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.
Latest from Mark Heinz
Replacing Crumbling 114-Year-Old LaPrele Dam An Urgent Priority
The clock continues to tick on the 114-year-old LaPrele Dam in Converse County, which was supposed to have a 50-year lifespan and is starting to crumble. The design phase of a years-long project to replace the dam is almost 30% finished.
Mark HeinzNovember 09, 2023
Railroad Doesn’t Want Grizzlies Getting Drunk And Blasted By Trains
Responding to a Cowboy State Daily story, BNSF Railway said it does what it can to keep Montana grizzly bears from becoming drunk on fermented grains that spill along tracks and then getting annihilated by trains.
Mark HeinzNovember 08, 2023
Penalties Too Stiff For ‘Mistaken Identity’ Grizzly Shooting, Hunter Says
A Cody hunter whose son shot a grizzly they had both mistaken for a black bear said it was an easy mistake to make, and the stiff penalties he faced could have a chilling effect on hunters reporting similar mistakes.
Mark HeinzNovember 07, 2023
Wyoming Highway Patrol's Springer Spaniel Is Cute But A Drug Runner’s Worst Nightmare
Don’t let her cute name or her lovable demeanor fool you, when it comes to nabbing fentanyl, meth, and heroin drug runners along Wyoming’s highways, Becky is all business.
Mark HeinzNovember 07, 2023
Hunting Wyoming: Sheridan County Deer And Antelope Down, But Elk Thrives
Outdoors writer Mark Heinz is doing a series on hunting in all 23 counties in Wyoming. For Sheridan County, there’s ample opportunity for elk, but antelope and mule deer lag.
Mark HeinzNovember 06, 2023
Some Wyoming Ranchers Not A Fan Of ‘All-You-Can Kill’ Permits To Reduce Elk
Some Wyoming ranchers say they're not in favor of "all you can kill" elk permits on their land, as proposed by a legislator last week, despite the possibility of it being very lucrative.
Mark HeinzNovember 06, 2023
Hunting Wyoming: Johnson County Busting At Seams With Elk, But Not Much Deer
Outdoors writer Mark Heinz is doing a series on hunting in all 23 counties in Wyoming. For Johnson County, Mark says the elk herds are booming, but the county’s legendary whitetail deer are down because of disease, as are mule deer and antelope. Bird hunting remains fair.
Mark HeinzNovember 06, 2023
Drunk Grizzlies Keep Getting Hit By Trains In Montana
Since 1980, 63 grizzlies have been hit by trains and killed along a section of railroad near Glacier National Park. Many died because they got drunk on fermented grain spilled from railcars and couldn’t move fast enough to outrun the trains.
Mark HeinzNovember 04, 2023
Hageman’s Push To Block Controversial BLM Rock Springs Plan Passes U.S. House
An effort to shut down the controversial Bureau of Land Management’s Rock Spring plan gained traction on Thursday, as an amendment to block it from Wyoming Congresswoman Rep. Harriet Hageman passed the U.S. House.
Mark HeinzNovember 03, 2023
Can Radar Powered By Artificial Intelligence Cut Down On Grizzly Attacks?
In response to increasing trouble with grizzlies, Canada is considering tracking bears with artificial intelligence radar to warn people of their whereabouts. Wyoming bear experts aren't that sure about it.
Mark HeinzNovember 02, 2023
Don’t Try Telling A Wyoming Game Warden Your Salt Lick Is ‘Bear Bait’
An Oregon hunter was nailed for illegally trying to bait big game in Wyoming when a game warden refused to buy his flimsy story about using salt and molasses to bait bears, not deer and elk.
Mark HeinzNovember 02, 2023
Life Lesson: Don’t Pass Out Drunk With A Poached Wyoming Deer In Your Truck
A habitual wildlife offender picked the wrong spot near Edgerton, Wyoming, to pass out drunk in his pickup after poaching a mule deer out of season, Wyoming Game and Fish reports.
Mark HeinzNovember 01, 2023
Private Land Hunt Tags Help Colorado Elk Problem, Could Work In Wyoming
Wyoming’s elk overpopulation problem could be tackled the same way Colorado has done it, with “private land only” hunting tags that bring outfitters, ranchers and hunters together, says a Colorado hunter who grew up in Wyoming.
Mark HeinzNovember 01, 2023
Legislator Proposes All-You-Can-Kill Elk Permits For Ranchers
To alleviate elk over-population, a Wyoming legislator on Tuesday proposed an all-you-can-kill elk permit for $20 each for ranchers from Aug. 1 through April 1.
Mark HeinzOctober 31, 2023
Users Of Federal Trails Fear BLM’s Moab Closures Could Also Happen In Wyoming
The BLM’s decision to shut down hundreds of miles of roads and trails in the popular Moab, Utah, region could have implications for policy in the Rock Springs area.
Mark HeinzOctober 31, 2023
It Can Take All Day To Clear 100 Miles Of Road In Wyoming’s ‘Little Siberia’
Plow crews out of Rock River, Wyoming, call the remote stretches of northern Albany County “Little Siberia” because of howling winds and frequent whiteout conditions there. It can take all day to plow roughly 100 miles of road.
Mark HeinzOctober 30, 2023
BLM Plan To Trim Wild Horse Herd Near Cody A Bad Idea, Advocates Say
The Bureau of Land Management wants to remove 41 horses from the McCollough Peaks mustang herd near Cody, which numbers about 180. Wild horse advocates say that’s a bad idea.
Mark HeinzOctober 30, 2023
Huge Elk Herds With Wyoming Roots Take Over Colorado Mountain Town
Much like Wyoming’s Yellowstone and Grand Teton areas, Estes Park, Colorado, has wildlife jams and gawking tourists as elk herds pass right through town during twice-yearly migrations.
Mark HeinzOctober 29, 2023
Isolated Wyoming Ranchers Want To Build One-Room Schoolhouse In Middle Of Nowhere
Parts of northern Albany County, Wyoming, are so remote it takes more than an hour to get to the nearest school — in good weather. Instead of an insane commute, a ranch family wants to build a one-room schoolhouse on their property.
Mark HeinzOctober 28, 2023
Chances Are That Grizzly Isn't Stalking You, It's Just Using The Trail
Despite some tourists in Canada being terrified over a pair of grizzlies “following” them for more than 15 minutes, grizzly experts say the bears probably just wanted to use the trail and didn’t have any interest in having the hikers for a snack.
Mark HeinzOctober 28, 2023
Hageman Introduces Legislation To Block Controversial BLM Rock Springs Plan
In a bid to bring Congress into the fray over the Bureau of Land Management’s controversial draft Rock Springs Management Plan, Rep. Harriet Hagman has introduced a bill to block it.
Mark HeinzOctober 27, 2023