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.

Find Mark Heinz

Envelope

Latest from Mark Heinz

A Montana mare named Sky fends off a wolf trying to attack her foal. As in parts of Wyoming, the number of large predators in southwest Montana is increasing, Sky’s owners said.

Mama Horse Stands Up To Wolf Trying To Kill Her Baby

For ranchers Gabby and Cole Thoreson, their timing couldn’t have been better. They went to check on their horses just in time to see one of their mares engaged in a tense standoff with a wolf that was apparently trying to kill her young foal.

Mark HeinzApril 21, 2024

Longtime rancher Krisztina Gayler has used livestock guardian dogs to protect sheep and cattle on two continents.

Transylvania Is Famous For Vampires, But Also Has Lots Of Grizzlies And Wolves

Krisztina Gayler has a long history of ranching in grizzly and wolf country on two continents. She grew up on a ranch in Hungary and came to the U.S. in 2005. She maintains strong ties with ranchers here in Wyoming, as well as in Hungary, Romania, and Transylvania.

Mark HeinzApril 21, 2024

Animal Forensics Expert Calls For Examination Of Tortured Wolf Carcass

A Wyoming animal forensics expert is calling for an examination of the carcass of a wolf that was allegedly captured and tortured in Daniel, but it’s not clear whether the carcass is still available.

Mark HeinzApril 19, 2024

Bears don’t sweat, so they must use small pools in isolated parts of Yellowstone National Park to cool off during the summer.

To Beat The Heat, Yellowstone Grizzlies Jump Into ‘Bear Bathtubs’

Summer isn’t all fun and relaxation for Yellowstone’s bears, they’re busy packing on fat for the winter, which makes them heat magnets. So, they jump into “bear bathtubs” to cool off.

Mark HeinzApril 19, 2024

One of five wolves reintroduced to northern Colorado in December 2023.

Cattle Kill Count For Colorado Wolves Up To Six

Six cows have been killed by wolves in Colorado so far this year, and wolves with Wyoming roots might be involved in some of the attacks.

Mark HeinzApril 18, 2024

$28M Crossing Project Planned On Deadly Highway For Wyoming Mule Deer

Hundreds of mule deer are killed along a 25-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 26, roughly centered around Dubois, so a coalition of state agencies and tribal and private groups has pegged it for Wyoming’s next major wildlife crossing project.

Mark HeinzApril 18, 2024

Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Brian Nesvik and members of the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission listen on Wednesday as Lisa Robertson of Wyoming Untrapped speaks about the abuse and killing of a wolf in Daniel.

Angry People Travel From All Over Country To Voice Outrage Over Tortured Wolf

Lorraine Finazzo thought about using Zoom from her home in South Carolina to tell the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission her feelings about a wolf being captured, tortured and killed in Daniel. But felt she needed to make the trip instead.

Mark HeinzApril 17, 2024

Screenshots from a video clip provided exclusively to Cowboy State Daily show Daniel, Wyoming, resident Cody Roberts kneeling over and kissing the muzzle of a weak and injured wolf in the Green River Bar in Daniel on Feb. 29. No reproduction without permission.

Wyoming Game and Fish Commission Blasts Wolf Abuse

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission on Tuesday issued a stark condemnation of the apparent capture, abuse and killing of a wolf in Sublette County. Meanwhile, Gov. Mark Gordon is “monitoring the situation.”

Mark HeinzApril 16, 2024

A still image from a short video of a muzzled wolf in an undisclosed building released by Wyoming Game and Fish.

Animal Welfare Groups Offer $20,000 In Rewards For Wyoming Wolf Torture Info

Animal welfare groups are upping the ante on trying to get a Wyoming man to face more criminal penalties for allegedly tormenting a young wolf, offering $20,000 in reward money.

Mark HeinzApril 16, 2024

A grizzly vocalizes in the Wyoming wilderness in this file photo. A young male grizzly was confirmed in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, Game and Fish announced Monday, the first confirmation of years of rumors and stories that grizzlies have pushed east from Yellowstone.

Grizzly Confirmed In Wyoming Bighorn Mountains; Bear Killed For Attacking Cattle

After years of rumors that there were grizzly bears roaming Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department on Monday confirmed that one has been killed for preying on cattle near Ten Sleep.

Mark HeinzApril 15, 2024

The Green River Bar in Daniel Wyoming is the town’s oldest building. It was built in 1899.

