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Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Government & Politics

Executive

In a move indicating that concerns over the dwindling Colorado River have reached a new level, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis joined other Western elected officials met for discussion and negotiations in Washington, D.C.

Gordon, Barrasso and Lummis met Tuesday with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Mike Lee, R-Utah, Sen. John Curtis R-Utah.

On Wednesday, Barrasso invited Pinedale rancher Mike Vickrey to testify about the Colorado River negotiations before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

 said that in Wyoming and other Upper Colorado River Basin states, “our expectations of how much water we will have to irrigate with are based on Mother Nature,” according to a statement from Barrasso’s office.

Vickrey told the Senate committee that as he sees it, he and other Upper Basin farmers and ranchers have gone above and beyond to conserve water.

Meanwhile, downstream states benefit from greater “security” offered by large reservoirs at Lake Powell and Lake Mead, 

Parts of two of Wyoming’s reservoirs along the Green River, a major tributary of the Colorado River, are in Sweetwater County. Those include Fontenelle Reservoir and Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

That means the area has a huge stake in what happens along the Colorado River, Sweetwater County Commissioner Taylor Jones told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday.

“I think our concerns are the water levels, and our lack of say,” in Colorado River policy, he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Barrasso Takes Lead"}]

Officials offered few details of what the D.C. meetings might mean going forward for Wyoming and the other Upper Basin states of Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.

Barrasso is “taking the lead” in the matter, according to a text message from Gordon’s office to Cowboy State Daily.

“Any management plan must address shortages from emergency withdrawals and drought, especially from Wyoming’s Flaming Gorge Reservoir,” Barrasso said in a statement following Tuesday’s meeting. "Wyoming and Utah will continue to fight for a seven-basin-state solution that treats our Upper Basin fairly,” 

More details should be forthcoming, Barrasso’s Communications Director Laura Mengelkamp told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday.

“This week’s meeting was a great first step in developing an agreement that will treat the upper basin states fairly. The governors and senators did discuss several possible solutions and we will have more to say on that in the future,” she stated.

Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart represents Wyoming on the Upper Colorado River Commission. 

In an email response to questions from Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday, he said that he had no comments beyond what Gordon had already stated.

In a Tuesday statement, Gordon said the discussion between the Upper Basin elected officials had been “productive.”

“Wyoming is committed to bringing forward ideas, and leading the search for practical solutions that recognize both the realities of drought and the needs of the West,” Gordon stated.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Stark Outlook"}]

Tension has been brewing between the Upper Basin states and those in the Lower Basin, namely Nevada, California and Arizona.

All seven Colorado pact states, as well as numerous Native American tribes and Mexico, were allocated water rights from the Colorado River and its major tributaries under the 1922 Colorado River Compact, which remains binding.

Many experts say there’s far less water in the river now than there was in 1922, but demand has grown with the population.

The Upper Basin states say that most of the population growth has been in the Lower Basin, which continues to demand more water.

Water from the Upper Basin, including the Green River in Wyoming, feeds the Lower Basin’s two primary reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

It was announced this spring that roughly 1 million acre feet of water would be drawn from Flaming Gorge Reservoir to make up for a shortfall in Lake Powell.

Tony Valdez, owner of the Buckboard Marina on the Wyoming side of Flaming Gorge, previously told Cowboy State Daily that the drawdown could be 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Upper Basin Doing Its Part"}]

Jones said the reservoirs and marinas are vitally important for Sweetwater County.

“When they’re going draw the water down, it’s going to affect fishing, it’s going to affect tourism,” he said. "It’s going to affect the marinas, on both the Wyoming and Utah sides of Flaming Gorge.”

“The marinas, they’re even talking about going out of business,” he added.

The county commission hopes to meet soon with Gordon and other state officials. So far, there have been few details coming from state offices, Jones said.

“It’s been pretty quiet, which is a little frustrating,” he said.

 also said policy should be based upon how much water is actually available.

“The only way going forward is a shared pain as hydrology worsens,” Vickrey said. "From my Upper Basin perspective, a supply-driven model of the river is imperative. 

"As conditions continue to change, we must adapt to the actual amount of available water and continue to search for new sources of usable water."

