Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Now let's all watch a dog enjoying the horse races..."}]

Daily smile 5 18 23

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

<title>Daily Smile: Thursday, May 18, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Now let's all watch a dog enjoying the horse races...

Daily Smile: Thursday, May 18, 2023

 Now let's all watch a dog enjoying the horse races...

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

Andrew Rossi

Outdoors

Public Lands

The Bureau of Land Management is investigating multiple incidents of “irreparable” vandalism at six Native American rock art sites in the Bighorn Basin.

The BLM's Cody Field Office reports there was significant damage to multiple rock panels containing petroglyphs created by Wyoming's indigenous tribes. Many of the panels have been defaced with names carved into them, including “Erin,” and phrases scratched into the rock containing the ancient images.

A bonfire had been burning directly underneath one of the panels, which cracked and discolored the surface. Also, the BLM Cody Field Office said several panels were damaged by what appears to be gunfire.

“This intentional damage takes away future generations’ ability to view this part of our human history and to study these sites,” said Cody Field Office Archeologist Karina Black in a statement about the vandalism.

The BLM hasn’t released many additional details on the vandalism, but believes the illegal acts were “recent.” 

Damaging petroglyphs and rock art sites can result in criminal charges, including felonies, and violations can be pursued through civil action as well.

Cowboy State Daily was unable to reach the BLM Cody Field Office at the time of publication.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Persistent Problem"}]

According to an assessment by the Wyoming Cultural Records Office, at least 157 of Wyoming's 666 known petroglyph sites — more than a quarter of what’s known — have been vandalized.

Bonnie Smith, president of the Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists, was distraught when she learned of the extent of the damage to the sites in the Bighorn Basin.

“The rock art of Wyoming is not just images on stone,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “It is a conversation across generations. Once damaged, that conversation is silenced forever.”

Finding and prosecuting those responsible for rock art vandalism is difficult for the BLM, which is often unable to conduct extensive investigations due to a lack of staffing and funding.

In October 2025, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department offered a $10,000 reward for information on whoever 

 an important archaeological site near Dubois.

“If we can figure out who did this, we can start looking to get back what was taken,” Jason Hunter, regional wildlife supervisor for Wyoming Game and Fish’s Lander office, told Cowboy State Daily. “Right now, we’re looking for people who might have information, and we’ll go from there.”

There have been no public updates on whether any culprits have been identified and charged. That’s a common outcome for these incidents.

"People get away with this all the time,” Smith said. “We’ve been getting better about vandalism in Wyoming, (and) we want to believe that it's getting better, which makes these incidents unfortunate."

The BLM Cody Field Office hasn’t disclosed where the six sites are located in the Bighorn Basin.

After reviewing the photos, Smith thought they might be in Park County’s Oregon Basin east of Cody, where there are many known petroglyph sites. That makes the irreparable damage all the more egregious.

“The petroglyphs and pictographs of the Bighorn Basin are some of the oldest voices we have in the state,” Smith said. “As archaeologists, we recognize that rock art is more than a cultural resource.

"It is a direct connection to the people who shaped the history of the Bighorn Basin.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Crime And Punishment"}]

When someone is identified and found guilty of vandalizing rock art, the penalties can be severe.

In November 2024, Daniela Ganassim Ericksen was arrested on felony charges for damaging the Buckskin Gulch Petroglyphs east of Kanab, Utah. She caused around $7,000 of damage by carving several figures into one of the panels.

, she was sentenced to 12 months of probation and $14,853.36 in restitution.

She was also barred from entering all BLM lands and had to send a letter of apology to the indigenous tribes with a cultural association to the Buckskin Gulch Petroglyphs.

Smith and many other archaeologists celebrated the conviction, hoping it would send a strong message to other potential offenders.

“In my professional opinion, I think it's pretty fantastic that she was prosecuted at all," Smith said. "People who have been caught vandalizing petroglyphs usually get a slap on the wrist at best.”

However, there’s no way to undo the damage that’s been done,” Smith said. No amount of money or probation can restore these irreplaceable relics of human history.

“These rock art panels have survived millennia,” Smith said. “They shouldn’t have to survive us.”

The BLM Cody Field Office is encouraging anyone with information about the six rock art sites vandalized in the Bighorn Basin to contact the field office at 307-578-5900 or reach out to local law enforcement.

Blm vandal 2 6 5 26

<title>Six Bighorn Basin Rock Art Sites Burned, Shot In ‘Irreparable’ Vandalism | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The BLM is investigating multiple incidents of “irreparable” vandalism at rock art sites in the Bighorn Basin. They were burned, shot and had names scratched into them. "People get away with this all the time,” said a Wyoming archaeologist.

