without appropriate permits, which expired nearly four years ago.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
State funding sustains programs like the Reproductive Justice and Freedom Fund, which support nonprofits promoting abortion rights and equity in sexual health. (Ryzhkov/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

California groups fighting for equality and inclusivity in health care are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign the state budget as is, leaving LGBTQ+ …


play sound

A drumming program at Ohio State University-Lima is helping people dealing with Parkinson's disease improve coordination, memory, and overall …

Social Issues

play sound

Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are at odds after the governor vetoed Senate Bill 3, legislation which would have banned the sale of …


Environment

play sound

Minnesota's high-profile community solar program will stick around after state lawmakers opted not to approve a sunset provision. Assistance groups …

More than 45,000 cryptocurrency ATMs operate nationwide but consumer watchdogs said regulations surrounding virtual currency transactions are slow to catch up. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

State governments are fighting back against scammers who make use of cryptocurrency kiosks to steal money from people unaware they are being targeted…

Social Issues

play sound

A new Indiana law takes effect July 1 banning transgender women and girls from playing on women's college sports teams, expanding the state's earlier …

Social Issues

play sound

AARP Oregon has opened up nominations for its prestigious award for volunteerism. For the Andrus Award for Community Service, the organization will …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021