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
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
Why Wolves In Wyoming Aren’t Attacking And Killing People Like They Are In India
While a district in northern India is reeling from wolf attacks that have killed at least 10 people, many of them children, wildlife biologists say the chances of humans being attacked by wolves in Wyoming remain virtually zero.
Mark HeinzMarch 15, 2025
Well-Known Bear Likely First Grizzly Caught On Video This Year, Near West Yellowstone
Photographers believe the grizzly seen ambling past a trail camera on Thursday night in Yellowstone is the same huge male that is often one of the first bears to make an appearance each spring.
Mark HeinzMarch 14, 2025
Gun Advocates Praise Study Showing Citizens Stop More Mass Shooters Than Police
Wyoming gun rights advocate Mark Jones told Cowboy State Daily that a new study showing armed citizens stopped more active shootings than police proved Wyoming was right to repeal gun-free zones.
Mark HeinzMarch 14, 2025
Australian Prime Minister Blasts Wyoming Outdoors Influencer For Grabbing Baby Wombat
Australians, including the prime minister, are livid at a Wyoming-based social media influencer, after a video surfaced of her grabbing a baby wombat. Samantha Strable, who has lived in Pinedale, could lose her visa as a result.
Mark HeinzMarch 14, 2025
As Ticks Begin To Emerge in Wyoming, Entomologists On Lookout For Two New Species
Wyoming entomologists say ticks are beginning to come out and are warning about two new species that are particularly awful. One carries Lyme disease and the other likes to “chase you down.”
Mark HeinzMarch 12, 2025
Bald Eagle Won’t Let Go Of Its Dinner, Turns Roadkill Skunk Into A Snowboard
A bald eagle riding a dead skunk like a snowboard isn’t something you see every day, but a woman in Maine got it on video. It also doesn’t surprise Wyoming raptor experts, because eagles really like to cling to their food.
Mark HeinzMarch 12, 2025
Trees Fused Together By Common Branch Extremely Rare, Sometimes Helped By Humans
Trees fused together in an “H” shape, with a single huge branch between them, are extremely rare, tree experts say, but they do happen. Horticulturalist Shane Smith told Cowboy State Daily usually there's some degree of human manipulation, but not always.
Mark HeinzMarch 10, 2025
Wyoming National Forest Users Mixed On Big Changes Under Trump
With the U.S. Forest Service undergoing changes in the new Trump administration, people who use those public lands are mixed. One Wyoming user says she’s worried, while another says he’s hopeful to weed out those “just there for a paycheck.”
Mark HeinzMarch 08, 2025
After 289 Wolves Killed In Montana Last Year, Bills Push For More Hunting
Hunters and trappers in Montana killed 289 wolves last year, and legislators there are pushing for more. One bill would extend hunting and trapping seasons by three months, and another would allow the use of thermal imaging and night vision scopes.
Mark HeinzMarch 08, 2025
Cheyenne Farmers Worry Huge Data Center Will Suck Up Their Irrigation Water
Farmers and ranchers in eastern Laramie County are worried that a massive Facebook (Meta) data center, along with similar future projects, will suck up the water they need. Cheyenne's mayor reassures them it won't.
Mark HeinzMarch 07, 2025
Last-Minute Amendment Brings $19.5 Million Shooting Complex Back From The Dead
A $19.5 million Wyoming state shooting complex was declared dead after the Legislature refused to pitch in $10 million in state funds. A last-ditch amendment revived the project Thursday on the last day of the 2025 legislative session.
Mark HeinzMarch 07, 2025
Wyoming Otters No Longer Protected, But Won’t Get Slaughtered
Otters are no longer classified as a protected species in Wyoming, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be getting killed anytime soon, according to Game and Fish officials.
Mark HeinzMarch 06, 2025