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

Wolf 1090F, of the Mollie’s pack in Yellowstone National Park, recently hit the age of 12 years. That makes her her the oldest living wolf in the park, and one of the oldest ever.

Nevada Hunter Vows To Kill Famous Yellowstone Mollie's Pack Wolf 1090F In Wyoming

A Nevada hunter and social media influencer is vowing to come to Wyoming to kill the leader of Yellowstone National Park's oldest wolf pack, the Mollie's. “The matriarch 1090F is going down on the 15th of September,” he says.

Mark HeinzAugust 20, 2026

Lake Helen in Wyoming's Cloud Peak Wilderness, part of the state's more than 3 million acres of federal roadless areas.

Fate Of 3.3 Million Acres Of Roadless Areas In Wyoming About To Be Decided

The 2001 Clinton-era Roadless Rule could soon end, opening 3.3 million acres of national forests in Wyoming for road construction. Harriet Hageman calls the rule a disaster, while roadless supporters say it protects prime hunting, fishing and tourism.

Mark HeinzAugust 19, 2026

Joe Ricketts speaks Wednesday at the Saving Yellowstone summit at the Jackson Fork Ranch near Bondurant.

Polarizing Billionaire Joe Ricketts Says He’s Focused On 'Saving Yellowstone'

Billionaire Joe Ricketts once wanted to build a mega-resort on his 1,300-acre ranch and rename Bondurant “Little Jackson Hole.” Now he's focused on "Saving Yellowstone." "If we don’t move now, it will be gone forever,” he said Wednesday.

Mark HeinzAugust 19, 2026

UW Professor Cameron Wright Defeats Incumbent Ocean Andrew in Laramie's HD 46

Cameron Wright, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and University of Wyoming engineering professor, defeated incumbent Ocean Andrew in the GOP primary election for House District 46 in Albany County. He'll face Democrat Gary Wilken in November.

Mark HeinzAugust 19, 2026

Former House Speaker Sommers Soundly Wins GOP Nod To Regain HD 20 Seat

Albert Sommers handily won the GOP nomination for House District 20 seat in a three-way race Tuesday, soundly beating fellow Republicans Bill Winney and Matt McGinnes in the primary election. Sommers is a former House speaker.

Mark HeinzAugust 19, 2026

Sandhill Cranes Put On Parenting Show For Onlookers In Grand Teton National Park

Sandhill cranes in Grand Teton National Park put on a real-life parenting show for onlookers while teaching their offspring how to fly, run, and other survival skills. Everything a colt must know to survive is taught by the parents, one naturalist explained.

Mark HeinzAugust 18, 2026

Hageman: California 'Failed All Of Us' And Made Colorado River Water Crisis Worse

Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman says California should be accountable for the Colorado River crisis because instead of building water infrastructure it spent billions on "stupid things" like high-speed rail. In the meantime, Lake Powell has hit a record low.

Mark HeinzAugust 17, 2026

Outdoorsman Ryan Lutes had a predatory encounter with a female brown bear in Sitka, Alaska, during the first week of June.

When A Bear Wants To Eat You: Outdoorsman Has Terrifying Predatory Encounter

Outdoorsman Ryan Lutes had a predatory encounter with a female brown bear earlier this summer. He told Cowboy State Daily that he credits confidence and bold action for coming out alive. "I knew I had to plant my ass, stand firm and not appear weak," he said.

Mark HeinzAugust 15, 2026

Spike In Roadkill: Drought Has Wildlife Searching For Food And Water Near Roads

Wyoming’s persistent hot, dry weather could be to blame for a spike in roadkill as wildlife is being drawn to greenery and water alongside highways. One Teton County resident says she’s seen many bears not far from where Grizzly 399 was struck and killed.

Mark HeinzAugust 14, 2026

The Powder River at Arvada in Sheridan County was extremely low, at 17.4 cubic feet per second (cfs), when this photo was taken on June 16. It’s since dropped to 0 cfs.

Under Severe Drought Conditions, Wyoming’s Powder River Has Completely Stopped Flowing

The Powder River in Sheridan County has completely stopped flowing for nearly a month due to severe drought conditions and irrigation. During a typical year, the Powder at Arvada is flowing at 135 cubic feet per second, now it's at zero cubic feet per second.

Mark HeinzAugust 14, 2026

A grizzly bear and a young wolf had a standoff near a bison carcass in Yellowstone National Park but they didn’t take it to the level of fighting.

Wolf-Grizzly Drama Over Carcass Shows Yellowstone Visitors How Predators Coexist

A grizzly and wolf initially had a tense standoff over a bison carcass in Yellowstone, but opted to resolve it peacefully. The photographer who filmed the interaction said they're smarter than people think. "They know that conflict is costly," she said.

