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[{"type":"text","text":"On Fridays we celebrate athleticism..."}]

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

<title>You Still Here? Friday, June 23, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

On Fridays we celebrate athleticism...

You Still Here? Friday, June 23, 2023

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Government & Politics

A tentative federal plan for Colorado River water use through 2036 seems “encouraging" for Upper Basin states like Wyoming, said Gov. Mark Gordon. But Lower Basin states aren't happy at all, with Arizona's governor calling parts of it "draconian."

The U.S. Department of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation, on Friday released a final environmental impact statement (EIS) for future Colorado River operations.

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, along with other Upper Basin governors, quickly issued a cautiously optimistic response.

“While the final details are still being analyzed by Upper Division States, we are encouraged that new operating guidelines will better reflect existing water supply, which must underpin any practicable plan going forward,” according to the statement.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs wasn’t so hopeful in a response she issued Friday.

She stated that the feds' plan "still contains unacceptable options that include the federal government forcing Arizona to take the majority of draconian water cutbacks …”

Wyoming state Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, has said that Arizona could be the flashpoint for legal battles over the Colorado River’s dwindling supply.

“Arizona is the state that’s most likely to litigate and say, ‘We’re entitled to this water; you need to send it to us,’” said Hicks, who served on the Legislature’s Select Water Committee.

There’s long been tension between the Upper Basin states of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, and Arizona, California and Nevada in the Lower Basin.

Regarding the EIS, the Bureau of Reclamation says that plans through 2026 could include “the opportunity for voluntary Upper Basin conservation up to 200 kaf (200,000 acre-feet), subject to hydrology.”

An acre-foot is the amount of water it takes to cover an acre of land to a depth of 1 foot.

The agency’s statement didn’t offer further explanation of what that could mean for Wyoming or other Upper Basin states.

State Engineer Brandon Gebhart represents Wyoming on the Upper Colorado River Commission, which called a meeting Friday to discuss the EIS.

During a break, Gebhart emailed Cowboy State Daily.

“We are still reviewing the EIS. At this time, I am unable to comment,” he wrote.

The EIS apparently calls for higher demands on the Lower Basin states.

Those include “annual releases from Lake Powell between 5.0 maf (million acre-feet) and 12.0 maf, Lower Basin shortages of up to 3.0 maf, the ability to store up to 8.0 maf and 3.0 maf of conserved water in Lake Powell and Lake Mead,” according to the Bureau of Reclamation's plan.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Tough Talk On Water Rights"}]

Hicks has said many Wyoming farmers and ranchers might be unaffected by squabbles over the 1922 Colorado River Compact. The compact designated water rights for the seven basin states, Mexico and Native American tribes.

Hicks noted that many Wyoming agricultural irrigation rights predate the 1922 compact.

Speaking on July 23 in Cheyenne, U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Gordon

Burgum said the federal government is prepared to step in and dictate a water-use plan if the states can’t settle their differences by Oct. 1.

“I’ve said before … if we come up with a plan that nobody likes, we probably have the right plan,” said Burgum, who was North Dakota’s governor before President Trump tapped him to head the Department of the Interior. 

“Because when you have a shortage (of Colorado River water) that’s this severe, if somebody was happy and somebody was unhappy, then it’s not the right amount of sharing the pain or shouldering the responsibility," he added.

Gordon said he appreciated the Trump administration listening to the states and agricultural users.

“But I want to make sure people understand that Wyoming water law is sacrosanct, and it’s not going to be affected,” he said.

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<title>Feds Release New 10-Year Plan For Colorado River Water, Gordon 'Encouraged' | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Gov. Mark Gordon said he's "encouraged" the Department of the Interior's new 10-year plan for the Colorado River released Friday looks out for Upper Basin states. Arizona's governor called it a raft of “draconian water cutbacks" for Lower Basin states.

Feds Release New 10-Year Plan For Colorado River Water, Gordon 'Encouraged'

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's business and tourism reporter, Renée Jean

Renée Jean

Business & Tourism

Dale Clark, an Airbnb owner in Thermopolis, had just one word when he heard Wyoming State Parks had reached a tentative $1.8 million agreement to buy the Star Plunge water park in Hot Springs State Park, ending a long-running legal dispute that’s kept the popular attraction 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"“Ecstatic,” he said."}]

 ever for his Airbnb this year with the Star Plunge closed and said August bookings so far look to be a record low. 

“This month I think we have eight days in August reserved, where usually we’re close to sold out,” he said.

