Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Mission Impossible: Bird vs Cat edition"}]

Daily smile 5 1 23

Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>Daily Smile: Monday, May 1, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Mission Impossible: Bird vs Cat edition...

Daily Smile: Monday, May 1, 2023

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's Feature Reporter, Andrew Rossi.

Andrew Rossi

Wyoming Life

Penny Counts was showing her boyfriend around the Alcova area on Sunday when she saw something she’d never seen: someone bungee jumping in Fremont Canyon.

“We just happened to be out there when that guy was up on that rock,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “I saw him rigging up, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh! He’s gonna try jumping!' And he made the jump, swinging back and forth and hollering all the way.”

Counts filmed the jump with her phone. She said watching it was “insane.”

“The video doesn't give justice to how steep that canyon is,” she said. “Somebody to actually want to jump off of it with that type of rigging is insane. I was worried he’d swing back and smack into the wall, but he knew what he was doing.”

Amid her shock and surprise, Counts admitted it’s something she might have tried in her youth.

“If I were younger, I'd have tried it, but I guess I lost my Peter Pan complex a long time ago,” she said. “But not now. Broken bones and bad wishes on that one.”

Bungee jumpers continue to leap off the 112-foot bridge despite a tragic and notorious history that goes back more than 50 years when a young girl was pushed to her death in 1973, and her sister died at the same spot nearly 20 years later.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Bungee Glee"}]

Like many outdoor recreation activities, bungee jumping is becoming increasingly popular in Wyoming.

Eric Lyman is the owner of Over The Edge Bungee in Idaho Falls, Idaho. For several years he has taken people to bungee jump off the Fremont Canyon Bridge, a span 112 feet above the North Platte River about 40 miles southwest of Casper.

“We're always looking for new bridges,” he said. “I had a friend that lived there who stumbled on that bridge and sent me a picture. I was there a month later, and that’s that.”

Over The Edge Bungee travels to bridges in several states to provide optimal experiences.

As bungee jumping becomes more popular, more people are looking for a memorable experience. That’s been the foundation of Lyman’s business for 35 years.

“The beauty of bungee jumping is that you jump from a complete standstill in perfect silence,” he said. “It’s not an airplane that's buzzing at 100 miles an hour. We pick up where skydiving leaves off.  It’s just a great experience.”

Lyman described the Fremont Canyon Bridge as ideal for bungee jumping. There’s low traffic, incredible scenery, and the bridge is an excellent overhead anchor for his retrieval systems.

Beyond that, the same things that made bungee jumping so insane from Counts’ perspective enhance the experience.

“It’s a fairly narrow canyon,” Lyman said. “When you jump, the bottom drops out a lot faster, and the peripheral views intensify the free fall even more. The ground rush experience is intensified, since you can see the water coming straight at you. There's a nice deceleration before you get there, a bounce that shoots you up underneath the bridge, and another big bounce just as lively as the first.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Freedom To Jump"}]

Lyman visits Fremont Canyon once or twice a year for bungee jumping, but not just because it’s a long haul from Idaho Falls.

“We've got a lot of other bridges, here and there, that we jump as well,” he said. “When we come out to Casper, we’re there to see the great things in that area. It’s our way of sharing something we do with the locals.”

That’s not to say that someone has to wait for Lyman to go bungee jumping off the Fremont County Bridge. That’s another perk of the bridge and the experience.

“It’s not illegal, and nobody’s asking for a permit,” he said. “It’s pretty straightforward. You have the anchor right above where you intend to jump, so it's easier to calculate the range and know where you’re going to be.”

Lyman wasn’t anywhere near Fremont Canyon on Sunday, so whoever was bungee jumping there was with another outfit or on their own. He and his clients also jump straight off the bridge, rather than the canyon wall.

“What (the man in the video) was doing was a pendulum swing,” he said. “We do those on occasion, but not at this bridge. When we jump, you climb over the rail of the bridge. It’s awkward and scary, without a lot of fanfare, and then you jump.”

To each their own. Lyman can see the allure of a pendulum swing, but thinks Fremont Canyon offers a thrilling-enough experience with a traditional jump.

“That's a unique-enough activity in the area that people are pretty anxious to give it a try,” he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Not Jumping The Gun"}]

There’s another reason why Lyman limits his Fremont Canyon trips. The area is a largely undiscovered gem, and he would like to keep it that way.

“We're not interested in mass production,” he said. “I think there would be a lot more demand if we got the word out, but we don’t let it. It’s still an adventure, not an assembly line or amusement park.”

