Public News Service

There are more than 31,000 orphaned oil and gas wells within 30 miles of National Parks nationwide. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, May 6, 2024

Wyoming leaders push back on new BLM rules

New rules on how the Bureau of Land Management oversees more than 18 million acres of public lands in Wyoming have drawn criticism from Gov. Mark …

For centuries before Europeans arrived in North America, the buffalo not only provided Indigenous societies powerful spiritual support and healing, but also food, clothing, toys, tools, shelter and other necessities of life. (Adobe Stock)

Call for artists to create Wind River Water and Buffalo Alliance logo

The Wind River Water and Buffalo Alliance is looking for a graphic artist to develop a logo. Before Europeans arrived, some 60 million buffalo …

Elk numbers in northwestern Wyoming are projected to drop from roughly 16,000 elk to 8,300 animals over the next two decades, largely due to rampant chronic wasting disease, if winter feed grounds persist. (Adobe Stock)

Game and Fish reports spread of chronic wasting disease to new hunt area

Chronic wasting disease has spread into new territory - Elk Hunt Area 28 near Lander, according to Wyoming Game and Fish. The discovery comes on …

Scientists have spent the last year and a half feeding bobcats chronic wasting disease prions as part of their research. (Adobe/Stock)

Bobcat scat shows promise for containing chronic wasting disease

Bobcats and other carnivores can remove over 95% of chronic wasting disease - or CWD - prions from infected meat, according to early findings by …

The Bureau of Land Management's Rock Springs plan leaves 99.8% of the area under consideration available for livestock grazing. (Adobe Stock)

BLM's Rock Springs proposal draws ire from some lawmakers

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management's draft plan to manage lands owned by all Americans in southwestern Wyoming has come under fire from some …

Mapping is important part of conserving wildlife corridors. (iploydoy/Adobe Stock)

More support from Congress urged to protect wildlife corridors

Wildlife corridor conservation is in the spotlight in Congress. Last week, the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries…

The Sublette Pronghorn herd boast some of the longest distance migrating pronghorns on record, and travel the 'Path of the Pronghorn,' the first federally-designated migration corridor. (Adobe Stock)

Removing barriers along iconic Sublette Pronghorn migration corridor

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is moving forward with the Sublette Pronghorn migration corridor designation process. Josh Metten, Wyoming …

Wolverines could get federal protections in November

Wyoming's elusive population of wolverines, whose contributions include keeping in check squirrel and other small mammal populations living at high …

The south slope of Crevice Mountain is one of the few designated places outside Yellowstone National Park where Yellowstone bison can roam. (Adobe Stock)

Activists buy out gold mine claim at Yellowstone National Park

When Crevice Mining Group made moves in 2021 to establish a gold mine on lands directly upslope from the Yellowstone River and in plain view from Yell…

Grand Teton National Park's 2.8 million visitors last year added $597 million to gateway communities, according to a new National Park Service report. (Adobe Stock)

Wanted: Visions for the future of Grand Teton National Park

Imagine reaching your favorite Grand Teton National Park trail in half the time because of new pull-outs that clear traffic on arterial roads…

Thousands of miles of fencing in Wyoming and across the Western U.S., which act as barriers to wildlife seeking winter and summer ranges, was installed over 100 years ago. (Adobe Stock)

Hunters, Anglers Get $2.5 Million to Restore Migration Corridors

A new partnership between the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the group Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA) aims to improve migration corridors …

Recent modeling shows that the increase in Chronic Wasting Disease prevalence due to feedgrounds will lead to a greater elk population decline within a 20 year time period. (Adobe Stock)

Winter Feeding Plan Too Slow for Chronic Wasting Disease

What began as an emergency measure - to help Wyoming elk herds hit by a series of extremely harsh winters in 1909 - has become a major source of conte…

Outdoor recreation hit an all-time high last year nationally, according to an Outdoor Industry Association report. (Adobe Stock)

