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
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
‘Scooby Doo Had His Stomach Ripped Out’: Colorado Wolves Wreak Bloody Havoc, Boebert Says
With Colorado set to reintroduce wolves by the end of this year, Colorado firebrand Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert wants them removed from Endangered Species Act protection across the United States.
Mark HeinzMarch 24, 2023
For 20 Years, A Great Horned Owl Named Jupiter Has Called Lander Game And Fish Office Home
Jupiter is a great horned owl with acute vision problems which means he could never survive in the wild. But for more than 20 years he’s not only survived but thrived at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department office in Lander.
Mark HeinzMarch 24, 2023
Wyoming Watches As Navajo Nation Supreme Court Case Threatens To Blow Up Colorado River Compact
A longstanding conflict between the Navajo Nation, state of Arizona and the federal government over the nation’s water rights to the Colorado River is coming to head before the U.S. Supreme Court. How that might affect Wyoming remains uncertain.
Mark HeinzMarch 23, 2023
Mountain Lion Attacks Colorado Couple In Hot Tub; Their Screams Scared It Off
A mountain lion crept up on a Colorado couple soaking in their hot tub over the weekend and swatted the man in the head, inflicting scratch wounds – though the man later refused medical treatment.
Mark HeinzMarch 22, 2023
‘Worth Two Or Three Cowboys’: Owner, Neighbors Mourn Cisco, Cattle Dog Killed By Wolves
Cattle dogs are valuable working animals, and “Cisco” left a big hole in his owners’ hearts when he was killed by wolves from Colorado’s North Park wolf pack. They said he was worth "two or three cowboys."
Mark HeinzMarch 21, 2023
Bull Elk’s Struggle Against Starvation Brings Wyoming’s Winter Kill Into Focus
The struggle of wildlife during a brutal winter is hard to fathom when considering sheer numbers, but a Wyoming snowplow driver brought it into focus with the story of a single animal’s ordeal.
Mark HeinzMarch 21, 2023
Colorado’s North Park Pack Has Something In Common With Wyoming Wolves – Killing Dogs
Colorado’s North Park wolf pack, which has crossed into Wyoming at times, killed two dogs there within a day of each other earlier this month. Wreaking trouble among its neighbors isn’t new to the North Park pack. The wolves are blamed for killing 10 livestock animals a little more than a year ago.
Mark HeinzMarch 20, 2023
Half Of Antelope In Rawlins-Red Desert Could Die As Brutal Winter Hammers Wyoming Wildlife
This winter could prove especially deadly for Wyoming’s wildlife, particularly in the Rawlins-Red Desert region where half of the antelope are expected to die.
Mark HeinzMarch 20, 2023
Wolves In Minnesota Live Very Different Lives Compared To Wolves in Wyoming
A wolf seeking a fresh meal in the humid Minnesota darkness needs sharp ears and patience. Lots of patience. While wolf packs in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho are going after elk and other big game, their cousins in Minnesota, at least during warmer months, frequently hunt or fish solo, grabbing whatever they can get.
Mark HeinzMarch 19, 2023
When Compassion Kills: There’s A Reason People Should Not Feed Wildlife, It Can Kill Them
While emergency elk feeding has been implemented in some parts of the Cowboy State, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department refuses to feed deer – and discourages others from doing it – because it can kill them.
Mark HeinzMarch 19, 2023
Massive Snowfall In Wyoming Bear Country Could Be Good For Hunters
Much of Wyoming’s mountainous bear county is buried in massive amounts of snow, and with even more expected before spring black bear hunting seasons open in May, things might seem grim for hunters. One bear hunter, however, says the snow could actually work in favor for the hunters.
Mark HeinzMarch 18, 2023