Mark HeinzAugust 13, 2026

The Bureau of Land Management wants to round up about 1,800 mustangs from central Wyoming, claiming they’re overpopulated. Horse advocates say their horses are thriving in healthy numbers.

BLM Says Red Desert Wild-Horse Herd Must Be Cut By 1,800 To Prevent Starvation

The Bureau of Land Management plans to round up about 1,800 mustangs in the Red Desert Complex of central Wyoming this fall, claiming that overpopulated horses are at risk for starvation. “That’s baloney," says wild-horse advocate Carol Walker.

Mark HeinzAugust 13, 2026

Other Authors

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service engine suppresses fire activity on the Weiser Knoll Fire

Lower Temps, Rain Help Firefighters Contain 30% Of 16,500-Acre Fire Near Lander

Thanks to lower temperatures and light rain Wednesday, the Weiser Knoll fire near Lander was 30% contained and another blaze at Fort Washakie was fully contained. The Weiser Knoll Fire in grass, sagebrush and juniper remained at 16,500 acres.

Mark HeinzAugust 12, 2026

An elk calf got entangled in some barbed wire over the weekend but thankfully a Wyoming ranch hand rescued it.

Hooray! Ranch Hand Rescues Squealing Elk Calf Entangled In Barbed Wire

An elk calf got entangled in barbed wire over the weekend at a ranch in southern Montana but thankfully a ranch hand from Buffalo, Wyoming, heard it squealing and rescued it. “We care about all of the wildlife living out here,” he told Cowboy State Daily.

Mark HeinzAugust 12, 2026

Black Bear Attacks Woman Hiking With Dogs Near Jackson, Hiking Trail Closed

A woman was hospitalized Monday after a presumed black bear attacked her while hiking with her dogs near Teton Pass. Game and Fish officials, who closed the trail, described the incident as a "defensive encounter."

Mark HeinzAugust 11, 2026

Smoke plumes from the Weiser Knoll fire southeast of Lander were visible for miles.

UPDATE: Fire Near Lander At 16,530 Acres And 0% Contained, Prompts Evacuations

The Weiser Knoll fire near Lander, started by an overheated wheel bearing on Highway 28 on Sunday, exploded to Wyoming's largest at 16,530 acres and was 0% contained late Tuesday. “Everybody was waiting for their places to go up,” a local rancher said.

Mark HeinzAugust 11, 2026

Angi Bruce's Resignation As Game and Fish Director Catches Sportsmen By Surprise

Wyoming sportsmen said the sudden resignation of Game and Fish Director Angi Bruce came as a surprise despite some misgivings about the department's direction. Bruce, the department's first female director, now has a job in the governor's office.

Mark HeinzAugust 10, 2026

Scarce Food Sources Could Put Bears In A Bind As They Seek Protein For Hibernation

Grizzlies are stuffing themselves with moths at higher elevations, but once the moths are gone food supplies could get scarce as bears move to lower elevations seeking protein for hibernation, one ecologist says. A poor chokecherry crop is one concern.

Mark HeinzAugust 10, 2026

Seminoe Reservoir in Carbon County is so low a proposed pumped-water storage project wouldn’t work and could devastate Wyoming's famus Miracle Mile trout fishery, opponents say. Scientists say they the North Platte to remain vulnerable to drought.

Critics Say Proposed Seminoe Power Project Won’t Have Enough Water

Seminoe Reservoir in Carbon County is so low a proposed pumped-water storage project wouldn’t work and could devastate Wyoming's famous Miracle Mile trout fishery, critics say. Scientists say the drought won't end any time soon.

Mark HeinzAugust 09, 2026

Dylan Sparks of Buffalo open carries a large Ka-Bar (or K-Bar) fixed-blade knife with him wherever he goes. Wyoming law permits carrying such knives, but it’s illegal to carry them in some other states.

Knife Rights Advocates Say Second Amendment Should Apply To Blades, Too

Knife rights advocates say knives should be protected like guns as the Second Amendment doesn't say ‘firearms,' it says ‘arms’, says UW professor George Mocsary. Wyoming adults with clean records can carry almost every type of knife, a right not all states enjoy.

Mark HeinzAugust 08, 2026

Vampire bats are expanding their range northward. A wildlife disease expert thinks they could start carrying chronic wasting disease, or CWD.

Biologists Concerned Vampire Bats Could Transmit Chronic Wasting Disease To Cattle, Humans

As vampire bats move north from Mexico and chronic wasting disease moves south from the Northern Rockies, a disease expert worries that the bats could start carrying the disease and transmitting them to cattle or even humans.

Mark HeinzAugust 08, 2026

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