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

Owen Schaad of Cheyenne caught this state record tiger trout recently from Viva Naughton Reservoir.

Cheyenne Man Catches Monster Tiger Trout, Smashes Wyoming Record

At 11.93 pounds, 31 inches in length and a girth of 16.5 inches, the tiger trout caught from Viva Naughton Reservoir near Kemmerer by Owen Schaad of Cheyenne is a new state record.

Mark HeinzJune 27, 2023

There's a reason Grizzly 399 has lived to the ripe age of 27, and counting. She, and other Wyoming grizzlies, are smarter than average bears. (Photo is owned by Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven and may not be reproduced)

Don’t Let Their Brawn Fool You, Wyoming Grizzlies Are Smarter Than Average Bears

Just how smart are Wyoming’s grizzly bears? Don't let their size and aggressiveness fool you, bear experts say. Turns out, they're pretty dang smart.

Mark HeinzJune 27, 2023

An aerial view of the Marton Ranch property near Casper.

Marton Ranch Plan Gets Final OK, Area Remains Open To Public

A public use plan for the sprawling Marton Ranch property near Casper was finalized Monday, as Gov. Mark Gordon accepted a final assessment based on an extended public comment period.

Mark HeinzJune 26, 2023

The Ute Tribe says its entitled to 500,000 acre-feet of water a year from Flaming Gorge/Green River.

Wyoming May Owe Utah Tribe Water From Green River, Flaming Gorge

The Ute Indian Tribe in Utah claims its people are owed roughly 500,000 acre-feet of water per year from the Green River and Flaming Gorge, which is partly in Wyoming, but the matter is murky and unresolved.

Mark HeinzJune 26, 2023

A young male black bear boldly came on to the porch of Roseanne and Kim Gentry’s home in Big Horn on the afternoon of June 20, and was later killed by game and fish wardens.

Wyoming Homeowners Says It Was ‘Freaky’ Having Black Bear On Porch Before Game Wardens Shot It

A Big Horn resident says she feels lucky a black bear that climbed onto her porch last week didn’t break her living room window. Game and Fish wardens shot and killed the bear on her property.

Mark HeinzJune 26, 2023

Bad Tick Season Ahead? Winterkill May Increase Risk Of Ticks Attaching To People

A University of Wyoming entomologist predicts with so few deer and antelope left in parts of Wyoming due to the extreme winter weather, more ticks will start latching on to people.

Mark HeinzJune 25, 2023

Bears have been showing up in Sheridan with greater frequency, but a wildlife official says it's part of a region-wide problem.

Black Bears Acting Up In Sheridan Part Of A Regionwide Problem

Black bears have been acting up lately in and around Sheridan, and Montana and Idaho are reporting similar problems, says a Wyoming bear expert.

Mark HeinzJune 23, 2023

Hundreds Of ‘Stray’ Horses Rile Up Ranchers In Southwest Wyoming

Hundreds of stray horses are causing problems In southwestern Wyoming, and nobody’s sure what to do about them.

Mark HeinzJune 23, 2023

This image capture from a video posted to the Tourons of Yellowstone Instagram account shows a pair of Yellowstone visitors dangerously close to a 175-degree thermal pool.

Video Shows Pair Ignore Warnings To Touch 175-Degree Yellowstone Thermals

In what could have ended as another “floating foot” case in Yellowstone Park, a pair of visitors left the designated boardwalk to dip fingers into 175-degree thermal pool.

Mark HeinzJune 22, 2023

These images for a video show a man charging at a bear in Yellowstone, then flexing after the bear ambles off.

Man Who Chased Bears Still Unknown, Officials Say He Was Not In Yellowstone National Park

It’s not known where multiple videos of a man jumping out of his car to harass black bears were taken, but after investigating the incidents, officials say it wasn’t in Yellowstone Park.

Mark HeinzJune 22, 2023

A herd of wild mustangs in Wyoming in this file photo.

Shady Network Sends Wyoming Mustangs To Slaughter As Congress Moves To Ban Practice

Wyoming Mustangs are being shipped off to slaughter in Mexico by people who cheat the system, some wild horse advocates say, as Congress moves to permanently ban horse slaughter.

