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
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
‘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