The Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine has launched its Use-Inspired and Translation Grant opportunities to accelerate the research, development, and commercialization of innovations into tangible products, services, or solutions that address climate resiliency, according to a news release.

“We are thrilled to launch this combined grant program, which represents a huge milestone for the CO-WY Engine and an incredible opportunity for our region,” said Mike Freeman, CO-WY Engine CEO  in the release. “By supporting both early-stage research and the translation of these innovations into practical solutions, we aim to build a robust ecosystem that drives sustainable growth and addresses the urgent challenges faced by our communities. This initiative is a testament to the collaborative spirit and dedication of our partners across Colorado and Wyoming.”

The program seeks to accelerate the commercialization of innovations addressing climate resiliency. Proposals should demonstrate a solid product-market fit, collaboration with industry partners, and a roadmap for securing additional funding, the release stated.

Priority areas for this cycle include Complex Earth Sensing, Soil Carbon Capture Data & Analytics, Methane Emissions Analysis, Extreme Weather Modeling, Wildfire Risk & Prediction, and Water Availability Prediction, the release stated.

The Engine anticipates two award cycles this year. The first applications are due Sept. 3, and a second cycle will open Jan. 15, 2025.

Selected projects will receive from $250,000 to $750,000 for the Translation Grant Program and up to $300,000 for the Use-Inspired R&D Grant Program, the releases stated. Each program cycle will have a project period of one year, with the possibility of a formal no-cost extension for up to six months, subject to approval, the release stated.

To provide more information about the RFP and answer questions, the CO-WY Engine will host three virtual events, Aug, 1, Aug. 7, and Aug. 8. For more information about the CO-WY Engine and its programs, visit www.co-wyengine.org.

A surprise hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone national park has sent sightseers running for safety, after steam, rock and dirt shot high into the sky. No injuries were reported, but the Biscuit Basin area was closed for visitor safety after the falling rocks damaged a boardwalk that keeps people off Yellowstone’s fragile and often dangerous geothermal areas.

More than 2,000 acres about 7 miles south of Cody has been chosen as the site for a $10 million Wyoming state shooting complex, but the lead won’t start flying there until 2026.

“The site has lots of topography and opportunity for shooting events (and) for shooting on steep slopes and across canyons,” state Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday.

Hicks co-sponsored a bill with the 2023 Legislature authorizing the money for the shooting complex. That bill also authorized the creation of a task force to oversee site selection, which has been ongoing this year.

The task force, which Hicks co-chairs, voted Monday to approve the Park County site, he said, beating out a proposal from Campbell County.

Won’t Open Until At Least 2026

Nine Wyoming communities entered a competitive race for the shooting complex, and Park County and Campbell County were announced as the two finalists last month.

The $10 million for the shooting complex was set aside in a special fund that can’t be touched until the Legislature says so.

The money includes $5 million from the state’s general fund, $2.5 million from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and $2.5 million from the Wyoming Office of Tourism.

If all goes as planned, the Legislature will release the money and greenlight the project in Park County during its 2025 session, Hicks said.

Then construction could begin at the site by spring 2025, he said. Park County has earmarked 2,036 acres about 7.5 miles south of Cody along Highway 120, also known as the Meeteetse Highway.

There could be a ribbon cutting and first shooting events at the new complex during the spring or early summer 2026, Hicks said.

The Draw Of Cody Sealed The Deal

Park and Cambell counties both had excellent proposals, members of the task force said, according to a video recording of Monday’s meeting.

But Cody’s existing draw as a premier tourist destination tipped the scales.

“The draw is what smoked Gillette,” said task force member Dave Glenn, who is director of Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources.

That’s despite Campell County having better available infrastructure, he added.

However, there’s some concern that people coming to Park County for shooting competitions won’t visit other parts of Wyoming, said task force member Nish Goicolea.

Part of the intent of bringing a world-class competitive shooting complex to Wyoming was to draw visitors to other areas of the state, added Goicolea, who is the communications and education chief for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

“I think if you bring people to Campbell County, they will end up in Park County at the end of the day. If you being them to Park County they won’t end up in Campbell County,” she said.

Making Wyoming A Regional Draw

From the beginning, Hicks and other boosters of the shooting complex have noted that several other neighboring states, such as Colorado and South Dakota, have expansive, multimillion-dollar shooting facilities.

Far from being mere target ranges, they attract top-tier national and international shooting competitions, which bring in some serious money.

With Wyoming’s reputation as a Second Amendment-friendly state, it only makes sense for the Cowboy State to have a shooting complex. And Wyoming’s facility should rival, and perhaps out-class, others in the region, Hicks and other boosters have argued.

The vision for the Wyoming state shooting complex includes ranges for a huge variety of shooting sports, such as extreme long-range rifle, pistols, tactical shooting competitions, shotgun sports, archery and more.

Contact Mark Heinz at mark@cowboystatedaily.com

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.