The Fremont County Bridge is a notoriously tragic symbol to Casper residents as the spot where Amy Burridge, 11, was 

Her sister, Becky, was violently assaulted and pushed off the bridge as well. She survived, only to die at the same spot on July 31, 1992.

[{"type":"text","text":"That tragedy is what brought Counts to the area Sunday."}]

“I've always considered it a bridge of tragedy,” she said. “I was showing my boyfriend what had happened out there and how far the drop was.”

[{"type":"text","text":"That said, Counts wasn’t taken aback by the bungee jumper."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"“It was mind-blowing because I’d never seen it before,” she said."}]

 of and sensitive to the bridge’s tragic symbolism, but he said he feels it’s a place where many others have and continue to find happiness through outdoor recreation. One can be respectful of the past while finding memorable moments for themselves, family, and friends in the present.

“There’s camping, boating, and climbing in Fremont Canyon,” he said. “Lots of people do swings and climb on the walls. I feel (bungee jumping) fits right into the crowd and their level of adventure.”

From his experience, Lyman described Casper as “a pretty adventurous crowd.” He’s sure he could find a lot more business offering more bungee jumping off the bridge, but he has no intention of doing so, both out of respect for the bridge’s history and the desire to keep the experience special. 

“I don’t think we’d ever be overrun in that spot, but we don’t want that,” he said. “Fremont Canyon is a very positive area with a lot of great activities, and bungee jumping fits right in.”

Bungee Fremont Bridge Screenshot 2026 08 05 at 3 16 36 PM 8 5 26

<title>Tragic History Doesn’t Keep Bungee Jumpers From Leaping Off Fremont Canyon Bridge | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Bungee jumpers keep leaping off the Fremont Canyon Bridge or the cliffs below it despite a tragic history that goes back 50 years. “Somebody to actually want to jump off of it with that type of rigging is insane,” said a woman who got video of a jumper.

Tragic History Doesn’t Keep Bungee Jumpers From Leaping Off Fremont Canyon Bridge

Employee kate meadows cropped

Kate Meadows

Agriculture

While Wyoming cattle appear to have endured the state’s 

, a recent heat wave in neighboring South Dakota has killed upward of 2,000 cattle, threatening producers’ livelihoods in an already tough market.

A combination of scorching temperatures and high humidity proved deadly, depleting herd numbers and highlighting just how vulnerable livestock can be during extreme weather.

While not as extreme as in South Dakota, Wyoming ranchers say heat stress has been common this summer.

"We see it all the time," said Trad Williamson of Williamson Land and Cattle in Moorcroft. "Absolutely, we keep a closer eye on our cattle because of the heat."

However, Wyoming ranchers said they aren't aware of widespread cattle deaths. That’s because the state's drier climate, cooler nighttime temperatures and relatively small number of feedlots appear to have spared producers from the catastrophic losses seen to the state's northeastern neighbor.

July's heat wave shattered records across Wyoming. Worland reached 110 degrees on one day and Sheridan climbed to 109, both all-time highs.

"Heat is just as much of a risk in Wyoming as it is in other states," Williamson said.

Although he hasn't heard of Wyoming cattle dying, some of his customers in South Dakota have suffered devastating losses, including one producer near Midland, South Dakota, who lost more than 100 cows and calves.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Deadly Combination"}]

The losses in South Dakota came from a one-two punch of extreme heat and unusually high humidity.

Warren Rusche, a feedlot management specialist with South Dakota State University Extension, said warm overnight temperatures prevented cattle from cooling off after enduring sweltering afternoons. Limited airflow with little wind compounded the problem.

"What that ended up causing was a pretty significant death loss," Rusche said.

Reports of additional losses were still coming in Wednesday, but Rusche estimated the death toll would exceed 3,000 head of cattle statewide.

"It was really a tough deal in terms of financial impact and the stress of trying to care for the livestock," he said.

The losses come as the U.S. cattle industry is already coping with historically tight supplies. The nation's herd is at its lowest level in roughly 75 years after years of drought, high operating costs and continued strong consumer demand for beef.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Why Wyoming Fared Better"}]

Most of the deaths occurred in feedlots, where cattle are larger, heavier and nearing slaughter weight.

Most of Wyoming’s cattle spending much of their lives grazing open range. 