The future hinges on continued negotiations, Jen Lamb, Wyoming representative for the Nature Conservancy, told Cowboy State Daily.

“I think Wyoming remains focused on trying to stay solution oriented, and the fact that the states are still at the table is really critical,” she said.

Mike vickrey testify 6 10 26

Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>Pinedale Rancher Tells Senators He’s Tired Of Wyoming Giving Up Colorado River Water | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Pinedale rancher told U.S. Senators on Wednesday that he and other Upper Basin farmers are tired of Wyoming giving up Colorado River water. Negotiations moved up a notch this week with Wyoming leaders meeting in Washington, D.C., with other states.

Pinedale Rancher Tells Senators He’s Tired Of Wyoming Giving Up Colorado River Water

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's Feature Reporter, Andrew Rossi.

Andrew Rossi

Outdoors

The Beartooth Highway was closed at 7:45 a.m. Wednesday because of snow and extreme conditions at the highest points of the 10,947-foot-high All-American Road.

As of Friday afternoon, the entire 68.29-mile expanse still wasn’t fully open with no estimated time of reopening. That’s because it was still snowing across northwest Wyoming and southern Montana, with no signs of stopping.

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDOT) posted pictures of deep snowdrifts covering the two-lane mountain pass and several inches of fresh snow across the landscape. The agency told tourists traveling between Wyoming and Montana to take the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway to reach Red Lodge, Montana, and beyond.

[{"type":"text","text":"And, above all else, MDOT posted, “Please do not use map apps.”"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Not That Late"}]

Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day hadn’t seen any snow totals reported from the Beartooth Highway. Based on pictures and reports out of Yellowstone National Park, he had a reasonable guess of how much snow had fallen at nearly 11,000 feet.

“It's probably in the neighborhood of 3 to 5 inches of snow, with a lot of wind and cold slicking things up,” he said. “There should be a fair amount of wind up there, and it’s chilly enough to make things icy.”

Meanwhile, a Winter Weather Advisory was issued for southern Montana, including the Beartooth Highway, until 9 a.m. Thursday. Additional snowfall of up to 2 inches was anticipated, along with wind gusts as high as 55 mph.

Tourists might be baffled to hit a snow-caused road closure in mid-June, but that’s the reality on the Beartooth Highway. It doesn’t happen frequently, but it does often enough, and sometimes even later in the summer.

“It snows every month of the year up there,” Day said. “I can remember some Fourth of July where they've had snow-related issues on the Beartooth Highway.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Its Own Climate"}]

Day believes people underestimate the elevation changes they experience when exploring northwest Wyoming. Drivers ascend from 5,200 feet to 10,947 feet in just 12 miles.

The Beartooth Highway sits at the northern edge of the Yellowstone Plateau, a massive landform that covers northwest Wyoming and southern Montana. An area that vast, high, and rugged is its own environment

“If you’re entering from the east, you go from the steppe desert of the Bighorn Basin to the cool, lush forests of Yellowstone, to a high-elevation mountain terrain very quickly,” Day said. “That terrain lifts the atmosphere and makes its own weather.”

It’s not uncommon for people to be driving through triple-digit temperatures in Cody, Greybull, and Lovell only to find snow flurries at the highest point of the Beartooth Highway later that day.

[{"type":"text","text":"The Beartooth Highway wasn’t the only road closed by snow."}]

Yellowstone’s Dunraven Pass and Craig Pass, a section of the Grand Loop Road between the West Thumb Geyser Basin and Old Faithful, were closed to all travel on Tuesday night due to winter weather. Both corridors were reopened by 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Then, Craig Pass was closed again at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday due to “adverse road and weather conditions.”  The entire park was covered with snow by Wednesday afternoon.

The National Weather Service (NWS) was anticipating snow showers all day Wednesday on the Beartooth Pass, with wind gusts as high as 28 mph. Daytime highs were in the 30s.

While astonishing to many, especially tourists, Day wasn’t surprised to see snow closing the Beartooth Highway. He was reminded how inhospitable the mountains can be, regardless of the season.

