Wyoming
Big Piney’s Miller Ranch is recognized for bridging the conservation gap
Cowboy hats, boots and even spurs peppered the crowd of ranchers, lawmakers and wildlife advocates at Miller Land and Livestock. The sixth generation ranch, nestled between Big Piney and the Wyoming Range, hosted a recent conservation event.
“We’re all about horses and cattle, but we really like our birds too,” said Mike Miller, who runs the ranch with his wife, Tara Miller, and the help of their sons, Will and Wes, and grandsons, Kaleb and Blu.
The Miller Ranch’s conservation efforts caught the eye of the National Audubon Society – specifically, their work to preserve bird habitat.
“Every year we have a [bird] family around our house. Last year was ferruginous hawk,” Mike said as birds chirped in the background. “This year, it’s an owl family. They’re really fun to watch. They’re pretty stoic individuals.”
The Audubon’s event was pegged as a “Sagebrush Celebration”, with a nod to the Miller’s recent ‘bird-friendly habitat certification from the Society. It’s a coveted title given to ranches who have prioritized conservation. The Millers said they couldn’t have gotten to this place without state and federal assistance.
Caitlin Tan
/
Wyoming Public Media
“They all have been a godsend to ranchers,” said Tara to the crowd of about 70. “The help and knowledge we have gained from them is invaluable.”
This is noticeably a different tone from Wyoming’s growing number of lawsuits against federal agencies over conservation efforts and management of natural resources. Wyoming often argues that local knowledge isn’t being prioritized in these efforts.
But not at the Miller Ranch. In attendance was Gov. Mark Gordon, and he said this is an example of the system working.
“Wildlife migrates across federal, state and private lands, each with management objectives,” Gordon said to the crowd of ranchers, wildlife advocates and lawmakers. “It’s only when people come together, with leadership from folks like Mike and Tara, that we can actually get that solved on the ground in a way that makes sense to wildlife, because wildlife don’t understand red lines.”
Jaden Bales
/
Wyoming Wildlife Federation
The Millers are the 11th ranch in Wyoming to receive the Audubon recognition. The society highlighted the Miller’s strategic rotational grazing of their cattle.
“Short, intense grazing periods create patches of short vegetation suitable for species like the Burrowing Owl and Ferruginous Hawk,” according to an Audubon press release. “Extended periods of rest from grazing allow for taller habitat structures, benefiting species like the Lark Bunting, Loggerhead Shrike and Sagebrush Sparrow.”
Speaker of the Wyoming House Albert Sommers (R-Pinedale) also acknowledged the Millers’ efforts, saying collaboration is key for conservation.
“If we can’t find ways to work together, to preserve these working landscapes, we’re going to be in a far worse place than we are today,” Sommers said.
Right now, Wyoming is in talks with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over a newly proposed sage grouse management plan. The goal is to prevent an Endangered Species listing. Science shows conservation of sagebrush and limited disturbance can slow the population’s decline.
A final version of the plan is expected in the coming months. Then, the work will start. That means collaboration between federal, state and local landowners, like the Millers.
Tara acknowledged all the hard work it takes to do so. It’s been a learning process since she married into the family 50 years ago.
“I was glad to be a cowgirl marrying a good looking, fun loving bronc rider and had little idea of the lifetime commitment I was making to a big ranch,” she said.
But Tara said she wouldn’t have it anyother way. The Millers have built a reputation for not only their ranching and conservation, but also their horse breeding program.
They won Best Remuda from the American Quarter Horse Association in 2021, which awards ranches across the country with top of the line home-raised ranch horses.
Just this year, Mike Miller was inducted into the National Reined Cow Horse Association Hall of Fame. He earned more than $623,000 and made it to multiple cow horse final showing events since the late 1980s – all achieved on horses bred and raised on their wildlife-friendly ranch.
Wyoming
Measles confirmed in Teton County, Wyoming, as summer crowds flock to parks – East Idaho News
JACKSON, Wyo. (WyoFile) — After confirming a case of measles in an unvaccinated adult in Teton County, Wyoming, health officials are warning the public about possible exposure at locations in Grand Teton National Park and Jackson.
The news comes as summer crowds flood the region with tourists from around the world.
The public may have been exposed between June 17-25 at several locations in Teton County, according to the Wyoming Health Department. They include restaurants in Grand Teton National Park’s Colter Bay Village on June 17-18; a Colter Bay convenience store on June 20 and the Target in Jackson on June 25.
“We are asking people who may have been exposed to watch for measles symptoms for 21 days past the exposure date and consider avoiding crowded public places and high-risk settings such as daycare centers,” State Health Officer Alexia Harrist said in a press release.
Monitoring is especially critical for people who have not been vaccinated with the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, according to the health department.
It marks Wyoming’s second confirmed case of the highly contagious infection in 2026. Wyoming went 15 years without a confirmed case of measles until last year.
Resurgence
Health officials confirmed Wyoming’s first 2026 case in May. An adult patient in Fremont County who did not have a confirmed vaccination status caught the disease, according to the Wyoming Department of Health.
Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 — indicating no endemic transmission for 12 months or more. But it re-emerged in recent years primarily due to declining vaccination rates and increased public health skepticism. Those trends spawned during the COVID-19 pandemic and have persisted during the second Trump administration.
The neighboring state of Utah is one of America’s 2026 measles hotspots, with 499 cases reported so far this year.
RELATED | Anguished parents. Doctors in tears. Utah’s long measles outbreak takes a toll
A vaccination rate of 95% is necessary for community immunity to prevent measles outbreaks, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
In 2025, Wyoming’s proportion of kindergarten students who had completed the MMR vaccine was 93.6%, the CDC reports. That rate is higher than Colorado, Utah and Montana for the same year.