Six Bighorn Basin Rock Art Sites Burned, Shot In ‘Irreparable’ Vandalism

Jimmy orr

Jimmy Orr

Wildlife

A California man said he was dragged 20-30 feet by a grizzly before it finally let him go in an attack he sustained late last month in Glacier National Park.

The report of the attack, which up until now has been scant of specifics, has turned vivid with Daniel Crago discussing the blow-by-blow of his bear encounter on a 

Crago says he was on his last day of a hiking trip when he peeled away from his friend to “take in some views.”

[{"type":"text","text":"That’s when he spotted a “smaller” grizzly."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Then the worst thing happened: he spotted a larger grizzly."}]

“I did as you’re told, I alerted the bear,” he said, which was about 15 feet away.

[{"type":"text","text":"That did no good."}]

“At that point, I was so close it likely frightened the bear,” he said. “As soon as it saw me, it charged down and attacked me.”

“I threw my arm up, it bit my arm, dragged me about 20-30 feet, and took off,” he said in the post.

“I could see my hand, and it was just dangling there,” he told 

The National Park Service said park employees believe that loud rushing water made it difficult for the hiker or the bears to detect each other.

Calling the experience “terrifying,” Crago said he was fortunate in that a pediatrician was in the area who was able to stabilize the arm while another hiker made noises in an attempt to keep the bears from coming back.

[{"type":"text","text":"The bears did not return."}]

Another hiker, he said, alerted emergency services and a helicopter airlifted him to nearby hospital in Kalispell.

He’s had three surgeries so far, he said, and is expecting at least one more.

"I am facing significant medical bills from the treatment and care I received," he said. "The costs are overwhelming, and I am reaching out for help to cover these expenses so I can continue my recovery."

Retired ecologist Chuck Neal of Cody, who frequently hikes solo in grizzly country, told Cowboy State Daily that hiking in Glacier Park demands extra alertness.

“Encounters can happen at just a few yards away” if hikers aren’t paying keen attention, Neal said.

“It’s a high-quality habitat for bears. It’s better habitat for bears than Yellowstone is” and tends to attract a younger crowd, he said.

“Those younger hikers go barreling up those trails without paying that much attention,” Neal said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Busy Season For Bear Attacks"}]

Crago’s is the latest of multiple bear encounters with humans in the region so far this season.

Earlier in the month, Glacier Park reported its 

 since 1998 when the body of Florida resident Anthony Pollio, 33, was found May 6 two days after he was reported missing.

His body was found about 50 feet from the trail he’d apparently been hiking on.

 when they were attacked by a female grizzly with cubs near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.

On May 26, a man running on a trail in British Columbia, Canada, was attacked by a female black bear with two cubs.

Outdoor adventurer Michael Hodges was photographing grizzlies in the Glacier Park backcountry on the day that Pollio’s body was discovered about 15 miles away.

Later, he was on the same trail where the alleged May 28 bear attack was reported.

“I was up on the trail the week of May 6 and saw many grizzlies,” he stated in a text message to Cowboy State Daily last week.

“I warned hikers from California and Texas at the trailhead that there was an unusual number of griz, and to be extra alert,” stated Hodges, a novelist and internet personality.

Daniel crago 6 5 26

<title>California Man Says Grizzly Dragged Him 30 Feet In Glacier National Park Attack | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A California hiker said after he surprised two grizzlies last month on a trail in Glacier National Park, the larger bear bit through his arm and dragged him 30 feet. “I did as you’re told, I alerted the bear,” he said, but the bear attacked him anyway.

California Man Says Grizzly Dragged Him 30 Feet In Glacier National Park Attack

Some type of large animal, most likely a bear, was spotted on the west side of Laramie on Friday, causing the city to close sections of the Laramie River Greenbelt.

As of publication Friday evening, the area remained closed and a trouble bear hadn’t been found.

The city reported the closure “due to a bear sighting” near the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory on the eastern side of Interstate 80. The bear appeared to have wandered down from the hills in search of food.

Barricades were installed on streets in the vicinity of the sighting, and residents were asked to avoid the area for their own safety.

Cowboy State Daily was unable to reach the city of Laramie or the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for additional information.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Bears And Barricades"}]

There’s been an influx of bear sightings and incidents in southeast Wyoming this year.