"Wyoming doesn't have a huge footprint with feedlots," said Todd Fornstrom, a Laramie County rancher and president of the Wyoming Farm Bureau. "The cattle ready to go to a harvest facility are more prone to dying from the heat."

Wyoming also benefited from lower humidity and cooler nights, giving cattle a chance to recover after daytime temperatures peaked.

[{"type":"text","text":"Even so, the heat has kept ranchers on alert."}]

Black-hided cattle can be especially susceptible because their coats absorb more solar heat, Williamson said.

Still, cattle are generally better equipped to tolerate high temperatures than people, Fornstrom said, particularly when they have room to spread out and air can circulate.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"No Easy Solutions"}]

South Dakota producers did everything they could to protect their herds, Rusche said.

Some relied on portable shade structures — large tarps mounted on wheeled frames that can be repositioned throughout the day. But the structures can cost as much as $11,000 for a 30-by-40-foot unit, putting them out of reach for many operations.

[{"type":"text","text":"Even shade wasn't always enough."}]

Rusche said he heard reports of cattle being found dead beneath shade structures after animals crowded together in an effort to escape the sun, trapping heat within the group.

"This was a case where shade alone is not necessarily the silver bullet that will prevent all death losses," he said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Planting trees isn't an inexpensive solution either, Williamson added."}]

"A lot of ranchers don't have the money and resources to build things for shade," he said.

Instead, many producers simply intensified monitoring of their herds, checking cattle more frequently and doing everything possible to reduce stress.

"This is one of the things I really want to stress — I know those ranchers were doing all they could," Rusche said.

Producers who suffered catastrophic livestock losses could qualify for assistance through the federal Livestock Indemnity Program, which helps compensate owners for deaths caused by eligible adverse events

Cattle in northsest Wyoming Buddy Mays via Alamy 8 5 26

<title>Drier Air, Cooler Nights Helped Wyoming Avoid South Dakota's Cattle Catastrophe | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Lower humidity and relatively cool nights helped Wyoming cattle endure a record heat wave, ranchers say. South Dakota wasn't so fortunate, losing as many as 2,000 head to heat and humidity at a time when America's herd is at a 75-year low.

Drier Air, Cooler Nights Helped Wyoming Avoid South Dakota's Cattle Catastrophe

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Wildlife

A federal campaign to kill nearly a half-million barred owls in the Pacific Northwest to save threatened spotted owls continues, even though the recent lifting of protections for spotted owl habitat defeats the entire purpose, an animal welfare advocate says. 

It’s costing the government roughly $3,000 per bird to have barred owls shot, Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Centre for a Humane Economy, told Cowboy State Daily. 

And with a recent move to weaken the habitat protection element of the Endangered Species Act, it could be all for nothing if spotted owls’ old-growth forest habitat gets logged, he added. 

Meanwhile, Wyoming’s barred owl population appears to be growing and might include four pairs in the Grand Teton area, Bryan Bedrosian, conservation director at the Teton Raptor Centre, told Cowboy State Daily. 

There’s virtually no chance spotted owls will ever come to Wyoming, he added. 

That means that Wyoming’s barred owls are safe from getting shotgunned to protect spotted owls.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What’s the Point Now?"}]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) sparked controversy in early 2025 by rolling out a plan for permitted shooters into Pacific Northwest coastal forests to 

. They’re larger than spotted owls and reportedly have been hogging their food.   

A new wrinkle was added in July, when FWS finalized a scaling back of habitat protections under the ESA. 

Effective Sept. 14, the change rescinds the regulatory definition of "harm", eliminating blanket protections for threatened species, and streamlines critical habitat exclusions.

Pacelle said rescinding “harm” from the ESA could throw spotted owl habitat open for logging.

In essence, barred owls are being “framed” for damage spotted owls are suffering from habitat loss, he said. 

What’s more, he argues that the killing program is expensive. 

The Hoppa Valley Tribe received a $4.5 million grant to kill 1,500 barred owls, Pacelle said. 

That’s about $3,000 for each owl shot, he said.

A request for comment from FWS wasn’t answered by publication time. 

Barred owls are originally from the eastern United States, but they’ve been moving west, claiming new territory. 

In the Pacific Northwest, they’ve been dubbed an “invasive species", which has been used to justify killing them, Pacelle said.

However, he says it’s more a case of the species naturally expanding its territory. 

Bedrosian said little is known about the history of barred owls in Wyoming. Another species, the great grey owl, is native to the state. 

Great grey owls, barred owls and spotted owls all belong to the same family, he said.

