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

This white bison calf was born Tuesday afternoon in Yellowstone National Park.

Rare Wild White Bison Born In Yellowstone, Photographer Gets Photos

A rare white bison calf was born late Tuesday in Yellowstone National Park. A wildlife photographer originally thought it was a coyote until she looked back and saw the calf. "It was amazing," she said.

Mark HeinzJune 05, 2024

A large bull elk with his harem of does relaxes on the front lawn of a home in Estes Park, Colorado.

Two Children Stomped, Injured By Elk In Estes Park, Colorado

In separate incidents less than a week apart, two children were injured by irate cow elk protecting their young in Estes Park, Colorado. The town is overtaken every spring and fall by a massive elk herd with Wyoming roots.

Mark HeinzJune 05, 2024

Grizzlies are the apex predator of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Would Hunting Grizzlies Make Bears Fear Humans More?

While everybody agrees that Wyoming’s grizzly bears are intelligent animals, there’s a growing debate in wildlife circles about whether that means hunting them would make the bears fear humans more.

Mark HeinzJune 04, 2024

The bridge over the Little Popo Agie River in Hudson, Wyoming.

Boysen Reservoir To Be Tested For E. Coli After Dump Of 210,000 Gallons Of Wastewater

A discharge of 210,000 gallons of wastewater Thursday or Friday from the Hudson, Wyoming, treatment lagoons into the Little Popo Agie River, prompted the state to plan E. coli testing at Boysen Reservoir.

Mark HeinzJune 04, 2024

This grizzly bear was in Jim Zumbo’s yard in the North Fork west of Cody in October of 2022. Grizzly sightings used to be rare in the area but are now common.

Having Grizzlies For Neighbors Just A Fact Of Life Near Cody, Wyoming

As Wyoming’s grizzly population continues to grow, they’ve become common outside of Cody. Famed outdoors writer Jim Zumbo says it's no big deal and going to an ATM in Denver is riskier than having a grizzly for a neighbor.

Mark HeinzJune 01, 2024

Organizer Jonas Black and other riders in Hogs for Hope roll into Daniel, Wyoming, on May 26, 2024. The rally had planned to stop at the Green River Bar, but it had been blocked by locals with trucks and horse trailers, left.

Standoff Over Wolf Torture: Locals Block Motorcycle Rally From Daniel Bar

Friends and family of Daniel resident Cody Roberts, who gained international exposure for torturing a wolf, lined up trailers and vehicles on Sunday so motorcycle rally participants couldn't hold a presentation in front of the bar.

Mark HeinzMay 26, 2024

Jonas Black, organizer of the Hogs for Hope motorcycle rally, talks with rally supporters at the Flaming Gorge Harley-Davidson in Green River, Wyoming, on May 25, 2024.

Motorcycle Rally For Tortured Wolf Rolls Into Green River, Wyoming

A national motorcycle rally held to bring awareness to the wolf torture and killing in Sublette County arrived at the Harley Davidson dealership in Green River on Saturday. The rally concludes on Sunday in Daniel.

Mark HeinzMay 26, 2024

A locked gate blocks access to the west end of the Boswell Road, off Highway 230 in southern Albany County.

As Wyoming Camping Season Kicks Off, Popular Snowy Range Road Remains Closed

Jurisdiction over Boswell Road, a popular public lands access in the Snowy Range Mountains, remains murky and the road is still officially closed to the public as camping season kicks off in Wyoming.

Mark HeinzMay 25, 2024

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

Other Authors

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

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

Page 49