Wyoming
Scott Talbott, 63, pushed Wyoming Game and Fish colleagues to be wildlife advocates – WyoFile
Among the qualities that Dan Thompson most appreciated about his former boss Scott Talbott was his guidance to openly champion the furred, feathered and finned inhabitants of Wyoming.
“When he became director, he made a point for us to be advocates for wildlife,” said Thompson, who supervises large carnivores for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
It was a direction that everybody appreciated, and a trait Thompson looks back upon especially fondly, he said.
Talbott, 63, died April 25 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Appointed by former Gov. Matt Mead, he helmed the Equality State’s wildlife management agency from 2011 until 2019 — the second-longest tenure in Game and Fish’s century-long history.
Longtime colleagues remember their former director as being devoted to and genuinely interested in their lives. For Janet Milek, he changed the arc of her career. She’d been an educator, teaching kids to fly fish and the like, but Talbott encouraged her to apply for a public affairs job. The new role had her working with the media and representing the agency about broader, statewide issues.
“He recognized skills in people that maybe they didn’t recognize in themselves,” Milek said. “He would say things like, ‘Go do public speaking, because you’re good at it,’ or, ‘Go apply for a fishery supervisor job because you have the skills.’”
Known for showing up at random regional meetings, Talbott would take a seat with no purpose other than to sit, listen and learn what his staffers were up to, Milek recalled.
Talbott had a way of presenting himself as an equal.
“He was a superior throughout my whole career, but it was never hung over my head,” said Scott Edberg, who worked as a deputy chief of wildlife under Talbott. “Even socially, it never was an impediment.”
Although the former director came out of the warden ranks, he treated everyone the same, whether a fellow warden or a biologist.
“It doesn’t mean I didn’t get my ass chewed,” Thompson said, “but you always knew he had your back.”
Talbott attended Sheridan College and earned an agriculture degree from the University of Wyoming.
“He came from a ranching background, and so he understood both sides of it: agriculture and wildlife,” said Terry Cleveland, a former Game Fish director who mentored Talbott throughout his career. “I think that made him very successful.”
Joining Game and Fish in 1985, Talbott worked in a variety of roles: as an elk feeder, game warden, wildlife investigator, regional wildlife supervisor and deputy chief of the wildlife division, according to his retirement announcement. Over the decades he developed many close friendships with colleagues that deepened through a shared love of outdoor pursuits.
“He lived that wildlife way, whether it was hunting, fishing, wildlife watching,” Milek said. “He knew about everything in the state, and every animal in the state.”
After retiring from Wyoming employment, Talbott kept working and eventually held a post as Safari Club International’s guide and outfitter liaison. During the first Trump administration, he was a rumored pick to lead the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — a post his Game and Fish director successor, Brian Nesvik, is now in line for.
The late agency director isn’t the only Game and Fish retiree to have succumbed to pancreatic cancer in recent weeks. The same condition also claimed Steve Kilpatrick on Sunday. The former Wyoming habitat biologist also worked stints for Teton Science Schools, the Wyoming Wildlife Federation and Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation.
“Steve’s 45-plus year career restoring, enhancing, and conserving bighorn sheep, wildlife and habitats in Wyoming is exceptional,” the National Bighorn Sheep Center wrote in a remembrance post.
Kilpatrick racked up honors for his conservation work over the course of his career. He was named the “conservationist of the year” by the Wyoming Wildlife Federation in 1997, was awarded the Craighead Wildlife Conservation Award in 2003, and in March was inducted into the Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame.
“While Steve’s absence will be deeply felt, perhaps the most fitting tribute to his legacy is our continued dedication to advocating for our silent constituents, the wildlife,” the Wyoming Chapter of The Wildlife Society wrote in a death announcement.
Services for Talbott are being held at 2 p.m. May 30 at the Albany County Fairgrounds in Laramie. Services for Kilpatrick have not yet been announced.
A pair of bills signed into law last week aim to build out a more comprehensive system of literacy education across Wyoming’s public schools.
One mandates evidence-based practices and requires regular screenings for dyslexia, while the other enables the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) to hire a dedicated literacy professional to oversee statewide compliance.
Gov. Mark Gordon’s signing of both bills on Friday was the latest accomplishment of an ongoing push for improved literacy standards. That push has been spearheaded by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder.
“Wyoming is not going to let a single child fall through the cracks,” Degenfelder said during a public bill signing last week. “We are not going to fall behind when it comes to ensuring that our children can read at grade level.”
The primary bill, Senate File 59, establishes a statewide K-12 program for teaching students to read that is built on “evidence based language and literacy instruction, assessment, intervention and professional development that supports educators, engages families and promotes literacy proficiency for all Wyoming students.”
The bill defines evidence-based strategies as those that conform to the science of reading, a term that will be defined and updated by Degenfelder’s office. Nationwide, it generally means putting academic research into practice in classrooms. SF 59 specifically prohibits the exclusive use of “three-cueing” — a strategy once widely employed to teach reading but which education experts now say is outdated and less effective than other strategies.
It also requires annual dyslexia screeners for students below the third grade, and testing for reading difficulties for all students.
The screeners are used to identify the severity of reading difficulties in order to direct “tiered” support that offers the most intensive interventions to the students most in need, while still providing “evidence based” language instruction to all students.
Each school district must formulate an individualized reading plan “for each student identified as having reading difficulties or at risk for poor reading outcomes.”
Districts must now report to the state annually regarding their literacy-related work. Any district where 60% or more of the students are struggling will be required to implement “summer literacy camps or extended supports, including after school support and tutoring.”
