Mark Heinz
Mark Heinz covers the outdoors and wildlife for Cowboy State Daily.
He previously worked or freelanced for numerous newspapers and magazines across Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, covering all manner of news and feature stories. He has a strong background in topics related to wildlife, hunting, and wildlands conservation. He's written extensively since the 1990s about the controversies surrounding wolves, grizzly bears and mustangs.
He also enjoys people-centric stories with quirky edge of humor and has written several such pieces for Cowboy State Daily.
Mark lives in Laramie with his wife, Kendy, and the youngest of their five children.
Latest from Mark Heinz
Thousands Of Cranes Pour Into Wyoming For Spring Migration, Even A Few Whoopers
Sandhill cranes are pouring into Wyoming by the thousands during spring migration. A few rare whooping cranes are showing up too. Many cranes come here to nest and raise their young.
Mark HeinzMarch 29, 2025
Even In Wyoming, Experts Say Shooting At Someone Stealing Your Stuff Not A Good Idea
It’s best to know what the law says about using a gun to defend yourself, your home and possessions in Wyoming before opening fire, experts say. A Casper man may learn that after unloading at his own truck while a guy was stealing it.
Mark HeinzMarch 29, 2025
Wyoming Ranchers Ask Trump For Help In Family's Fence Line Fight With Feds
Wyoming ranchers have asked President Donald Trump to intervene in their daughter and son-in-law’s property dispute with the U.S. Forest Service in South Dakota.
Mark HeinzMarch 28, 2025
Lummis Wants End To ‘Silly’ Restrictions On Short-Barreled Rifles, Shotguns
Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis is a backing a bill to lift 90-year-old restrictions on short-barreled rifles and shotguns. A Wyoming firearms law expert agrees, calling the restrictions “silly.”
Mark HeinzMarch 28, 2025
If Feds Delist Wolves Everywhere, Will Colorado’s Reintroduction Program Crash?
A push is underway to get wolves delisted from federal protection across the Lower 48, but it remains unclear how that might affect wolf management policies in Wyoming and Colorado.
Mark HeinzMarch 28, 2025
Man In Bear Suit Scares Off Black Bear; He’s Lucky It Wasn’t A Wyoming Grizzly
A North Carolina man uses a bear suit to scare black bears off his lawn. Some Wyomingites said trying that with a grizzly would be insane. They could maul you, or worse, try to get frisky.
Mark HeinzMarch 27, 2025
Wyoming Gun Owners Blast Supreme Court For Upholding Biden-Era ‘Ghost Gun’ Rules
Wyoming gun rights advocates are blasting a Wednesday U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding Biden-era “ghost gun” rules. The regs require serial numbers and background checks for self-made firearms.
Mark HeinzMarch 26, 2025
New Herd In Wyoming’s Red Desert Could Save Yellowstone Bison From Inbreeding
Yellowstone’s bison have merged into a “single breeding population,” according to a new study. Because of that, it might be necessary at some point to establish new herds in places like Wyoming’s Red Desert to prevent inbreeding.
Mark HeinzMarch 26, 2025
Rock Springs Land Use Plan On Hold As Congress Revises BLM Western Priorities
Hope is running high in southwest Wyoming that millions of acres of federal land won’t be locked up as Harriet Hageman pushes Congress to revise Bureau of Land Management plans across the West.
Mark HeinzMarch 24, 2025
If Colorado Wolves Keep Crossing Into Wyoming, They Might Not Last Long
A transplanted wolf showing up in Wyoming wasn’t unexpected, neither was it being killed for preying on livestock. With Wyoming’s shoot-on-sight policy for wolves in most of the state, that’s not likely to change.
Mark HeinzMarch 21, 2025
Taking Benadryl For Rattlesnake Bites Can Get You Killed, Medical Expert Says
An online rumor that children’s Benadryl can save people from rattlesnake bites has gone viral around Wyoming. But it’s false, and a medical expert says taking it after a rattler bites could get you killed.
Mark HeinzMarch 21, 2025
Former Wyoming Resident Busted For Illegal Deer Killing 26 Years Later
A former Wyoming resident who had moved to Alabama was busted for illegally killing a deer 26 years after the fact, and after dodging a bench warrant for 24 years.
Mark HeinzMarch 20, 2025
Transplanted Colorado Wolf Killed In Wyoming Had Been Attacking Sheep
A wolf from Colorado that killed five sheep in north-central Wyoming was killed by USDA Wildlife Services on Saturday. It was one of the wolves brought into Colorado from British Columbia and released there as part of that state's reintroduction program.
Mark HeinzMarch 20, 2025
Environmentalists Push To Block Brian Nesvik As Pick To Lead Fish & Wildlife
Environmental groups are pushing to block the nomination of former Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik to head the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. But a former FWS warden says he’s the right pick.
Mark HeinzMarch 19, 2025
Federal Court To Decide Fate Of Wyoming’s Rare Curly-Haired Wild Mustangs
A panel of three federal judges in 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver is considering whether mustangs, including rare curly-haired horses, will be rounded up and removed from southwest Wyoming.
Mark HeinzMarch 19, 2025
Watch Is On For 399’s Cub Spirit: If He Survived, Will Anyone Recognize Him?
Grief over the death of Wyoming’s Grizzly 399 was tempered by hope that her cub, Spirit, might survive on his own. But even if he did, it might be impossible to distinguish Spirit from any other 2-year-old grizzly.
Mark HeinzMarch 18, 2025
Federal Court Sides With Hunters In Wyoming Corner-Crossing Case
A federal appeals court Tuesday ruled in favor of four hunters who “corner-crossed” to access public land next to a Wyoming ranch in 2021. The ruling could have broad implications for public lands use.
Mark HeinzMarch 18, 2025
UW Breaks Ties With National Ph.D. Group After Trump’s DEI Scrutiny
University of Wyoming has cut ties with a nonprofit allegedly trying to “diversify corporate America.” The move is a response to President Trump’s push for academia to pull away from DEI.
Mark HeinzMarch 17, 2025
Wyoming Baby Wombat Grabber Fires Back At Australia
A Wyoming-based social media influencer who set off international outrage after reportedly grabbing a baby wombat in Australia is firing back, stating that Australia’s government slaughters wombats by the thousands.
Mark HeinzMarch 17, 2025
Tick Bite Victims Say Resulting Diseases Caused Them Years Of Misery
As tick season nears, victims told Cowboy State Daily about years of suffering, and the frustration of going to one doctor after another – with baffling symptoms – and still not getting a proper diagnosis.
Mark HeinzMarch 16, 2025
Cheyenne Botanic Garden Founder Says Cheyenne ‘Stealing’ Famous Locomotive
Shane Smith, the founder of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, says plans to move Wyoming's oldest coal steam locomotive to a downtown location would amount to “stealing” it from the facility, as well as from all the people who donated time and money to put Ol’ Sadie there.
Mark HeinzMarch 16, 2025