Barred owls are smaller than great grey owls but they’re also more aggressive, he said. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hearty Eaters"}]

Two known nesting pairs of barred owls in Wyoming are known. One produced offspring two years ago, Bedrosian said. 

Researchers recently discovered evidence of barred owl activity in two additional territories, which might indicate two more pairs have moved in, he added.

Researchers have captured four barred owls and placed radio transmitters on them to track their movements. 

They’ve also set up recording devices in the barred owl's territories. 

Recordings help researchers determine “species richness” or the number of different species in an area, he said. 

And it will also help determine if “there are any species of songbirds, or other birds, that are avoiding the barred owls,” he said. 

Barred owls are voracious opportunists, Bedrosian said. 

“They eat reptiles, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small rodents,” he said. 

Barred owl inset with spotted owls 1 7 25

<title>Feds Continue With Plan To Save Spotted Owls By Killing Nearly 500,000 Other Owls | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A federal campaign to kill nearly a half-million barred owls in the Pacific Northwest to save threatened spotted owls continues, even though recent lifting of protections for spotted owl habitat defeats the entire purpose, an animal welfare advocate says.

Feds Continue With Plan To Save Spotted Owls By Killing Nearly 500,000 Other Owls

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Around Wyoming

For much of the summer, residents in Pinedale watched smoke drift into western Wyoming from fires burning hundreds of miles away.

[{"type":"text","text":"Tuesday night, the smoke finally came from their own backyard."}]

"It was our first plume of the summer," longtime Pinedale wildlife photographer Dave Bell told Cowboy State Daily. "We've had smoke off and on, and the smoke's been thicker lately from other places, but this is the first smoke plume we've had in our surrounding mountain ranges all summer long. That's always a sad sight to see." 

The Bare Fire, burning north of Bare Pass and east of Bare Creek on the Big Piney Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, grew to an estimated 431 acres Tuesday after exhibiting active fire behavior that included torching and spotting.

The wildfire also spread from national forest land onto adjacent Bureau of Land Management property before moderating during the early evening, says the U.S. Forest Service.

[{"type":"text","text":"The cause remains under investigation."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Response Escalates"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"As the fire grew, the firefighting response expanded with it."}]

Resources assigned to the fire include one Type 1 helicopter, two Type 3 helicopters, smokejumpers, a suppression module, one water tender, one Type 3 engine, three Type 6 engines and additional firefighting personnel.

The U.S. Forest Service has also ordered a Type 3 Incident Management Team, a multi-agency organization of wildfire specialists used when a fire becomes more complex than local forest personnel can manage alone.

[{"type":"text","text":"Fire managers are using both direct and indirect suppression tactics."}]

Direct attack involves engaging the fire's active edge to stop its spread, while indirect confinement means firefighters work farther away from the flames to steer or contain the fire using terrain and firelines.

Wednesday, crews planned to strengthen an established anchor point before constructing a direct fireline along the north and south flanks of the blaze. Helicopters will continue dropping water to slow the fire's spread along its eastern edge.

The public is being asked to avoid Bare Creek Road (Forest Service Road 10046) and South Cottonwood Road (Forest Service Road 10050) while firefighters work. A forest closure order is expected.

Stage 1 fire restrictions remain in effect throughout the Teton Interagency Dispatch area, including the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Grand Teton National Park and the National Elk Refuge. 

Fire danger remains rated High, meaning new fires can start easily and spread quickly.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Double-Edged Sword"}]

Bell, who has spent decades photographing Wyoming wildlife and landscapes, said the fire is burning in one of his favorite corners of the state.

"The Wyoming Range is sort of Wyoming's best-kept secret," he said. "It's just a beautiful, beautiful area." 

Unlike the neighboring Wind River Range, the Wyoming Range receives fewer backpackers because it lacks a federally designated wilderness area, Bell said.

[{"type":"text","text":"The thick timber also provides abundant fuel."}]

"You can tell the healthy forest from the old forest," Bell said, noting that previously logged areas have generally regenerated well. "A lot of fuel over there, as there is everywhere, and once they start, they're hard to put out." f

Although watching smoke rise over the Wyoming Range is difficult, Bell said wildfire also plays an important ecological role.

"Fire is a tragic event when it occurs, and it's kind of ugly for a while, but the net result is good for everything," he said. 

He said fire clears dead and downed timber, opens wildlife migration corridors and encourages new vegetation, including aspens, to sprout.