The bill also requires literacy related professional development for teachers and specialists “appropriate to their role and level of responsibility” related to literacy education.
SF 59 was backed by dyslexia advocates and literacy specialists.
Senate File 14, the other literacy bill signed into law Friday, appropriates $120,000 annually for the next two years for a full-time position at WDE “to assist school districts in implementing a reading assessment and intervention program and language and literacy programs.”
Both bills go into effect July 1.
LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming and the Mountain West Conference announced the Cowboys’ 2026 football schedule Monday, a slate that opens with the Border War and concludes with back-to-back home games in Laramie.
Wyoming opens the season Sept. 5 on the road against Colorado State in the 118th edition of the Border War. The Cowboys then host Northern Colorado on Sept. 12 in the home opener before traveling to Central Michigan on Sept. 19.
The Cowboys begin Mountain West play Sept. 26 at home against Hawaii in a matchup for the Paniolo Trophy. Wyoming then faces back-to-back road games at North Dakota State on Oct. 3 and San Jose State on Oct. 10.
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Wyoming returns to War Memorial Stadium on Oct. 17 to host conference newcomer Northern Illinois before facing Air Force at home on Oct. 24. The Cowboys will have an open week on Oct. 31.
The Cowboys open November with road games at UNLV on Nov. 7 and at UTEP on Nov. 14, marking Wyoming’s first meeting with the Miners as members of the Mountain West. Wyoming closes conference play by hosting New Mexico on Nov. 21 and wraps up the regular season with a nonconference game against UConn on Nov. 28 in Laramie.
Each Mountain West team will play four home and four road conference games during the 13-week season, which will conclude with the Mountain West Football Championship Game featuring the two teams with the highest conference winning percentages. The championship game date will be announced later.
With the conference schedule set, Mountain West television partners CBS Sports, FOX Sports, and The CW will begin selecting broadcast games, which could include moving some contests to non-Saturday dates. Network assignments and kickoff times will be announced at a later date.
Season ticket renewals for the 2026 Wyoming football season are now available. Fans can renew their tickets online by visiting gowyo.com/tickets and logging into their account.
The 2026 Wyoming prep girls’ basketball season is nearly done. Two state champions were crowned in Classes 1A and 2A last Saturday. Southeast won the 1A title for the third consecutive season, and Sundance won the 2A title for the first time in eight years. Class 3A and 4A held their regional tournaments, which qualified teams for the state tournament later this week in Casper.
WYOPREPS WEEK 12 GIRLS BASKETBALL STANDINGS 2026
These are the girls’ basketball team records for all games played through March 7, 2026. For all but 16 teams, this is the final record of the season. Those squads will play in the 3A-4A state tournament starting on Thursday in Casper.
1A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Burlington 24-5, 8-0
Riverside 14-10, 6-2
Dubois 11-10, 4-4
St. Stephens 3-16, 1-7
Meeteetse 1-20, 1-7
1A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Cokeville 23-4, 10-0
Little Snake River 23-4, 8-2
Farson-Eden 16-12, 5-5
Saratoga 13-11, 5-5
Ft. Washakie 8-13, 2-8
Encampment 3-19, 0-10
1A Northeast: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Upton 16-7, 10-0
Kaycee 13-12, 7-3
Hulett 12-13, 7-3
Arvada-Clearmont 9-12, 4-6
Casper Christian 4-13, 2-8
Midwest 1-16, 0-10
1A Southeast: (Overall Record, followed by Reg. Season Points)
Southeast 24-5, 40 points
Lingle-Ft. Laramie 17-11, 31 points
Lusk 15-13, 26 points
H.E.M. 13-11, 24 points
Rock River 6-14, 12 points
Guernsey-Sunrise 2-18, 4 points
2A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Thermopolis 16-13, 5-1
Greybull 16-15, 4-2
Rocky Mountain 9-17, 2-4
Shoshoni 11-18, 1-5
2A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Wyoming Indian 23-7, 6-0
Big Piney 8-16, 4-2
Kemmerer 2-21, 1-5
Wind River 2-23, 1-5
2A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Sundance 23-4, 5-0
Big Horn 21-6, 4-1
Tongue River 18-11, 3-2
Pine Bluffs 17-12, 2-3
Moorcroft 7-18, 1-4
Wright 3-23, 0-5
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3A West: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Cody 24-0, 10-0
Lander 21-4, 9-1
Pinedale 20-5, 7-3
Powell 16-9, 6-4
Lovell 16-10, 4-6
Worland 9-16, 2-8
Lyman 10-11, 2-8
Mountain View 4-19, 0-10
3A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Wheatland 22-4, 10-0
Buffalo 13-11, 8-2
Douglas 14-11, 6-4
Burns 16-13, 5-5
Torrington 10-11, 5-5
Glenrock 12-13, 3-7
Newcastle 1-22, 1-9
Rawlins 2-21, 0-10
4A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Green River 23-2, 6-0
Natrona County 9-16, 4-2
Kelly Walsh 8-15, 2-4
Rock Springs 5-20, 0-6
4A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Star Valley 16-7, 5-1
Evanston 16-10, 5-1
Riverton 7-19, 1-5
Jackson 3-19, 1-5
4A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Cheyenne East 21-3, 11-1
Cheyenne Central 16-9, 10-2
Sheridan 14-10, 7-5
Thunder Basin 14-10, 6-6
Laramie 12-11, 6-6
Campbell County 1-19, 1-10
Cheyenne South 1-21, 0-11
*The second Campbell County-Cheyenne South girls’ game was canceled.
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