Two black bears wandered into Cheyenne three days apart in mid-May. One of the bears, a 2-year-old male, was captured after it 

sought shelter in Karolyn Middleton’s barn

Wyoming Game and Fish "told me it was probably a young bear that had been pushed out a little way,” Middleton told Cowboy State Daily on May 12.

 after wandering into a subdivision on the north side of Cheyenne. 

It was legally taken by a landowner in the area that had a valid hunting tag for black bear hunt Area 35, which includes Cheyenne.

“The bear wandered to a neighboring property, and my neighbor went in the house, came back out with hunter orange on and a rifle, walked up to where the bear was hiding, and shot it dead,” a neighbor who wished to remain anonymous told Cowboy State Daily. “Point-blank range, doubt it was 10 feet."

 in Cheyenne’s Clear Creek Park in September 2023. That bear was tranquilized, lifted out of the tree by a cherry picker, and relocated westward to the Snowy Range.

In 2022, a 2-year-old male black bear was found wandering in a Laramie neighborhood. That bear was also tranquilized and released in the Snowy Range.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Recolonization"}]

Black bears have, historically, been rare in the southeastern corner of Wyoming, but there are indications that their range might be expanding.

“I hate to say things are impossible, because wildlife continues to adapt and surprise us,” said Wyoming Game and Fish Large Carnivore Specialist Dan Thompson. “Black bears evolved with forested ecosystems, and in the last half-century or less, we have started seeing expansions of black bears back into previous haunts in North America, or more appropriately, recolonization."

Laramie resident Anne Brande wasn’t surprised to hear a black bear was spotted in that particular spot.

“It’s a riparian area in the Laramie Basin in June,” she said. “He’s looking for food and water, and I’m sure that’s an enticing spot for a bear.”

Brande, who “walks the greenbelt daily,” found some irony in the city of Laramie’s response. While they’re obviously trying to preserve people’s safety, it’s because of a fact, she feels, they’ve been reluctant to acknowledge.

“City Manager Todd Feezer told the Laramie City Council and the public that the Laramie Greenbelt has no wildlife,” she said. “It’s like when they spotted a mountain lion over by LaPrele Park and told people, ‘Don’t go there,’ and the whole community flocked there because everybody wanted a mountain lion sighting.”

Brand wasn’t concerned about the black bear sighting. She didn’t think it would be a fan of the neighborhood.

“It’s not like he’s going there to hang out,” she said. “I don't think he's going to like all the people in the neighborhoods around that area. He’s going to pass through. Wildlife passes great distances. They’re used to that.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Greenbelt Blight"}]

For Brande, the black bear sighting was a sign of how wild and habitable the Laramie Greenbelt is for local wildlife. That’s been a point of contention between Laramie residents and the local government.

“The City Council keeps talking about the West Side Blight Plan, and that’s very frustrating to me,” she said. “It's the Laramie River Greenbelt Blight Plan, and a lot of people have been blindsided by it.”

According to Brande, the Laramie city manager and planner presented the West Side Blight Plan to make infrastructure improvements like streets, curbs, gutters, and sewer to the area around the Laramie River Greenbelt Park.

One of their main points in favor of developing the area was that, according to Brande, it was inhospitable to wildlife because it had been a superfund site. Brande said that’s patently untrue.

“I’ve personally seen herons there,” she said. “I have seen a bald eagle there. I see raccoons and foxes there. People got there for fly fishing and birdwatching. There is a ton of wildlife there, and that's why I love it so much.”

Brande also said the city’s position on the habitat assessment of the Laramie Greenbelt hasn’t been consistent at the public meetings she’s made a point to attend, so she can speak against the West Side Blight Plan.

“At first, I was told there's no wildlife there because it’s too contaminated,” she said. “During subsequent public meetings, after I was told that it was too polluted to have wildlife, they said there were no pollutants, but it would still be good to do a blight designation. It was extremely confusing.”

At this point, Brande said it’s all “water under the bridge” since the Laramie City Council approved the blight designation. Now, she’s hoping they won’t pursue their intended projects.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'A Treasure'"}]

From what Brande has heard, the area around Laramie River Greenbelt Park has been proposed as a potential site for a future housing development. She’s against that plan, on principle and practicality.

“You don't want to monetize an extreme floodplain, and that's a FEMA extreme floodplain of the Laramie River,” she said.

Brande sees the Laramie Greenbelt as an undervalued natural asset for the city of Laramie and believes many other residents share her perspective. It’s an easily accessible piece of wilderness for people who want to step away from the bustle of Wyoming’s biggest college town.