Mark HeinzJune 21, 2023

A young black bear on the deck of a home in this file photo. Wyoming Game and Fish officials had to put down a young black bear Tuesday that had broken into two houses in Big Horn and was found on the porch of another.

Wyoming Black Bear Killed After Breaking Into Houses In Big Horn

Wyoming Game and Fish wardens killed a young male black bear after it entered two houses in Big Horn and was caught eating from a bird feeder on the front porch of a third home.

Mark HeinzJune 21, 2023

Other Authors

One of Yellowstone Park’s famed grizzlies, “Raspberry,” right, recently separated from her 3-year-old cub, “Jam.”

Wyoming Grizzlies With Cuddly Names Are Cute — Until Somebody Gets Mauled

As Wyoming’s grizzlies are named and gain social media fan clubs, a Wyoming fishing outfitter said he worries it’s giving the bears a “cuddly” reputation. A wildlife photographer said naming bears is a practical way to identify them.

Mark HeinzJune 20, 2023

Jam, right, is a 3-year-old grizzly in Yellowstone that is finally separating from her mother, Raspberry, left.

Famed Wyoming Grizzly Cub Jam Separates From Mom Raspberry; 399’s New Cub Still Unnamed

“Jam,” a famed Yellowstone bear, has finally separated from her mother “Raspberry,” while Grizzly 399’s cub still doesn’t have a name.

Mark HeinzJune 19, 2023

Brent Sweem competes in the men’s axe throwing competition during the Woodchoppers Jamboree in Encampment on Saturday.

Screaming Chainsaws And Flying Axes Serenade Crowds At Wyoming Woodchoppers Jamboree

Chainsaws screamed and axes flew during the Woodchoppers Jamboree in Encampment over the weekend as the Cowboy State carries on tradition of timbersports.

Mark HeinzJune 19, 2023

Wild horse advocate Angelique Rea said winter took a devastating tool on some mustang herds in central Wyoming.

Contrary To What BLM Reports, Horse Advocates Say Winterkill Hit Wyoming Mustangs Hard

The BLM’s estimates of a thriving Wyoming’s mustang population are off, some wild horse advocates say, and that winterkill hit mustangs hard in some areas.

Mark HeinzJune 16, 2023

More Grizzlies Mistaken For Black Bears Killed In Wyoming, Idaho and Montana

Grizzly bears have been killed by black bear hunters recently in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, again raising the question of proper bear identification.

Mark HeinzJune 15, 2023

Kari Godfrey of Minnesota says she took a series of photos through a telephoto lens during a “bear jam” May 27 in Teton Park. She said this was the same incident during which a controversial photo of Grizzly 610 next to a pickup truck was taken.

Woman Says Criticism Of Photographer Who Got Out Of Truck During “Bear Jam” Is Unfair

Controversy that erupted over a photo of Teton Park’s Grizzly 610 near a Jackson man’s truck was based on false impressions, according to another photographer who said she was there during the same “bear jam”.

Mark HeinzJune 15, 2023

Eastern Wyoming Has Too Many Elk, And Hunters Can’t Kill Them Fast Enough

A Wyoming rancher says the state Game and Fish Department needs to do more to get an overabundance of elk off of his property — a problem shared by many Cowboy State ranchers.

Mark HeinzJune 14, 2023

Winterkill Wiped Out Deer & Antelope Herds, But Wild Horse Population Is Exploding

There are more than twice as many mustangs in Wyoming as there should be, according to the Bureau of Land Management, and the past harsh winter that decimated some antelope and deer herds didn’t do much to reduce their numbers.

Mark HeinzJune 14, 2023

Photo of mountain lion caught in Laramie on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Jake Riske took this picture when it was first found in a backyard.

Game And Fish, Police Catch Mountain Lion In Laramie Backyard

A Laramie man said the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and local law enforcement teamed up to catch a mountain lion in his neighbor’s back yard at about 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Mark HeinzJune 14, 2023

Page 63