“I got a note from a guy who remembers treating people for frostbite in Rocky Mountain National Park in June 1976,” he said. “We tend to get these June patterns, and there’s another one coming.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Anticipated Closure?"}]

Plowing the Beartooth Highway is handled jointly by MDOT and the National Park Service. Both agencies had plows ready to clear the highway, but it’s still a day-long effort to get the road safe for vehicles, including massive RVs and tour buses.

The road-closing snow on Wednesday was caused by 

 that moved into Wyoming earlier this week. If that was enough to close the high-elevation highway, Day suspects we aren’t out of the woods yet.

“There’s another one of these coming in over the weekend,” he said. “As we reach Sunday night and go into Monday, they very well might get snowed on again. “

The NWS anticipates a mix of rain and snow showers on the Beartooth Highway starting Saturday and continuing through Sunday. Overnight temperatures could get as low as 28 degrees above 9,000 feet, which is enough to turn rain into snow and ice.

Day isn’t making any promises or predications, but he shared a word of caution. Anyone planning a trek over the Beartooths this weekend might want to reconsider or be prepared to stop, slide, and possibly get stuck.

“That part of Wyoming and Montana is going to be susceptible to cold fronts for another week or so,” he said. “It's going to be really chilly and wet in Yellowstone this weekend, and there’s going to be more weather next week.”

That’s the nature of the beast on the Beartooth Highway, Yellowstone, and northwest Wyoming. When it comes to snow, you’re never really out of the woods, even in summer.

[{"type":"text","text":"Tourists and residents need to dress and drive accordingly. "}]

Beartooth snow 6 10 26

<title>Beartooth Highway Still Closed Because Of Snow: 'Do Not Use Map Apps' | Cowboy State Daily</title>

More than 69 miles of the Beartooth Highway are still closed because of a late spring snowstorm in southern Montana. Road officials warned motorists not to use “map apps” as people have become stranded like a German couple who got lost in Wyoming. 

Beartooth Highway Still Closed Because Of Snow: 'Do Not Use Map Apps'

Employee kate meadows cropped

Kate Meadows

Education

A state investigation into Sweetwater County School District No. 1's special education program found it out of compliance in four of five major areas reviewed.

The probe uncovered problems that ranged from staffing shortages and unlicensed personnel to failures in implementing student education plans and involving parents in key decisions.

"This wasn't a failure by just one person. This is a systemic failure," said former Sweetwater County School District No. 1 board member Cole Seppie.

A 29-page report released this week by the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) found the district violated requirements to:

• Provide special education and related services through properly credentialed professionals.

• Deliver services in accordance with students' Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).

• Educate students in the least restrictive environment possible alongside their nondisabled peers.

• Give parents meaningful opportunities to participate in the IEP process.

The district was found compliant only in the area of student confidentiality.

Cowboy State Daily reached out to district Superintendent Dr. Joseph Libby and school board Chairman Cole Wright for comment. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Wright said in a text message that Libby is on vacation."}]

"Consequently, I can tell you that we have received the WDE report," Wright said. 

He added that the district is reviewing the findings and recommendations and will consider options upon Libby's return.

[{"type":"text","text":"What Was Found"}]

The WDE conducted a five-day special monitoring review in February after receiving complaints and reports of possible noncompliance from parents, current and former staff members, and media accounts. 

Investigators examined records, visited schools, interviewed staff and met with community members.

[{"type":"text","text":"Investigation Revealed Deep Concerns"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The review focused on five areas:"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Employment and supervision of qualified special education staff."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Delivery of services outlined in student IEPs."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Compliance with least restrictive environment requirements."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Meaningful parental participation."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Protection of confidential student information."}]

Investigators reviewed records from students across all grade levels, schools and disability categories.

Of 145 records selected, 19 could not be accessed through the district's online IEP system, reducing the sample size to 126.

WDE staff visited 15 schools and interviewed 47 employees, including Special Education Director Kayci Arnoldi.

The report describes a culture of mistrust between staff and district administration.

"Staff are terrified of backlash or forced transfers if they speak in opposition of an administrative decision," the report states.

[{"type":"text","text":"Community listening sessions also revealed widespread concerns. "}]

Of at least 45 community members who participated, 18 raised issues related to staffing, qualifications, turnover, reliance on substitute teachers and insufficient training. 