“I see people from all over the county actually using the greenbelts with me very often,” she said. “You don’t have to have a car or drive to Medicine Bow National Forest to find a spot like this. It’s a 10-minute walk from my house.”

Brande hopes the Laramie River Greenbelt will remain as it is. Even if the alluring environment draws in the occasional black bear, it’s a sign that there’s a habitat worth preserving in Laramie, for wildlife and residents.

“I'm talking to you in a metropolitan coffee shop in San Francisco, California, and I haven't seen one bird,” she said. “Not one. You’ve got to enjoy the Greenbelt because it’s such an accessible way for anyone to find nature in our community. It gives me such peace of mind. It’s a treasure.”

Laramie River Greenbelt Park Visit Laramie 6 5 26

<title>Laramie Closes Popular Greenbelt Park After Bear Sighting | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The city of Laramie closed sections of Laramie River Greenbelt Park on Friday because of a bear sighting in the area. Barricades were installed on streets in the vicinity of the sighting, and residents were asked to avoid the area for their own safety.

Laramie Closes Popular Greenbelt Park After Bear Sighting

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

Courts

A Washington man is facing 14 wildlife-related criminal charges in Campbell County after Wyoming investigators say years-old Instagram videos, voice messages and cellphone data uncovered evidence of alleged illegal hunting trips that stretched back more than a decade.

Court records filed in Campbell County allege Bobby Chuck Ephrem, 48, illegally killed antelope and mule deer in Wyoming in 2014, 2015 and 2020, sometimes from vehicles, sometimes without licenses and at least once using a .22-caliber pistol that investigators say was illegal for taking big game.

The charges stem from an Idaho wildlife investigation that eventually led Wyoming Game and Fish investigators to social media posts, archived videos and cellphone extractions that they say show hunting activity in Campbell County.

An arrest warrant was issued June 4, 2025. Ephrem later appeared in Campbell County Circuit Court for a hearing on Tuesday, where bond was set at $75,000. Court records show he posted a surety bond on Wednesday.

As a condition of release, Ephrem is not allowed to leave Campbell County and is barred from hunting, fishing, trapping, collecting shed antlers or accompanying anyone engaged in hunting or fishing activities while the case is pending.

A voicemail seeking comment from the Campbell County Attorney's Office was not returned before publication.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Case Built From Phones And Social Media"}]

The investigation began in April 2024 when Idaho conservation officers shared information uncovered during an ongoing wildlife investigation, according to an affidavit filed by Wyoming Game and Fish Investigator Daniel Beach.

Investigators say Instagram videos, voice messages, and other evidence pointed them toward multiple incidents involving antelope and mule deer.

Beach wrote that he later traveled to Oregon in June 2024 to assist Oregon State Police while that agency executed a search warrant at Ephrem's home.

During the search and interview, investigators say Ephrem talked about several mounted animals displayed in his home and admitted to killing some of them in Wyoming.

The affidavit shows Wyoming investigators subsequently reviewed cellphone extraction data, Instagram videos and archived voice messages that they believe corroborated those admissions.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'No Permission, Just Shoot'"}]

Some of the most serious allegations center on an October 2020 antelope hunt in Campbell County.

Investigators discovered Instagram voice messages sent from Ephrem's account that referenced plans to hunt antelope in Wyoming.

One message cited in the charging documents read, "We're going antelope hunting today."

Another allegedly said, "No, just drive around and shoot shit. No permission, just shoot."

Investigators say they later identified the location shown in one of the videos as private property owned by Peabody Caballo Mining LLC south of Gillette.

Neither the company nor the rancher leasing the pasture granted permission for the hunting activity depicted in the videos, wrote Beach. 

In another video, investigators say Ephrem can be seen firing a rifle at antelope from inside a vehicle. 

Investigators also allege the video showed Ephrem handing the rifle to a younger passenger.

The charging documents include allegations of wanton destruction of antelope, taking big game from a vehicle, trespassing to hunt and accessory counts connected to those offenses.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The .22-Caliber Pistol Allegation"}]

A separate video described in the affidavit forms the basis for another series of charges.

Investigators say the recording showed Ephrem driving a Dodge Ram pickup while firing a pistol at multiple antelope from the roadway and adjacent ditch.

Beach wrote they later determined the firearm appeared to be a GSG 1911-style .22-caliber pistol, and that Ephrem fired 10 rounds at several antelope from close range.

During a June 2024 interview, Ephrem said, "I remember shooting, yes, got it.'" 

