Outdoors Reporter

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.

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Latest from Mark Heinz

Wyoming Energy, Mining Industries Slam BLM Rock Springs Plan As Biden Overreach

A coalition of Wyoming energy and mining industry groups are slamming the final Rock Springs Resource Management Plan released Thursday. They call it an example of government overreach by the Biden/Harris administration.

Mark HeinzAugust 22, 2024

The area known as Adobe Town in Wyoming's Red Desert is part of the 3.6 million acres in soutwest Wyoming impacted by the BLM's Rock Springs Resource Management Plan.

BLM Releases Controversial Rock Springs Plan, Wyoming Officials Already Hate It

After a year of controversy, the BLM’s Rock Springs Resource Management Plan was released Thursday. Wyoming officials already hate it, saying the Biden administration is “pushing Wyoming off an economic cliff.”

Mark HeinzAugust 22, 2024

State Rep. Crago Scores Win Over Rep. Mark Jennings In Senate Primary

In a race between two rival state House members vying for a State Senate seat, Rep. Barry Crago of Buffalo prevailed over Rep. Mark Jennings of Sheridan.

Mark HeinzAugust 21, 2024

Tom Kelly Defeats Gail Symons In Sheridan Primary Race For House District 30

In the race between two Republicans in Sheridan for a House seat being vacated, the more conservative candidate — Tom Kelly — won, beating Gail Symons.

Mark HeinzAugust 21, 2024

There’s So Many Deer In Sheridan, Cops Want People To Bowhunt Them In Town

Sheridan is overrun with deer, so the Wyoming Game and Fish and police are inviting people to hunt them in city limits. There are some catches, like you have to use a bow and only in certain areas.

Mark HeinzAugust 20, 2024

Making Bears ‘Family’ Sets Everybody Up For Maiming, Death

A social media video depicting people “adopting” bears and raising them as pets is terrible idea, experts told Cowboy State Daily. They are just setting themselves up to be mauled, they said.

Mark HeinzAugust 19, 2024

A polar bear/grizzly hybrid is called a “grolar" or "pizzly," depending on who you ask.

Uh-Oh, Grizzly Bears Are Mating With Polar Bears

Although "Grolars" or “Pizzly Bears," may sound like a new breed of super-predator, crossbreeding between grizzlies and polar bears remain pretty rare. There have been only eight confirmed cases and no new ones in the last decade.

Mark HeinzAugust 18, 2024

Cody, Grace and Coralee Smith package and label containers of ice cream in the Josie’s Creamery kitchen, inside the old school building in Burns.

In Burns And Carpenter, Ice Cream Is Smoothing Old Wyoming Rivalry

The towns of Burns and Carpenter in southeast Wyoming are old rivals. But the ice cream served up at Josie’s Creamery out of the former Burns school band room is smoothing that over.

Mark HeinzAugust 18, 2024

Mac Sabbath, the parody heavy metal tribute band of English heavy metal group Black Sabbath, played at the Lincoln in Cheyenne on Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Mac Sabbath Brings Its Weird Tribute To Black Sabbath & McDonald’s To Cheyenne

Mac Sabbath is a weird Black Sabbath cover band that melds heavy metal with McDonald’s food. Fronted by Ronald Osbourne with Slayer MacCheeze on guitar, Grimalice on bass, and Catburglar on drums, the tour stopped in Cheyenne this week and was hilariously good.

Mark HeinzAugust 17, 2024

A line backs up all the way from the White Hall dormitory to the Washakie Dining Center on the University of Wyoming campus during Move-In Day on Friday.

Broken Dorm Elevators, Road Work Add To Move-In Day Nightmare At UW

Move-in day for University of Wyoming freshmen and their parents is usually barely controlled chaos. Add broken elevators, long lines and road construction all around the main campus and Friday’s move-in day was a nightmare for some.

Mark HeinzAugust 16, 2024

Yes, Grizzlies Are Dangerous But They're Pretty Mild Compared To Polar Bears

Grizzlies have a well-earned reputation as a dangerous apex predator and it's good to avoid them. Just be thankful you don't have to worry about polar bears in Wyoming. They're bigger, more aggressive and much more likely to think of people as a food source.

Mark HeinzAugust 16, 2024

Meet Gus, The Super-Friendly 1,200-Pound Horse Who Comes Running For Cody Kids

Gus is a 20-year-old quarter horse that lives near Cody Middle School and loves people, especially kids. He’s super-friendly and comes running to meet kids every morning and afternoon.

