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
Next Stop, The Moon: Wyoming's Outdoor Leadership School Trained NASA Moon-Bound Astronauts
The Lander-based National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) has been helping to prepare astronauts since 1999, and all four crew members of 2024 Artemis II moon mission recently went through NOLS courses.
Mark HeinzApril 07, 2023
Devastating Big Game Winterkill Could Leave Slim Pickings For Wyoming Hunters
Catastrophic winter kill in some of Wyoming's best mule deer and antelope hunting territory could make for lean pickings for tags for this fall, some wildlife managers said.
Mark HeinzApril 07, 2023
Wyoming Winter Killing 'Most Premier Antelope Herds In The Entire World'
Wyoming is a world-class destination when it comes to trophy antelope hunting, but the current winter is ravaging herds, and could stall the Cowboy State's legacy for years.
Mark HeinzApril 07, 2023
Feds To Provide $350 Million For New Wildlife Road Crossings
It could be a bright spot in an otherwise grim year for wildlife -- Wyoming might snag its share of $350 million in federal funding specifically for wildlife road crossings.
Mark HeinzApril 06, 2023
More Than 1,000 Yellowstone Bison Killed As Harsh Winter Pushes Herds Out Of The Park
An exceptionally hard winter that has been hammering Wyoming’s wildlife outside of Yellowstone Park has also been pushing more Bison out of the Park and into Montana. Roughly 1,000 bison have been killed by hunters, mostly from Native American tribes.
Mark HeinzApril 06, 2023
‘A Daily Occurrence Of Death’: Even Hardiest Of Animals Starting To Fall As Vicious Winter Drags On
A town hall meeting that Gov. Mark Gordon planned to host in Rawlins regarding Wyoming’s wildlife winter kill had to go fully online Tuesday after yet another heavy snowstorm shut highways down. Those who attended gave a grim outlook.
Mark HeinzApril 05, 2023
Anatolian Dogs Are Fierce Enough To Take On Grizzlies, But Might Not Work For Vast Wyoming Cattle Ranches
Anatolian Shepherds are large livestock guard dogs with the gumption and ability to successfully take on wolves and grizzlies, a Montana rancher said. However – while they work good for sheep herds – dogs aren’t as effective at protecting vast cattle outfits, a Wyoming rancher said.
Mark HeinzApril 04, 2023
Colorado Winter Wildlife Death Toll Mirrors Wyoming’s
Antelope, deer and elk in northwestern Colorado are suffering similarly to those in Wyoming – and seeing similar big game die-offs.
Mark HeinzApril 03, 2023
Will 27-Year-Old Grizzly 399 Have More Cubs? It’s Possible, Biologist Says
Grizzly 399 has apparently yet to emerge from her den this year. And it’s not known whether the 27-year-old sow will have cubs this year, although it's possible.
Mark HeinzApril 02, 2023
Going Paleo: Wyoming Flintknappers Keep Skills Of Ancient Hunters Alive
To kill the wooly mammoths and ancient bison that used to roam Wyoming, paleolithic hunters had to make their own weapons by flintknapping, a skill that still has some modern practitioners in the Cowboy State.
Mark HeinzApril 01, 2023
Mount Everest Is Next: Wyoming Mountain Climber Closes In On ‘7 Peaks On 7 Continents’
If he succeeds in his impending ascent of Mt. Everest, Dr. Joe McGinley, of Casper, will be just one mountain away of achieving his goal of climbing the “Seven Peaks on Seven Continents.”
Mark HeinzApril 01, 2023
Game Wardens Catch Mountain Lion Roaming Gillette In Yard Near Downtown
After searching for nearly two days for a mountain lion reported in Gillette, Wyoming Game and Fish wardens caught up with it after Teri and Charlie Anderson found it hiding in a neighbor’s back yard.
Mark HeinzMarch 30, 2023
Snowplow Drivers Hauling Off Wildlife Carcasses All Across Wyoming As Animals Continue to Starve
As wildlife continues to starve to death in Wyoming because of the harsh winter, snowplow drivers are hauling off carcasses from Interstates and highways across the state.
Mark HeinzMarch 30, 2023
Gordon Calls Emergency Meeting To Discuss Wildlife Starvation; 1,000s Of Pinedale-Area Deer Expected To Die
At a packed town hall meeting in Pinedale on Thursday, Gov Mark Gordon and Game and Fish officials discussed the brutal winter which has killed wildlife all across the state. “We’re going to drop below 20,000 on a herd that used to have 80,000 deer,” one attendee said.
Mark HeinzMarch 30, 2023
Bad Predator Policies In Montana, Idaho Could Derail Delisting Wyoming Grizzlies, Bear Expert Says
Wyoming’s efforts to delist grizzly bears – possibly within the next year – could be derailed by poor predator management plans in Montana and Idaho, a bear expert told Cowboy State Daily.
Mark HeinzMarch 29, 2023
Dying By The Thousands: Miles Of Death As Wyoming Antelope, Deer And Elk Die From Winter Starvation
Outfitters say southcentral Wyoming antelope, deer and elk herds are dying off in huge numbers and that predictions that half of the antelope in parts of the state could die this winter probably fall short. It’s more likely to be closer to 80%.
Mark HeinzMarch 29, 2023
Wyoming Rancher Says Colorado Wolves Are A Bad Idea: “It’s Going To Be A Wreck”
Wyoming rancher Pat O’Toole says his family’s operation, which straddles the Wyoming-Colorado state line, is already under pressure from bears and mountain lions. He says Colorado’s plan to re-introduce more wolves only will make things worse.
Mark HeinzMarch 28, 2023
If Colorado River Option Dries Up, Cheyenne May Have To Look Elsewhere For 70% Of Its Water
As squabbles grow in the lower Colorado River Basin over the river’s shrinking supply, the repercussions could reverberate all the way to Cheyenne, which gets 70% of its water from the Colorado River Basin
Mark HeinzMarch 27, 2023
Keeping An Owl As A Pet Not A Good Idea, It’s About The Worst Pet You Could Ever Get — And It’s Illegal
Inspired to own a pet owl based on our story about the Game and Fish Department's rescued owl "Jupiter"? Don't be. Not only is owning an owl illegal, they would be about the worst pet you could ever own. Worse than a great white shark, in fact.
Mark HeinzMarch 27, 2023
Wyoming Highways Among The Deadliest In America, Study Shows
Wyoming is at or near the top of vehicle crash deaths in some grim categories, including number of deaths per 100,000 population and fatal single-vehicle wrecks, according to a highway safety advocacy group.
Mark HeinzMarch 25, 2023
Wyoming Game And Fish Tells Congress It’s Way Past Time To Delist The Grizzly
Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik on Thursday told a congressional committee that grizzly bear numbers were healthy enough in Wyoming and the Yellowstone region to be removed from the Endangered Species List in 2003, but have remained listed because of bureaucracy.
Mark HeinzMarch 25, 2023