However, it’s declined overall since 2012-13, when Wyoming’s kindergarten vaccination rate was above 97%. It fell to 90.2% in 2020-21 before inching back up to the current 93.6%.
A measles case had not been reported in the state since 2010 until July 2025, when the health department confirmed measles in an unvaccinated child from Natrona County. By year’s end, 13 more cases were confirmed. The majority involved unvaccinated children and adults.
Along with being extremely contagious, measles can cause severe complications like pneumonia and brain swelling and can leave lasting impacts on the immune system. One to three out of every 1,000 children who become infected with measles will die from complications, according to the CDC.
RELATED | The US is on the verge of losing its measles elimination status. Here’s why that matters
RELATED | Measles is not the only disease on the rise. Mumps also may be making a comeback
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GILLETTE, Wyo. — As the Aug. 18 primary election approaches, County 17 is introducing candidate questionnaires to help voters make informed decisions at the ballot box.
Every candidate in the primary field was sent the same three questions and given a limit of 500 words, which could be distributed among their answers as they saw fit. To ensure a fair and direct line to the community, all responses are published exactly as submitted, without edits or alterations.
Candidates were asked:
- What are the most crucial challenges your constituents are facing?
- If elected, how will you address these challenges?
- What qualities or qualifications do you possess that have prepared you to meet these challenges?
Questionnaires are being published on a rolling basis online through Aug. 11. They will be accessible via the County 17 Election Tracker.
Scott Smith (R), Wyoming state treasurer
What are the most crucial challenges your constituents are facing?
Everywhere I go many Wyoming citizens are concerned that our government is selling out our state lands to the highest bidder for crony capitalism. Some are concerned about Data Centers, Commercial Wind Generators, or nuclear waste storage. The biggest concern is the resources these outfits are taking, secondly, they are concerned about health issues related to living nearby, and lastly they are concerned with cost associated with these projects being passed onto the taxpayer.
If elected, how will you address these challenges?
One of the things that many people don’t know is that the State Treasurer sits on the State Land and Investment Board. (SLIB) The same issues that concern our citizens are the same reasons that I have decided to run for this office. The SLIB has voted to lease state lands to a hydrogen plant in Converse County that would take eight gallons of our valuable water to produce one gallon of hydrogen jet fuel using wind and solar generation to power the plant. These same elected officials have sold off $100 million of our state lands to the federal government. I believe that some things are not for sale. As Treasurer you can count on me to count the cost and listen to the people in the public testimony. If we are going to accept some of these projects the citizens need to have the benefit, like lower utility costs.
What qualities/qualifications do you possess that have prepared you to meet these challenges?
My bachelor’s degree is in Business Administration with an emphasis in management and marketing. I will be a leader in the state treasurer’s office that creates a positive work environment that will allow our investment team to create higher returns on the people’s money that the state invests. I would like to work with the legislature to use these interest earnings to buy down the people’s property taxes to alleviate part of the burden inflation has caused on the average citizen. My day job, I work as a bookkeeper and work with numbers day in and day out and have corrected some inefficiencies to help small businesses become more profitable. I plan to do that within the state office and make those profits available to the legislature to reduce the tax burden for the people. I have also served in the Wyoming House of Representatives for Goshen County and I have served on the Appropriations Committee and I am familiar with the massive state budget.
Related
Scroll down for a list of fireworks restrictions across Wyoming.
I usually don’t buy fireworks for the 4th of July. I go places to watch them. But since this year is the 250th anniversary of our nation, I was going to purchase a small arsenal and have a blast, pardon the pun.
But this has been a very dry year, as happens now and then in the cycles of weather. So I figured I’d wait until things were wet again and just hold my personal celebration a little late.
Many towns across Wyoming have canceled their July 4th fireworks due to the drought. They don’t want you firing off any either.
Based on 2026 reports, several Wyoming towns and counties have canceled or significantly restricted Fourth of July fireworks displays due to high wildfire risks, drought conditions, and Stage 1 fire restrictions.
Canceled/Restricted Public Displays (2026)
- Gillette/Campbell County: The CAM-PLEX fireworks show was postponed, and the county is maintaining a Stage 1 fire restriction due to extreme drought.
- Douglas: The Volunteer Fire Department canceled the 4th of July fireworks show due to fire concerns.
- Newcastle: Fireworks show canceled due to high fire danger, according to a June 27 report.
- Pine Haven: Canceled its Fourth of July fireworks display, according to a June 27 report.
- Riverton: Passed a resolution banning personal fireworks within city limits on July 4, with only a limited, designated area for public displays at the Honeycutt Softball and Saban Baseball Complex.
- Teton County: Fireworks have been historically canceled, and fire officials are urging residents to only attend official, professional displays due to extreme fire danger (confirmed for 2026).
City-Wide Personal Fireworks Bans (2026)
- Cheyenne: Consumer fireworks are prohibited within city limits, despite the county lifting restrictions, with only small novelties allowed.
- Casper: Fireworks are prohibited within city limits and in unincorporated Natrona County.
Key Locations Under Restrictions (2026)
- BLM Land: Fireworks are prohibited on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management in Wyoming.
- Weston County: A county-wide ban covers Newcastle and Upton due to high drought conditions.
Even little Chugwater, Wyoming, population 175, has banned fireworks inside its little town limits.
At the State Capital in Cheyenne, however, they will go right ahead with a fireworks display, right over the capital building itself. Dry weather be dammed.
Weird Fireworks Names You’ll Find In Wyoming
Just some of the odd names we found while shopping.
Gallery Credit: Glenn Woods
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