Narrowing the Impact of Outdoor Recreation on Wildlife

Wyoming has seen a rapid increase in outdoor recreation in recent years, and biologists are uncovering new details about how people are impacting …

Wyoming has been a leader nationally on protecting wildlife migration corridors, including vast tracts of grasslands key for wildlife connectivity. (Adobe Stock)

Grasslands Protectors Chart Restoration Course in Cheyenne

More than 300 ranchers, tribal members, conservationists, researchers, federal and state agency officials gathered in Cheyenne last week to find ways …

The world's leading scientists have warned that fossil fuel emissions must be cut by 45% by 2030, and phased out entirely by 2050, to avert catastrophic impacts of a changing climate. (Adobe Stock)

BLM Proposal Continues New Oil and Gas Leasing on Public Lands

July was the hottest month in recorded history, but critics of the Bureau of Land Management's new oil and gas rules warned the proposal ignores the …

Until the Inflation Reduction Act raised oil and gas leasing rates on lands owned by all Americans, the industry paid as little as $1.50 per acre to install wells, compared to tens of thousands per acre charged to wind and solar operators. (Adobe Stock)

BLM to Cut Solar, Wind Leasing Fees by 80 Percent

The Bureau of Land Management wants to cut leasing rates by 80% for wind and solar projects on public lands, and streamline the application process…

Blacklegged ticks or deer ticks are widely known to transmit Lyme disease, and new research shows they can carry enough prions to infect deer with Chronic Wasting Disease. (Adobe Stock)

Ticks Can Carry Infectious Levels of Chronic Wasting Disease

Scientists are gaining ground in the race to understand what is causing the spread of chronic wasting disease, or CWD, in deer and elk. Stuart …

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is investing $10 million to restore the LaBarge Restoration Landscape Area, which includes sections of the Red Desert to Hoback mule deer migration corridor. (Adobe Stock)

BLM to Invest $20 Million in Wyoming Public Lands Restoration

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is investing $161 million dollars to restore public lands in Wyoming and 10 other western states. Joshua Metten…

The Alliance for Historic Wyoming has a list of some 40 historic hotels and motels scattered throughout Wyoming online at historicwyoming.org. (Chambers House Bed and Breakfast)

Historic Lodging Offers Unique WY Vacation Option

As families in Wyoming head out for a summer holiday, historians are encouraging people to explore a range of historic lodging options, such as the …

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has called for restoring trophy hunting, and recently filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for taking too long to remove Endangered Species Act protections for all grizzlies in the state. (Adobe Stock)

Helping Hunters Identify Black Bears to Prevent Grizzly Kills

Nine conservation groups are calling on wildlife agencies in Wyoming and Idaho to require black bear hunters to take a bear identification course befo…

Before being hunted to the brink of extinction, some 50,000 grizzlies roamed the lower 48 states. Today there are fewer than 2,000. (Adobe Stock)

Female Grizzly Bears Still at Risk Even After Court Ruling

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife and National Forest Services are headed back to the drawing board after a federal appeals court ruled that the …

Scientists say to correct the problem of overgrazing and wildlife habitat degradation on public lands, the livestock stocking rate would need to be reduced by about two-thirds from present numbers. (Adobe Stock)

Report: U.S. Forest Service Serving Grizzly Habitat to Livestock Industry

Critical Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear habitat has been degraded by a 2019 U.S. Forest Service decision to allow more than 17,000 …

Since the early 90s, the state has lost about 250,000 mule deer. (Adobe Stock)

Elk Linked to Declining Mule Deer Populations

Thriving elk herds are adding to the challenges facing mule deer populations, which have been on the decline for decades in Wyoming and across the …

More than 90% of public lands managed by the BLM are currently available to be leased to oil and gas developers. (Adobe Stock)

BLM Proposal Would Allow Conservation Leases on Public Lands

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comments on a new management proposal which includes leasing parcels of public lands for …

