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

This black bear was treed for hours in a Golden, Colorado, neighborhood. In a final effort to flush the bear out, wildlife officials blased Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" at it. Seems, as the agency posted, "black bears don't mind Black Sabbath."

Blasting Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ Doesn’t Scare Colorado Bear Out Of Tree

“Black bears don’t mind Black Sabbath” a Colorado wildlife agent quipped after a failed attempt to haze a bear by blasting it with the legendary heavy metal band’s classic anthem “Iron Man.”

Mark HeinzMay 24, 2024

Wyoming’s moose are nothing to trifle with, especially female moose with calves to protect.

Alaska Man Killed By Moose After He Tried To Get Photos Of Calves

An Alaska man was killed by a momma moose Sunday when he got too close trying to photograph her newborn calves. One of Wyoming’s premier moose photographers says he knows firsthand that the huge animals are nothing to mess with.

Mark HeinzMay 23, 2024

Grand Teton Mauling Ends When Grizzly Chomps On Can Of Bear Spray

The man attacked and mauled by a grizzly in Grand Teton National Park on Sunday was amazingly lucky. During the attack, the grizzly chomped down on his can of bear spray, which exploded it into her face and immediately ended the ordeal.

Mark HeinzMay 22, 2024

The Flaming Gorge Harely-Davidson dealership in Green River is set be the final stop for the “Hogs for Hope” motorcycle rally on Saturday, before the group heads to Daniel the next morning. They rally is in honor of a wolf that was tortured and killed in Daniel.

National Motorcycle Rally For Tortured Wolf Raises $100K As It Closes In On Wyoming

The Harley-Davidson dealership in Green River will welcome a national motorcycle rally called 'Hogs For Hope' on Saturday in honor of the wolf that was tortured in February. The rally will end Sunday in Daniel. It’s raised $100,000 so far.

Mark HeinzMay 22, 2024

Grizzly Mauling Wasn't A Tag Team Onslaught, It Was Likely Momma Defending Cub

Although talk of a terrifying grizzly tag team duo circulated the Internet, park officials say Sunday's mauling of a Massachusetts man was likely a mother grizzly defending her cub. The man is still hospitalized in stable condition.

Mark HeinzMay 21, 2024

Sticking a plastic googly eye on a taxidermy wolf on display at Green River High School was the crowning achievement of the 2024 senior class prank.

Green River High Seniors Put Googly Eyes On Everything In School, Including Urinals

It's that time of year where high school seniors everywhere pull a class prank. In Green River, students have put googly eyes on everything. When the principal was told there was a miniature video cam on a urinal, he was relieved to see it was just a googly eye.

Mark HeinzMay 21, 2024

This adult make wolf was struck and killed by a vehicle on Friday in Grand Teton National Park.

Wolf From Well-Known Grand Teton Pack Struck, Killed By Vehicle

A mature male wolf from one of Grand Teton National Park’s well-known packs was struck and killed by a vehicle Friday, the Park Service confirmed Monday.

Mark HeinzMay 21, 2024

Piles of crisscrossed fallen trees, called jackstraw, are a common sight on the Medicine Bow National Forest near Laramie.

Windstorms Leave Wyoming Backcountry Trails A Mess Of Fallen Trees

On some of southeast Wyoming’s popular hiking and biking trails, a chainsaw — or at least an axe — might be standard equipment. Trees blown over by recent severe windstorms have turned trails into an absolute mess.

Mark HeinzMay 21, 2024

Out-Of-State Man Survives Attack By 2 Wyoming Grizzlies

An attack prompted by a “surprise encounter” with two grizzly bears Sunday in the Signal Mountain area of Grand Teton National Park left a 35-year-old man hospitalized in stable condition.

Mark HeinzMay 20, 2024

Bruno, one of the Yellowstone Econsystem's famous male grizzly bears, can get cranky if people get too close.

Many Washington State Locals Not Thrilled With Grizzly Reintroduction

Many locals in Washington State's North Cascades region aren't thrilled with the idea of grizzlies being reintroduced in the area. The grizzlies, some likely from Wyoming, could be helicoptered in as soon as this year.

Mark HeinzMay 19, 2024

After suffering numerous serious injures in a side-by-side rollover crash in Park County this month, Skyler Peterson faces a long road to recovery.

Wyoming Man Vows To Dance At His Wedding Despite Serious Injuries From ATV Crash

Although he's hospitalized and still unable to move his arms, Cody's Skylar Peterson is vowing to dance with his future wife Sydnie at their wedding on August 10. Peterson was severely injured in an ATV crash earlier this month.

