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
Critics Say Cody Too Isolated For $10 Million Wyoming Shooting Complex
Now that a spot about 7.5 miles south of Cody has been picked for the coveted $10 million Wyoming Shooting Complex, critics say it’s too isolated. Backers say that won’t discourage its target audience — competitive shooters and events.
Mark HeinzJuly 25, 2024
Game And Fish Genetically Modify Brook Trout To Make Them All Male
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department have come up with a seemingly sci-fi way to combat brook trout that have been taking over habitat from native cutthroats. Turn the brookies all male by mixing them with genetically-altered “Trojan” fish.
Mark HeinzJuly 24, 2024
Grizzly Killed, Left In River With Head, Paws Cut Off, Was Well-Known Yellowstone Bear
A grizzly carcass left in the Yellowstone River with its head and paws cut off is that of a well-known Yellowstone bear, Grizzly 769. Wildlife officials said they removed the parts after killing it last week so they wouldn't end up on the black market.
Mark HeinzJuly 24, 2024
$10M Wyoming Shooting Complex To Be Built South Of Cody
A site about 7 miles south of Cody has been chosen for a $10 million Wyoming shooting complex, a state task force decided Monday. Construction could start next spring, and the complex could be open for business by spring 2026.
Mark HeinzJuly 23, 2024
Tourists Run Screaming From Yellowstone Bear That Looks Like A Muppet
A young black bear with different coloring that looked more like a Muppet than an apex predator freaked out Yellowstone tourists. But the bear, which had shaggy fur and racoon-like markings, was just a regular bear, an expert says.
Mark HeinzJuly 23, 2024
Protesters Rally In Rock Springs To End Wyoming Mustang Roundup
Demonstrators from several states showed up in Rock Springs on Monday to protest the BLM's Wyoming mustang roundups. Next month, the BLM plans to round up about 500-600 wild horses in the White Mountain area, reducing that herd to roughly 300 horses.
Mark HeinzJuly 22, 2024
In Brief: Montana Grizzly Killed While Charging Man Picking Berries
A man told game wardens that he shot and killed a grizzly after it attacked him while he was picking berries in northern Montana on Thursday. It was the second grizzly killed that day.
Mark HeinzJuly 19, 2024
Wyoming Family Has A 56-Pound Tank Of A Pet Raccoon Named Rico
Rico is a 56-pound tank of a raccoon that’s worked out as a loving pet for a family near Lander. But veterinarians say domesticating raccoons should be avoided because they can turn into possessed demons from hell.
Mark HeinzJuly 19, 2024
Montana Wildlife Agency Confirms Killing Of Grizzly That Was Breaking Into Homes
Montana wildlife officials confirmed they shot a grizzly bear that had been causing trouble around the Yellowstone gateway town of Gardiner, Mont., and was breaking into yet another house early Thursday. The bear was killed in the Yellowstone River.
Mark HeinzJuly 19, 2024
Rumor That Town-Terrorizing Grizzly Bear Is Dead Brings Sadness And Relief
A large grizzly bear that’s been smashing house windows, breaking into vehicles and raising Hell in the tiny Yellowstone gateway town of Gardiner, Mont., might have been killed by wildlife agents on Thursday. Some townspeople are relieved to hear it.
Mark HeinzJuly 19, 2024
Chatty Hikers Bother Wyoming’s Wildlife, Study Reveals
A new study published in a scientific journal in June show that animals are really annoyed by the sound of chatty hikers and mountain bikers. Black bears and elk were most skittish about human voices while cougars really don't care.
Mark HeinzJuly 18, 2024
Grizzly Habitat In Yellowstone Ecosystem Is Filling Up Fast, Biologist Says
Going just by the numbers, the grizzly population in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is more than double the 500 bears designated as “recovered,” a top bear biologist told the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission on Tuesday.
Mark HeinzJuly 16, 2024
Wyoming, Utah Call For No Limits On Flaming Gorge Lake Trout
The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission on Tuesday voted to eliminate the catch limit on most lake trout at Flaming Gorge Reservoir because they are diminishing the kokanee salmon population.
Mark HeinzJuly 16, 2024
As Grizzlies Fill In Corners Of Montana, Are They Closer To Mingling With Wyoming Bears?
Montana wildlife officials are telling people they should be prepared to run into grizzlies anywhere west of Billings – but it remains unclear whether a long expected mingling of Wyoming and Montana bears is imminent.
Mark HeinzJuly 15, 2024
Game Warden Involved In Wolf Torture Investigation Charged With DUI
Herbert “Bubba” Haley, one of the game wardens who investigated the capture, torture and killing of a wolf in Sublette County was charged with driving under the influence, according to court records.
Mark Heinz & Clair McFarlandJuly 15, 2024
Rock Springs ‘Desert Rats’ Know Wyoming’s Adobe Town Better Than Anybody
Three friends from Rock Springs who call themselves the desert rats know Wyoming’s Adobe Town better than anybody. They’ve been exploring the huge, rugged expanses of southwest Wyoming for decades and say they’ve seen only a fraction of what’s out there.
Mark HeinzJuly 14, 2024
A New Hobby? Wyoming Scientists Looking For People To Go Out And Collect Ticks
For those who can stomach the task, Wyoming scientists need volunteers to go out and pick up ticks. “We need tick wranglers, please,” entomologist Mikenna Smith told Cowboy State Daily.
Mark HeinzJuly 14, 2024
Congress To Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Outlaw Killing Wildlife By Snowmobile
The high-profile case of a Wyoming wolf run down with a snowmobile, then tortured and killed, is now on the radar of Congress. A bipartisan bill called the Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons Act would ban the practice nationwide.
Mark HeinzJuly 13, 2024
Wyoming's Killpecker Sand Dunes: "Don't Drink The Water, It'll Kill Your Pecker"
The name for Wyoming’s famous Killpecker Sand Dunes is said to have originated with a soldier’s warning that the water there could have an undesirable effect upon a certain part of the male anatomy. Despite that side effect, it's a great place to visit.
Mark HeinzJuly 13, 2024
Traveling Wyoming: Adobe Town Is Like Another Planet In The Middle Of Nowhere
A visit to Adobe Town in southwest Wyoming’s Red Desert is like being on another planet. To get there, take the Point of Rocks exit off Interstate 80 west of Rock Springs, hit the gravel roads and keep going. And going and going.
Mark HeinzJuly 13, 2024
In Brief: Wildlife Groups Mad After Snubbed By Committee
Wildlife advocates said they were snubbed and not allowed to comment during a legislative meeting earlier this week. A co-chair of a Wyoming Legislature joint committee says it was just a technical glitch.
Mark HeinzJuly 13, 2024