The case includes charges alleging illegal use of a firearm for taking big game, wanton destruction and taking big game from a vehicle.

Investigators also allege another man, who they say appeared in some of the videos, later confirmed witnessing portions of the hunt during a recorded interview.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Allegations Reach Back To 2014"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The investigation didn't stop with the 2020 videos."}]

Cellphone data allegedly connected Ephrem to an antelope killed in 2015 and a mule deer killed in 2014.

Beach wrote that Ephrem admitted during a 2024 interview to those killings. 

Wyoming licensing records showed Ephrem did not possess licenses for those species during the years in question, says investigators, and that Ephrem improperly used or transferred hunting licenses connected to his son during some of the incidents.

Cellphone photographs, taxidermy records and statements made during interviews were used to support those allegations.

The charges remain allegations. Ephrem has not been convicted, and the case will proceed through Wyoming's court system.

Campell county pronghorn 4 5 26

<title>'No Permission, Just Shoot': Instagram Videos Lead To Wyoming Poaching Charges | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Washington man faces 14 Wyoming poaching-related charges after Game and Fish investigators say Instagram videos and phone data exposed illegal hunts over more than 10 years. “No permission, just shoot,” the man messaged, Game and Fish says.

'No Permission, Just Shoot': Instagram Videos Lead To Wyoming Poaching Charges

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's general assignment reporter, Clair McFarland.

Clair McFarland

The transgender Laramie resident who staged a protest 

last summer of Wyoming’s new cross-sex access ban for public restrooms is now waging a self-defense argument in a felony aggravated assault case.

 for using the women’s bathroom in the Wyoming Capitol when a new state law activated banning the practice. 

The ban doesn’t allow for penalties against a transgender person using the women’s bathroom, but allows females aggrieved by that event to sue the state for letting it happen.

About two months later, Kelver was involved in an altercation with a man outside the Crowbar in Laramie. Court documents say that after a verbal clash — the contents of which are disputed — Kelver approached the man.

The man shoved Kelver, who fell to the ground, and Kelver pulled a firearm and chambered a round before pointing the pistol at the man, the affidavit alleges.

This case is ongoing, with Kelver’s attorney Andrew Holcomb, and Kelver, both promising to pursue a 

Meanwhile, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Byrd cast the case as an instance of biased enforcement, and said it highlights the need to reaffirm universal Second Amendment and due process rights for everyone.

“The Kelver case is bigger than one bartender, one crosswalk, and one night in Laramie,” wrote Byrd, who’s also a former legislator, in a Wednesday Facebook post. “It’s a test of whether the Second Amendment means what it says  for everyone.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Kelver Statement"}]

Kelver responded to that claim with cautious statements in a Wednesday phone interview.

“There is a plethora of opportunity for me to be a victim of bias in this, but there’s a lot of evidence we need to address properly, through the legal channels, and kind of go forward with this in a way that is respectful to the legal process,” said Kelver. 

“So I am not intending to make any accusatory statements about how this was handled on the police department’s side or the judicial side at the moment,” Kelver added.

Laramie Police Department Lt. Craig Lenhardt declined Wednesday to comment on the case on the department’s behalf.

Albany County Attorney Kurt Britzius, who is prosecuting this case, did not return an email and phone message request for comment by publication.

[{"type":"text","text":"Kelver delivered another comment via phone."}]

“I fully respect the legal process and intend to address the facts in court, not necessarily anymore in the media,” Kelver said. “I did not go looking for confrontation. I genuinely believed my safety was threatened and my actions were taken in response to that threat.”

Kelver voiced confidence that, “when all the facts are heard in the proper setting it will be clear that this was a defensive response to a frightening situation. I just ask that 

 not rush to judgment based on incomplete information.”

Kelver faces up to 16 years in prison and up to $12,000 in fines if convicted. 

The charges are aggravated assault (up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines), possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent (up to five years in prison and $1,000 in fines), and interference with a peace officer (up to one year in jail and $1,000 in fines).

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"First, Court Documents"}]

Kelver was standing outside the Crowbar at about 10 p.m. on Sept. 13, 2025

 an altercation unfolded after a man shouted something about the bar.

[{"type":"text","text":"Most of the other facts of the case are disputed."}]

The transgender Laramie resident who protested Wyoming’s cross-sex access ban for public bathrooms at the Capitol last summer is now waging a self-defense argument in a felony assault case. “I did not go looking for confrontation,” said Rihanna Kelver.

Daily Smile: Thursday, May 18, 2023

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