"Fire's ugly. It's dangerous, but you see some of these old burn scars with the kinds of vegetation that's coming up in them. It's kind of just how it works," he said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Bell quickly added that he wasn't cheering for the fire."}]

"I'm not saying I'm welcoming this. Don't get me wrong," he said. "It's not all bad either." 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Watching The Mountains"}]

The Bridger-Teton National Forest and the U.S. Forest Service did not return Cowboy State Daily's requests for additional information before publication.

Based on the fire's location, Bell said he is not especially concerned about homes but noted ranchers with cattle grazing allotments in the area are likely watching developments closely.

Otherwise, he described the surrounding landscape as "just timber pretty much." 

Tuesday night, Bell drove out to photograph the fire beneath a clear Wyoming sky. While changing lenses to capture the growing blaze, he noticed something else.

"The Milky Way sort of dominates the sky," he said. "Then I got a meteor in the middle of it." 

[{"type":"text","text":"By Wednesday morning, the mountains themselves had disappeared from view."}]

"I can't see the Wyoming Range from my house this morning," Bell said. "It's completely gone."

Bare Fire dave 8 5 26

<title>Wildfire In Timber West Of Pinedale Expected To Bring National Forest Closures | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A wildfire burning in timber west of Pinedale in the Wyoming Range has grown to nearly 450 acres and is expected to bring forest closures. "I can't see the Wyoming Range from my house," said a Pinedale photographer Wednesday about smoke in the area.

Wildfire In Timber West Of Pinedale Expected To Bring National Forest Closures

Business

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect the proposed development isn't in a residential area, but in an area that was previously zoned for Industrial use and has been rezoned as Highway Business. Those representing Wyoming Downs at the meeting have also been added. It's also been updated to include comments from Wyoming Downs President Kyle Ridgeway and a local resident who supports the plan.

A proposed horse betting and bar facility on the north side of Interstate 80 in Evanston has cleared a key hurdle after the city's Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conditional-use permit for the project this week, but not without some vocal opposition from nearby residents.

They argue the development would bring casino-style gambling into the middle of a residential neighborhood, although the property is zoned Highway Business.

Supporters counter that the proposal meets all zoning requirements and would expand an established commercial corridor that has hosted off-track betting operations for decades.

The recommendation now moves to the Evanston City Council, which will decide whether to grant final approval.

If approved, Wyoming Downs LLC would build on undeveloped lots at 27 and 29 Allegiance Circle and 283 Wasatch Road, across the interstate from the existing Horse Palace Gateway near Exit 3.

The project has drawn sharp opposition from nearby residents. Supporters counter that the proposal meets all zoning requirements and would expand an established commercial corridor that has hosted off-track betting operations for decades.

According to a staff report obtained by Cowboy State Daily, the project would be built in two phases inside a single commercial building totaling 52,938 square feet.

At full buildout, it would include 520 gaming seats, 68 bar seats and 49 lounge seats, for a capacity of 637. The proposed bar would seat 27 customers.

Developers estimate the business would employ about 25 people during the first phase and roughly 125 employees once construction is complete. Customer traffic is projected to average about 400 people per day, although that would fluctuate depending on the season and time of day.

The plans also include on-site parking and lighting. No perimeter fencing or screening is currently proposed.

“I think it’s an appropriate location,” said Kyle Ridgeway, president of Wyoming Downs. “It’s right off the interstate.”

Ridgeway also said Wyoming Downs will close its smaller local property when the new facility opens.

“A lot of people understand the tax revenue and the job opportunities this project will bring and what that means for the community,” Ridgeway said.

Revenue generated from the new location would directly supports the Wyoming Downs race track in town, he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Long Road To Approval"}]

Monday's vote represents the latest step in a process that began last year.

In November, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended changing the property's zoning designation from Industrial to Highway Business and amending the city's comprehensive plan to accommodate an off-track betting facility. 

The Evanston City Council later approved those changes, paving the way for Wyoming Downs to apply for a conditional-use permit.

Michael Brown of Inberg-Miller Engineers and Wyoming Downs general counsel Traci Lacock represented the company during Monday's hearing.

The meeting was not livestreamed, and Evanston Senior Planner DuWayne Johnson declined to discuss the public comments presented during the meeting.

A proposal for another horse betting and bar facility in an area zoned Highway Business in Evanston has cleared a key hurdle this week, but not without some vocal opposition from locals. "Needless to say, we're not happy," said one angry resident.

Daily Smile: Monday, May 1, 2023

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