Two guests told him this month that if they’d known Star Plunge wasn’t open, his already low bookings would have been short another two.

“Whether you like it or not — and there’s many who don’t — Star Plunge is the No. 1 attraction,” he said. “I get that there’s the Dinosaur Center, there’s another pool, and there’s the State Bath House, and there’s this and that. 

"But Star Plunge is No. 1, like it or not.”

For Clark and many other Thermopolis business owners, the state’s deal with Star Plunge owner Roland Luehne is long-awaited relief from a legal fight they say has been taking the top off their tourism season. 

The $1.8 million settlement agreement, which will require the Wyoming attorney general’s approval, will close out all claims — filed or unfiled, current or future — related to the Star Plunge dispute, according to Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites, and Trails Deputy Director Nick Neylon.

“It will pay C&W Enterprises $1.8 million and will stipulate that Roland and his company drop all claims against the state regarding the Star Plunge,” he said. “The settlement isn’t final yet, but Director (Dave) Glenn has signed it, and Roland and Star Plunge have signed it.”

The attorney general’s review was a stipulation in the

 fund to buy out both Star Plunge and the Hot Springs Hotel.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Ends All Claims"}]

The dispute between State Parks and Star Plunge began almost two decades ago when the long-term concession contract for the attraction expired in 2008. 

That morphed into years of short-term deals, as well as political fights at the Capitol and, ultimately, closure of the popular attraction in January 2025, along with sparking a lawsuit between the parties over just compensation.

The agreement clears the way for new concessionaire Wyoming Hot Springs, LLC to 

, along with neighboring TePee Pools and the State Bath House, ushering in millions of dollars worth of improvements. 

A separate agreement covering purchase of the Hot Springs Hotel is pending and nearing completion, Neylon added.

“We have spent a week negotiating with them, and we hope to have an announcement about that very soon,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “It won’t happen today, but hopefully soon.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Won’t Reopen Overnight"}]

Star Plunge won’t reopen right away, Neylon said. The first step once the state regains control of the property will be a “top-to-bottom” safety inspection. 

“We have said many times there were some safety issues we were worried about at the Star Plunge,” he said. “Once the agreement is fully executed and the keys turned over to us, we’ll get in there and conduct that safety inspection … and then we still have to finalize the contract with the new concessionaire.”

Neylon said the state has been working concurrently on the final shape of its contract with Wyoming Hot Springs LLC, the concessionaire owned by former Alaska U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, which will take over all the park’s attractions.

Luehne filed a lawsuit prior to the Star Plunge closure in January 2025, alleging the state’s process had been fundamentally unfair and violated formal regulations for choosing a new concessionaire. 

He also claimed the state was cheating him of just compensation for decades of capital improvements.

In the months since the lawsuit, various efforts were made to try and open the attraction, including a deal that would have seen a third party operate the park for Luehne. That 

who left very little wiggle room for negotiation.

The new settlement caps a nearly two-decade standoff between Wyoming and C&W Enterprises over improvements to the concession.

“It’s been 18 years since their last long-term lease expired in 2008,” Neylon said. “So, it’s been a long journey to get to this point. 

"We’ve been working with them at least that long to try to finalize a new contract and get some improvements across all concessions.”

The lawsuit has put the status of other park improvements in limbo, with Wyoming Hot Springs LLC officials saying they cannot decide what direction to take until they know the outcome of the lawsuit between the state and Luehne, whose family has operated Star Plunge since 1975. 

Hot Springs is already Wyoming’s most-visited state park, according to the state’s traffic statistics, and represents a huge opportunity to create new tourism in the state, parks officials have said in previous interviews. 

In 2016, to try to capture more of that potential, Wyoming updated its master plan for the park, laying out a new vision and sending out a request for proposals. 

The state chose Wyoming Hot Springs LLC as the new concessionaire in 2024, effectively evicting Luehne and his family.

Messaging around the closure has tried to refocus attention on other attractions in Hot Springs County, such as the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, the TePee Pools, the State Bath House, and Hot Springs State Park itself, with its buffalo pasture and hiking and biking trails. 

To some extent, state lodging statistics do show the effort helped, especially with respect to the area’s blue-ribbon fishing opportunities and its whitewater rafting, but Airbnb stats also show that the area’s 

Thermopolis Mayor Adam Estenson said the town’s overall tourism has remained “surprisingly” resilient and blamed confusion over the Star Plunge closure, with some mistakenly thinking it meant a broader closure of the park itself.