Another 17 concerns centered on IEP compliance and what the report described as administrative overreach in special education decisions.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Staffing Shortages And Unlicensed Personnel"}]

As of June 8, the district's website listed 27 open special education teaching and provider positions.

“I’m completely appalled at how many openings we’ve had,” said Rachel Seppie, Cole Seppie’s wife.

During the monitoring review, investigators reported that Arnoldi was unable to identify how many special education vacancies existed at any given time.

"The director considered adequate staffing to be the responsibility of the Human Resources Department rather than special education leadership," the report states.

“When you have the special education director calling for HR, that poses questions, when you don’t know how many positions are open in your staff,” said Kari Cochran, a parent in the district.

The WDE also found what it described as a districtwide practice of allowing unlicensed personnel to provide special education services without adequate supervision.

Investigators identified 30 unlicensed teachers or providers working in special education roles. 

More than one-quarter of the student files reviewed showed services being delivered by individuals who lacked the credentials required to provide specialized instruction or related services.

As of the report date, 18 long-term substitute teachers remained in positions serving students with disabilities.

According to the report, many teachers told investigators that long-term substitutes and educators working under exception authorizations were planning lessons, delivering instruction, assigning grades and monitoring student progress without appropriate supervision.

"In many IEPs, the unlicensed teacher or provider reported progress towards IEP goals," the report states.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Students Not Receiving Required Services"}]

The report found that 60% of reviewed student records showed services were not being delivered in accordance with students' IEPs.

Investigators learned that the amount of special education time students received was often determined by class schedules rather than the service levels specified in their individualized plans.

In some cases, that practice limited students' opportunities to learn alongside nondisabled peers.

The WDE cited staffing shortages, insufficient understanding of federal special education requirements and a lack of oversight as contributing factors.

The district was also found to be out of compliance with the federal requirement that students with disabilities be educated alongside nondisabled students whenever appropriate.

According to the report, those findings point to a misunderstanding of least restrictive environment requirements and a lack of district oversight.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Parents Left Out Of The Process"}]

Nearly half — 47% — of the student records reviewed contained evidence that parents were denied meaningful participation in the IEP process.

The report found little evidence that meetings were scheduled at mutually agreed-upon times. In many cases, records showed no documented contact with parents before meeting notices were sent.

Investigators also found that students were receiving services from unlicensed personnel without the credentials or supervision required under federal law, an issue that appeared in roughly 54% of the noncompliant records examined in this category.

As a result, the WDE concluded the district violated requirements guaranteeing parents meaningful opportunities to participate in decisions about their children's education.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"One Year To Correct Problems"}]

The district has 30 days from the report date to challenge any findings by submitting additional evidence.

Once the report becomes final, the district will have one year to correct all identified areas of noncompliance. A corrective action plan is expected to be finalized within 30 days after the report is finalized.

For Cochran, the report confirms concerns that many families have raised for years.

"We do have issues, but our leadership refuses to acknowledge them," Cochran said, describing what she sees as one of the district's biggest challenges.

[{"type":"text","text":"Rachel Seppie agreed."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Seeing it in writing affirms that there are facts,\" she said."}]

For the Seppies, whose son receives special education services, the findings were disappointing but not entirely unexpected.

"We had seen some of these problems with our child when I was a board member," Cole Seppie said. "To realize this is a more systemic problem makes me incredibly disappointed."

He said he believes most teachers and service providers are working hard under difficult circumstances.

"A vast majority of the teachers and providers are generally trying to do a good job," he said. "But when the administration and supervisors are not living up to the standards that they should, you're stuck in a bad system."

Rachel Seppie said the report validates concerns parents have repeatedly raised with district leaders.

"All these things have been identified multiple times," she said. "No one's been listening to the parents."

Seeing the state's findings laid out in writing was both frustrating and affirming, she added.

Sweetwater County School District 1 2

A state investigation found widespread failures with Sweetwater County School District 1’s special ed program and gave it a year to correct them. "This wasn't a failure by just one person. This is a systemic failure," said a former school board member.