Just 18% of premature deaths from air pollution from coal-fired power plants occur in the states where facilities are located. (Tomas/Adobe Stock)

Report Counts Deadly Impacts of Coal-Fired Power Plants

Thousands of lives are cut short every year because of air pollution from coal-fired power plants in Wyoming and across the United States, according …

Over the past 50 years, the population of pygmy rabbits in Wyoming has declined by 69% (Serikbaib AdobeStock)

Groups Call on U.S. Fish and Wildlife to Prevent Pigmy Rabbit Extinction

On Monday, conservation groups submitted a petition calling on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the pygmy rabbit under the Endangered …

Just 47% of Wyoming residents prefer leaders place more emphasis on protecting water, air, wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities over maximizing the amount of land available for drilling and mining. (Adobe Stock)

Poll: Conservation Efforts, Environmental Priorities Remain High in Wyoming

Voters in Wyoming and across the West strongly support protecting water supplies, public lands and migration corridors for wildlife, according to the …

The 163 billion cubic feet of lost methane on public lands represents enough wasted natural gas to meet the needs of 2.2 million households; nearly as many households as New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah and Wyoming combined, studies show. (Adobe Stock)

Report: $500 Million Gas Lost at Oil and Gas Fields on Public Lands

Oil and gas operators waste a half billion dollars worth of natural gas on public lands every year, according to a new report. Chad Franke, …

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is expected to release new rules this summer for dealing with continued Colorado River water shortages. (Adobe Stock)

Wall Street Sees Profits in Dropping Colorado River Levels

As Wyoming and other Colorado River Basin states grapple with ways to keep a river more than 40 million people, agriculture and industry depend on …

Grizzly bears are considered to be an umbrella species, and conservationists argue protecting them allows for the protection of hundreds of other species by maintaining large tracts of wild spaces. (Adobe Stock)

Conservationists Warn of Downsides to Delisting Grizzly

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering removing Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystem grizzly bears from the …

The Glen Canyon Dam currently generates energy for nearly six million households in Wyoming, Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. (Adobe Stock)

Falling Lake Powell Water Levels Put Wyoming Hydro Power at Risk

Part of the deal Wyoming struck for sending its water down the Colorado River was that state residents would be able to tap electricity generated at G…

Researchers followed all 26 elk herds that call the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem home, tapping data from 1,088 GPS-collared elk. (Adobe Stock)

Third of Yellowstone Elk Habitat Not Protected from Development

More than a third of all known elk habitat in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem remains wide-open for human development, according to new analysis …

Industry groups are betting that limiting methane waste at oil and gas operations will help keep natural gas competitive as consumers demand cleaner sources of energy. (Adobe Stock)

Methane Air-Pollution Proposal Taps Wyoming Technologies

A new federal plan to reduce harmful air pollution by limiting methane waste at oil and gas facilities taps proven strategies already at work in opera…

Biologists say there is ample natural winter range for Wyoming's elk populations without continued use of controversial winter feedgrounds. (Adobe Stock)

Getting Priorities on Track to Foster Healthy Elk Populations

After receiving input from stakeholders earlier this year, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has released a list of priorities guiding its initial …

As buffalo herds graze, they inspire new vegetative growth across vast tracts of lands in a natural process that mimics the onset of spring. (Adobe Stock)

Buffalo Restoration Key to Wildlife Economy, Tribal Health

By Jake Bullinger for Bitterroot Magazine.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Wyoming News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Pu…

In 2021, volunteers drove or flew 42 injured raptors 9,583 miles and donated more than 165 hours of their personal time to help wild birds rehabilitate. (Adobe Stock)

Teton Raptor Center Nears Historic Restoration Goal

The Teton Raptor Center was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to help the site become a year-round de…

One million acres of grasslands, considered to be some of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth, are lost each year to agricultural and residential development in the United States. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming, USDA Agree on Partnership to Conserve Wildlife Habitat