“It’s good news indeed for Thermop and Hot Springs County,” he said. “And I would say probably the whole Bighorn Basin. 

"By and large, you talk to most people in our community, and this is what they really want, just a resolution to where we can start to move forward.”

Estenson indicated efforts would continue to diversify away from too much reliance on any one attraction.

“We’ve got a group here called the Hot City Outdoor Alliance, and they’re doing some awesome work with the trails,” he said. “In the last five or six years, they have expanded a trail system where you could literally hike all day long, never hitting the same trail twice, and never really leave the town of Thermopolis.”

Those hikes feel secluded, with amazing vistas, Estenson added.

“That group also has something to do with the Wagonhound, an off-road park up toward like Anchor Dam and Legend Rock,” he said. “And so that’s just highlights of a lot of stuff going on in Hot Springs County.”

Star Plunge 7 31 26

<title>$1.8M Settlement Puts Star Plunge On Track To Reopen After Closed For 18 Months | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Star Plunge in Thermopolis is on track to reopen after a $1.8 million settlement between Wyoming State Parks and its previous operator has kept it closed since January 2025. “It won’t happen today, but hopefully soon,” said a state parks official.

$1.8M Settlement Puts Star Plunge On Track To Reopen After Closed For 18 Months

Employee kate meadows cropped

Kate Meadows

Agriculture

an eastern Wyoming irrigation district warned

 that irrigation water for its ranchers and farmers could disappear by early August, that prediction is becoming reality.

The Pathfinder Irrigation District announced Thursday that its main Interstate Canal will shut down Aug. 7 because of historically low water supplies, ending an already abbreviated irrigation season for farmers and ranchers across eastern Wyoming and the Nebraska Panhandle.

The district operates an extensive canal system that diverts water from the North Platte River at Whalen Dam, delivering irrigation to more than 100,000 acres of farmland. That water originates in Pathfinder Reservoir southwest of Casper.

For district supervisor Rick Miller, the early shutdown came sooner than even he expected.

"I tend to be conservative when I give estimates," Miller told Cowboy State Daily. "Even being conservative, I didn't think we'd be shutting it off by Aug. 7.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Our loss has just been tremendous this year,\" he said."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Season Unlike Any Other"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The district has been hit by a one-two punch this year."}]

An exceptionally dry winter produced the worst recorded peak snowpack in the upper North Platte Basin — the source of roughly 75% of the North Platte River's water — according to George Finnegan, North Platte water scheduler and civil engineer with the Bureau of Reclamation.

Then, on June 8, a severe storm damaged multiple sections of one of Pathfinder's canals, delaying water deliveries while repairs were completed.

Instead of beginning irrigation in April as it typically does, the district didn't start delivering water until June.

[{"type":"text","text":"Since then, every drop has counted."}]

"The evaporation and the seepage means we just couldn't gain anything," Miller said.

Seepage occurs when parched ground swallows the water before the water reaches intended farm or ranch land.

Compounding the problem, drought conditions have fueled vegetation growth inside canals, making it even harder to move limited water efficiently through the system.

The drought has brought weeds, Miller said, which further interferes with getting the water where it needs to go.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Drought Felt Differently Across Wyoming"}]

Water shortages vary widely across Wyoming depending on geography, said Gail Whitman, executive director of the Wyoming Association of Irrigation Districts.

Districts west of the Continental Divide operate under different hydrologic conditions than those drawing from the North Platte system in eastern Wyoming.

The North Platte feeds Pathfinder, Alcova and Seminoe reservoirs before supplying irrigation districts from Natrona County east to Goshen County. Each district receives a predetermined allocation from those storage reservoirs.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Water conservation is a huge concern,\" Whitman said."}]

The Wyoming Association of Irrigation Districts, formed in 2023, now represents districts in nine counties encompassing more than 482,000 irrigated acres and over 10,000 water users.

The Wheatland Irrigation District typically enjoys a 90- to 100-day water delivery season.

[{"type":"text","text":"This year, the season lasted two weeks, from mid-May to June 1."}]

“It was terrible,” district director Nathan Graves said.

[{"type":"text","text":"The district allotted a scant .15 feet of water per acre."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"“We get more from the sky than we can give, almost,” Graves said."}]

The delivery season was by far the worst since 2002, he said. That year, the district had just 18 days of water delivery.

Graves said producers knew months ago this would be an extraordinarily difficult year.

Some still planted corn, knowing they likely wouldn't harvest a full grain crop.