Mark HeinzMay 19, 2024

At age 11, Yellowstone’s Wolf 907F has lived more than twice a wild wolf’s average life expectancy. In this photo from April, she was pregnant with a litter of pups that she’s since given birth to.

Yellowstone's 11-Year-Old 1-Eyed Wolf Just Had Another Litter Of Pups

Wolf 907F in Yellowstone has lived an unprecedented 11 years, which is more than three times the average lifespan of a wolf. Along the way, she's given birth to multiple litters and lost her left eye. And she just became a mom again.

Mark HeinzMay 18, 2024

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This image from a video taken from a distance by Fred McClanahan Jr. shows a grizzly running along the shore of Buffalo Bill Reservoir near Cody, Wyoming, during a smattering of spring snow.

Yellowstone Grizzlies Observed Farther East In Wyoming — And Earlier

Grizzly bears are getting more common in the lower elevations as they push east out of Yellowstone National Park toward Cody. A visitor caught video of a grizzly lumbering along the shore of Buffalo Bill Reservoir last week during a snow squall.

Mark HeinzMay 17, 2024

The Carpenter Family has been ranching in Albany for six generations, but might not be able to access their summer range off Boswell Road this year, because the road has been closed.

Angry Snowy Range Ranchers Cut Off From Longtime Summer Grazing Pastures

Property owners along a now-closed Boswell Road in southern Albany County, Wyoming, are angry they’ve been cut off from their land and can’t build their homes or drive cattle to their longtime summer grazing pastures.

Mark HeinzMay 16, 2024

A mother grizzly and her two cubs took a stroll through the Upper Geyser Basin near Old Faithful on Tuesday near crowds of Yellowstone tourist who — shockingly — remained well-behaved around the bears.

No One Mauled When Grizzlies Come Close To Tourists At Old Faithful

A momma grizzly and two large cubs strolled through the Upper Geyser Basin near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park on Tuesday. This group of tourists was well-behaved. As no one tried to pet or saddle the bears, no one was mauled.

Mark HeinzMay 16, 2024

Cody Roberts of Daniel, Wyoming, poses and teases a young wolf he's accused of running down with a snowmobile and abusing before killing it in early 2024.

Wyoming Legislative Group Will Consider Response To Wolf Torture

Legislators agreed Wednesday to study possible reform of the state’s wildlife policy in light of the wolf torture earlier this year. But one lawmaker urged restraint so not to "accommodate out-of-state people who don’t have much common sense."

Mark HeinzMay 16, 2024

Outraged Citizens Demand Response To "Psychotic Behavior" Behind Wolf Torture

After testimony Tuesday with Wyoming legislators and wildlife officials, it seems likely a bill will be introduced next session in response to the torture of a wolf in Daniel. We need laws “against this psychotic behavior," one citizen said.

Mark HeinzMay 14, 2024

Former Wyoming governor Matt Mead recently opted to close a section of the Boswell Road that runs through his property, just off Highway 10 in southern Albany County.

Popular Road In Snowy Range Closes And Nobody’s Sure Who Actually Controls It

Boswell Road is a popular route for outdoors enthusiasts in southeast Wyoming’s Snowy Range but sections of it are now closed. Nobody seems to know who has jurisdiction over the route -- including landowner and former Gov. Matt Mead.

Mark HeinzMay 14, 2024

A young male grizzly powers against the current in the Hoback River near Pinedale, to get back to shore after feasting on a big game carcass in the middle of the river.

Fearless Wyoming Grizzly Powers Through Rapids After Gorging On Carcass In River

Wildlife photographers witnessed the sheer power and strength of young grizzly on Friday. After feasting on a carcass in the middle of the Hoback River, he fearlessly plunged into the churning rapids and powered his way to the shore.

Mark HeinzMay 14, 2024

The office of wildlife biologist Rich Guenzel in Laramie has depictions of pronghorn created by artists from all over Wyoming and the West.

Wyoming’s Famous For Its Iconic Pronghorn — But Don’t Call Them Antelope

Step into wildlife biologist Rich Guenzel’s office and there will be no doubt about his passion for pronghorn -- an iconic Wyoming animal affectionately known as “speed goats." Just don't call them antelope, unless you're looking for a brawl...

Mark HeinzMay 12, 2024

A pair of fly fishermen try their luck at Meeboer Lake near Laramie, Wyoming. This past winter, all the trout in the lake died.

Fishing Wyoming: All The Trout In Albany County's Meeboer Lake Are Dead — Again

For the second year in a row, all the trout in Meeboer Lake west of Laramie died over the winter. Last year, a failed aeration system was to blame, but this year it was from natural causes. The suckers, however, survived just fine.

Mark HeinzMay 11, 2024

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