Mark HeinzAugust 15, 2024

Other Authors

People crowding wildlife — trying to outdo each other to get the best photo — is increasingly a problem in Wyoming.

Wyoming’s Wild Critters Feeling Pressure From Wildlife Paparazzi

With more people than ever competing for perfect wildlife photos, stupid human tricks with cameras are a growing concern. Wyoming’s wild critters are feeling the pressure from an increasingly aggressive wildlife paparazzi.

Mark HeinzAugust 15, 2024

There’s a dispute over exactly where the boundary line is between land owned by the South Dakota ranchers Heather and Charles Maude and national grassland controlled by the Forest Service. The couple was served federal indictments alleging theft of government property.

Retired Rangers Alarmed, But Not Surprised, By Armed Fed Confronting S.D. Ranchers

Retired rangers say they’re alarmed, but not surprised, with the heavy-handed treatment a South Dakota ranch couple got. Instead of working out a solution to a fence dispute, they were given federal indictments by an armed agent in tactical gear.

Mark HeinzAugust 14, 2024

Madison Findley-Dickson, 3, was attacked by a black bear in her tent at a private campground near Yellowstone National Park on Sunday night, Aug. 11, 2024.

Black Bear Goes Into Tent To Attack 3-Year-Old Girl Near Yellowstone

A black bear went into a tent to attack a 3-year-old girl at a private campground near Yellowstone on Sunday. Wildlife officials later killed the bear, which was drawn in by food that had been left out at the campsite.

Mark HeinzAugust 14, 2024

Heather and Charles Maude, owners of Maude Hog & Cattle near Caputa, South Dakota, were each served with separate federal indictments over a fence line dispute with the U.S. Forest Service.

Outrage At Feds In Tactical Gear Indicting S.D. Ranchers Over 75-Year-Old Fenceline

Ranchers across the U.S. have expressed outrage over the Forest Service prosecuting a South Dakota ranch couple for allegedly stealing public land. The feds, who showed up armed and in tactical gear, say a fence that’s been on the owners' land for 75 years crosses a boundary with federal grasslands.

Mark HeinzAugust 13, 2024

Huge brown bear cubs at the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary in Alaksa.

Once Terrified Of Grizzlies, Wyoming Author Now Says They’re Just Misunderstood

Kevin Grange of Jackson, Wyoming, was once terrified of grizzly bears. But after years of living and working around them, he’s written a new book detailing how they’re just misunderstood.

Mark HeinzAugust 12, 2024

Wildlife photographer Pete Arnold captured this perfect moment with burrowing owls by putting a GoPro camera near their burrow on the edge of Cheyenne, and setting it to take photos every five seconds.

It Took 4,000 Shots, But Cheyenne Photographer Catches Owls At Perfect Moment

Armed with a GoPro camera and a ton of patience, Pete Arnold of Cheyenne caught a perfect image of tiny owls frolicking near their burrow on the edge of town. But it took almost 4,000 shots to get it.

Mark HeinzAugust 11, 2024

Owen Miller used a traditional recurve bow to kill this huge cinnamon-colored black bear in southern Wyoming. It’s in the running to be one of the biggest bears ever taken in the state.

Hunter Bags One Of Wyoming’s Biggest Bears Ever With Traditional Recurve Bow

A Wyoming hunter bagged one of the state’s biggest bears ever with a traditional recurve bow. Owen Miller started off with a rifle, then a compound bow, but finally switched to the more challenging recurve bow to get his black bear.

Mark HeinzAugust 11, 2024

An old injury, possibly from fighting with another deer, caused this mule deer buck’s rare club-shaped antler. A Green River homeowner said the buck’s been hanging out in his yard.

Weird-Looking Buck With Club Antler Joins Green River Urban Deer Herd

A young mule deer buck with a rare antler deformity has joined an urban herd in Green River, Wyoming. A homeowner said he doesn’t mind the deer with a club antler on his property, except when he has to clean up deer droppings.

Mark HeinzAugust 10, 2024

Smoke and sparks burst from the muzzle of an historically authentic black powder cartridge rifle during a shooting match at the Smithmoor BPCR Range near Carpenter on Thursday.

Smoke And Thunder Light Up Wyoming Family’s Premier Black Powder Rifle Range

During the 1980s farm crisis, the Smith Family nearly lost their land near Carpenter. Their farm is now the site of the Smithmoor BPCR Range – one of country’s premiere sites for competitive matches between old-fashioned rifle enthusiasts.

Mark HeinzAugust 10, 2024

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