Gov. Mark Gordon has signed onto law a new pilot program in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which aims to support Wyoming …

Climate change is altering the growth patterns and abundance of forage at key locations along wildlife migration corridors and times of year. (Jessi Johnson)

Report: Open Migration Routes Critical for Big Game Health

A new Pew Charitable Trusts report tapping mountains of GPS collar tracking data and other science offers a roadmap for protecting big game in Wyoming…

Bear Wise Wyoming offers a one-stop shop for everything a person can do in bear country to reduce conflict potential and also what to do in different types of bear encounters. (Adobe Stock)

Tips for Staying Safe in Wyoming Bear Country

Whether you are hunting, fishing, hiking or enjoying Wyoming's open spaces this fall, game officials have tips for staying safe while visiting the …

Researchers warn that as climate change increases wildfire areas in snow zones throughout the West, the wildfire influence on the snowpack also will grow. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Wildfires Expanding Into Snow Zones Will Impact Water Supplies

Wildfires in Wyoming and across the West are creating bigger impacts on snowpack supplying farms, energy production and drinking water for millions …

Wyoming to Receive $25 Million for Orphan Wells Under Infrastructure Bill

President Joe Biden's bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is expected to bring more than 300 jobs to Wyoming to clean up and plug so-cal…

in the late 1800s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began sending

Historic Arboretum Cracked Code to Growing in Wyoming

Before the invention of refrigerated shipping, people living across the High Plains had to grow their own food. As Europeans migrated into the region…

A new audio tour covers the Jackson area's main roads that area wildlife must cross, as well as Highways 191, 390, 22, Antelope Flats, and the routes to popular trailheads such as Old Pass Road, Cache Creek and Game Creek. (Adobe Stock)

Audio Tour Aims to Reduce Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions

More than 300 elk, deer, moose and other large animals are hit and killed on Teton County Roads each year. Wildlife Highways in Teton County is a …

According to a 2021 study, 90% of coal must remain unextracted to keep global temperatures at levels considered safe by leading scientists. (Adobe Stock)

Court Ruling Adds to Challenges Facing Wyoming Coal Industry

A federal court's decision to require the Department of Interior to consider the potential health and climate impacts of coal mining on public lands c…

The world's top scientists recently warned that climate pollution must peak, and then begin to go<br />down, within three years to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of a warming planet. (Adobe Stock)

Courts Asked to Block Oil and Gas Leases Over Health, Climate

A new lawsuit hopes to reverse the Bureau of Land Managment's recent approval of oil and gas lease sales on public lands across eight western states…

Lemley Mill is part of the 30-square-miles South Pass Historic Mining Area, part of the traditional homelands of the Crow, Cheyenne, and Eastern Shoshone Nations. (Historicorps/BJ Klophaus)

Volunteers at Work on Lemley Mill, Miner’s Delight Saloon

Volunteers have set up camp and are hard at work on the historic Lemley Mill in Wyoming's South Pass Historic Mining District, where the Red Desert …

The latest report from leading climate scientists warned that greenhouse-gas emissions need to peak within three years, and then start going down, in order to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. (Adobe Stock)

Climate Summit in Lander Aims to Boost Awareness, Engagement

Wyomingites concerned about bigger and more frequent wildfires, prolonged drought, threats to clean air, water and wildlife can explore ways to …

Biologists at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Game and Fish and other partners have spent 10 years collaring mule deer, pronghorn, elk and other animals that cross roadways in western Wyoming. (Adobe Stock)

U.S. 26 Wildlife Crossings Advance in WY with Heavy Summer Traffic

Americans are hitting the road for summer vacation, and many will be headed to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks via U.S. Highway 26…

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PNS Daily Newscast - May 8, 2024

2024Talks - May 8 , 2024

The Yonder Report - May 2, 2024

WY: Public Lands/Wilderness