[{"type":"text","text":"Instead, many will chop the drought-stressed corn for cattle feed."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Yields will be way down,\" Graves said."}]

With the irrigation water soon to dry up, many farmers and ranchers will lease water from other users who aren’t planting this year, Miller said. Most who have planted also rely on supplemental wells.

Graves added that ranchers will move their stock to where the water is. Herd numbers are way down, however, 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Relief Came, But Not Enough"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"On July 11, an annual silt run provided relief."}]

During the silt run, water is released through reservoirs at higher flows to stir up and carry sediment downstream. As the silt settles into canal bottoms and banks, it reduces seepage losses.

This year, the silt run increased the canal’s water supply from 14 feet to 240 feet, Miller said.

[{"type":"text","text":"“It helped tremendously this year,” he said."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Even so, the improvement wasn't enough to lengthen the irrigation season."}]

The Pathfinder district considered leasing additional water but decided against it.

"The amount we'd have had to lease wouldn't have been enough to finish growing a crop in Wyoming," Miller said, noting leased water also comes with a hefty price tag.

With irrigation water about to disappear, many producers are scrambling to finish the season.

Some farmers will lease water from neighbors who chose not to plant crops this year, Miller said. Others will rely on supplemental irrigation wells where available.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Reservoir Continues To Fall"}]

The Pathfinder Reservoir, just under 24% full three weeks ago, now sits at 18.8%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Despite the grim conditions, Miller praised the district's irrigators for stretching every available gallon.

"This is their livelihood," he said. "They've been so workable. They've got to be frustrated. They've done their very best."

[{"type":"text","text":"The district echoed that sentiment in Thursday's announcement."}]

"Our water users have demonstrated exceptional cooperation, patience and responsible water management," the statement said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hoping This Year Is An Exception"}]

Nearly all of Wyoming remains in drought after the state's fifth-driest winter since records began in 1895. About 46% of the state is currently classified in extreme drought.

“I don’t know that people could sustain another year like this,” Graves said.

The Pathfinder Irrigation District called the 2026 irrigation season one of the most difficult in its history because of the exceptionally limited water supply.

Still, district leaders are hoping the historic conditions prove temporary.

"We remain hopeful that this is a one-year event and look forward to more favorable water conditions in the future," the district said.

Sugar Beet harvest 7 31 26

<title>Historic Drought Ends Irrigation Season Early For Eastern Wyoming Farmers | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Pathfinder Irrigation District will shut off its main canal next week after record-low snowpack and historic drought have left too little water to finish the growing season in eastern Wyoming. Around Wheatland, users had just 14 days of water.

Historic Drought Ends Irrigation Season Early For Eastern Wyoming Farmers

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

Andrew Rossi

Public Safety

 numbers from northwest Wyoming are of increasing concern to the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

, the Beartooth Highway. It’s the seventh motorcycle accident on the Beartooth Highway and Wyoming Highway 296, or Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, this year.

“That doesn’t sound like a lot of paper, but it’s tied for the worst year on record for (U.S.) 212 and 296,” said Aaron Brown, Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) spokesman. “We have seven crashes (on the two highways) in 2004. We’re already at seven in 2026, and they've all happened in July." 

But that isn’t the total number of reported crashes between the two highways this year. Brown said WHP troopers have colloquially told him of 

 that other agencies in Wyoming and Montana responded to this summer.

“Anecdotally, my troopers are saying they're seeing as many as 18 crashes so far this year,” he said. “If that is true, that's more than the number of motorcycle crashes on 212 between 2021 and 2025 combined.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Navigating Reports"}]

There still isn’t much information on what happened to the motorcyclist who died on the Beartooth Highway Thursday.

The crash occurred near mile marker 21 on U.S. 212, between the Top of the World Store and the Island Lake Campground. Multiple agencies responded, including the WHP, First Flight of Wyoming, and Red Lodge Fire Rescue.

The official investigation is ongoing, but Brown said preliminary reports indicate there were only two likely causes: a medical emergency or operator inattention.

“The fatality we had yesterday wasn't even on a hairpin curve,” he said. “It was a very soft curve in a very beautiful area. The only things that make sense are either a medical situation or distraction, but we're still waiting for the official report.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Curves Ahead"}]

According to Brown, WHP troopers have interviewed several people who were injured in motorcycle accidents on 212 and 296. Many of them have shared similar narratives of what led to their crashes.

“When troopers have spoken to the riders, a lot of accidents occurred when they were coming around one of those tight hairpin turns,” he said. “A lot of times they were following that white line on the outside, called the fog line.”