Wyoming Officials Investigate If Having Wolf In Bar Is Food Safety Violation

The Wyoming Department of Agriculture is sending an inspector to the Green River Bar in Daniel to determine whether a live wolf being taken into the bar amounts to a food safety violation.

Mark HeinzApril 15, 2024

Bryant Honey Inc. of Worland sends thousands of beehives to California to pollinate almond groves. But they must be wary of California bee theft rings.

Bee Rustlers Target Wyoming Hives Sent To Pollenate California Crops

Wyoming bees help pollinate massive almond groves in California, but while there, they’re at risk of being stolen by bee rustlers. Like the cattle rustlers of the Old West, modern day bee rustlers are organized, determined and crafty.

Mark HeinzApril 13, 2024

Other Authors

Dean Brantly of Georgia checks out his “dream gun,” a Daniel Defense AR-10 chambered in 7.62 x 51 mm NATO at the New Frontier Gun Show and Western Collectibles Show in Cheyenne in this file photo.

Wyoming Gun Dealers Say Biden’s Move To Close ‘Gun Show Loophole’ Won’t Change Anything

The Biden administration moved Thursday to close the so-called "gun show loophole" for background checks, but Wyoming gun show organizers and firearms dealers said they don’t expect it to change anything.

Mark HeinzApril 11, 2024

Disturbing Video Released By Game And Fish Shows Tortured Wyoming Wolf

In response to a public records request, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department on Wednesday evening released two short disturbing video clips of a wolf that had been captured and tormented by a Wyoming, man before being killed.

Mark HeinzApril 11, 2024

A pack of gray wolves runs through the wilderness in northwest Wyoming.

Advocacy Groups Could Use Wolf Torment To Push For Re-Listing Wolves

Environmentalists pushing to have Wyoming’s wolves re-listed under federal protection say the viral story of a wolf being tormented and killed in Sublette County strengthens their case.

Mark HeinzApril 10, 2024

Sublette County Sheriff K.C. Lehr says in a statement that his office is investigating the alleged mistreatment of a wolf. At right in a provided exclusively to Cowboy State Daily, a wolf with red tape wound tightly around its muzzle looks down as Cody Roberts of Daniel, Wyoming, poses with it. No reproduction without permission.

Investigation Could Lead To More Charges For Accused Wyoming Wolf Tormentor

The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday that it’s investigating reports of a Wyoming wolf being tormented by a local resident, which could lead to additional criminal charges.

Mark HeinzApril 10, 2024

Wyoming Wolf Abuser Could Get Hunting Privileges Taken Away

Amid a growing outcry for stiffer penalties in the case of a Sublette County man who allegedly tortured a wolf, a retired federal game warden said it might be possible to revoke the man’s hunting privileges.

Mark HeinzApril 09, 2024

Campbell County Memorial Hospital 9 12 23

Gillette Hospital Board Considers Allowing Guns In Some Areas

To get ahead of likely continued efforts to repeal Wyoming gun-free zones, the Campbell County Health board of trustees is considering lifting some firearms restrictions at the Gillette hospital.

Mark HeinzApril 09, 2024

Cody Roberts of Thayne, Wyoming, is one of at least seven men in Wyoming with that name. He and others have gotten mixed up with Cody Roberts of Daniel, who allegedly tormented and killed a wolf.

Wyoming Men With Same Name As Alleged Wolf Tormentor Get Death Threats

Cody Roberts of Daniel, Wyoming is at the center of outrage over allegations he tortured a wolf. Now other Wyoming men with the name have been getting threats from all over the world.

Mark HeinzApril 08, 2024

Gov. Mark Gordon, seen in this photo from the 2024 legislative session, says he's "outraged" by the capture, torture and killing of a Wyoming wolf.

Gov. Gordon Joins ‘Outrage’ Over Torment Of Wyoming Wolf

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said Monday that he’s “outraged” over the capture, torment and killing of a Wyoming wolf. Meanwhile, the alleged perpetrator's aunt posted a photo seeming to mock the incident.

Mark HeinzApril 08, 2024

Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik, left, and a photo of Cody Roberts with a wolf with its muzzle taped shut.

Director Says Wyoming Game And Fish Not Hiding Anything In Wolf Torment Case

Brian Nesvik, the director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, told Cowboy State Daily on Monday that the agency isn’t being secretive about the alleged torment and killing of wolf in Sublette County. He said the statues related to releasing information about wolf hunting are complex.

Mark HeinzApril 08, 2024

Page 42