As motorcyclists followed the fog line and came to a tight curve, they were going too fast for a safe turn, Brown said. As they attempted to navigate the turn, they overcorrected and, with little to no shoulder, drove off the road.

That scenario explains a majority of motorcycle crashes on 212 and 296, but it doesn’t account for what happened to the victim of Thursday’s accident.

For Brown, a contributing factor to these accidents isn’t the road, it’s the landscape.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A View To Not Die For"}]

The Beartooth and Chief Joseph Scenic highways are among the most spectacular mountain highways in the United States. They’re renowned for their vistas, which would turn anyone’s head.

Motorcyclists can turn their heads more than most, which could easily be part of the problem, Brown said.

“When you're on a motorcycle or bike, the only limit on what you can see is how far you can turn your head. It's easy to get distracted if something catches your eye, like a hawk, other wildlife, or just the view.”

Just like the tight turns, many motorcyclists might not anticipate the sheer beauty of their surroundings. That would mean they’re also unprepared for the other hazards they could encounter.

“Things can happen on 212 and 296 that you won’t be ready for if you don’t anticipate them,” Brown said. “That's going to be weather. That's going to be wildlife popping out of nowhere. Another thing our troopers are learning from post-crash interviews is that it’s easy to get distracted up there.”

 on 216 and 296, but it’s especially dangerous for motorcycles following the fog line with no buffer between them, the side of the highway, and anything in front of them.

“There's already such a small margin for error on a motorcycle to begin with, and that margin’s even smaller on those roads,” Brown said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Sturgis Surge"}]

One of the biggest annual events in the western U.S. could make the accident total even higher.

The 86th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally starts Aug. 7 in South Dakota. Thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts will be traveling there from across the country and often take a detour across the Beartooth and Chief Joseph highways on their route.

Brown said WHP troopers aren’t worried about or anticipating an increase in serious or fatal motorcycle accidents before and after Sturgis, but they hope everyone will be aware of the motorcyclists cruising through Wyoming. There was a 

“We're going to see a lot more coming through, going to and coming from Sturgis, all over the state,” he said. “Just because they come up Cheyenne, going up U.S. 85 to the Black Hills, doesn’t mean they won’t take a detour to see the beautiful Beartooth Highway.”

While 212 and 296 might be more prone to motorcycle accidents, Brown wanted to remind all drivers that Wyoming is a beautiful state.

“It can happen anywhere in Wyoming,” he said. “If they’re heading to Sturgis, they’ll be in the Black Hills. Devils Tower is right there. Medicine Bow National Forest is a popular route. All kinds of things you can see and get distracted by.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Be Prepared And Aware"}]

We won’t know the extent of Wyoming’s 2026 road and highway accidents until 2027. That’s when all the incident reports from across the state will be compiled and analyzed.

From what he’s heard from WHP troopers, Brown is already anticipating more motorcycle accidents across Wyoming. On the same day as the fatal incident on the Beartooth Highway, another motorcycle fatality was reported in Casper.

According to the Casper Police Department, a single-vehicle motorcycle crash occurred near the intersection of King Boulevard and West 13th Street on Thursday morning. The driver, a 20-year-old Casper resident, died from the injuries.

[{"type":"text","text":"The cause of the accident is under investigation."}]

Brown and WHP troopers will be keeping a wary eye on the Beartooth and Chief Joseph highways. At least two months of good weather remain, and thousands of motorcycles could cruise through.

“We want our drivers, both visiting and local, to be aware of the increase in riders. Look twice, save a life,” Brown said.

According to Brown, the best way to avoid accidents is to think and act before burning rubber. Preventative actions, coupled with extra attention on the road, can go a long way during a long drive.  

“It comes down to personal choice,” he said. “Paying attention, buckling up, wearing a helmet, ignoring or getting rid of distractions, and focusing on the road are choices. Only you can make them.”

Brown had a specific message for anyone planning to travel along U.S. 212 and WY 296, especially if they’ll be on a motorcycle.

“If you’re going to do the Beartooth or Chief Joseph, ride within your skills and slow down,” he said. “It’s not a place you want to be crashing out on.”

The Wyoming Highway Patrol has responded to more motorcycle crashes on the Beartooth Highway this year than the last four combined, including Thursday's fatality. With the Sturgis Rally looming, they're fearful of more crashes on the scenic mountain road.

You Still Here? Friday, June 23, 2023

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