Moose, Wyo. — A grizzly bear attacked and seriously injured a man in western Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park, prompting closure of a mountain there Monday.
The grizzly was one of two that surprised the 35-year-old man from Massachusetts on Sunday afternoon on Signal Mountain. Rescuers flew the injured man by helicopter to an ambulance that drove him to a nearby hospital.
He was expected to recover, park officials said in a statement, declining to identify him.
The statement did not detail the man’s injuries or say how he encountered the bear. Park officials closed a trail and the road to an overlook atop the 7,700-foot mountain.
Advertisement
The attack happened as Grand Teton and nearby Yellowstone National Park begin their busy summer tourist season.
Several such attacks occur each year as the region’s grizzly population has grown. Park officials urge people to give bears plenty of space, carry bear spray and avoid leaving out food that might attract bears.
The attack comes just days after a man in Canada suffered “significant injuries” after being attacked by a grizzly bear while hunting with his father.
Last fall, a Canadian couple and their dog were killed by a grizzly bear while backpacking in Banff National Park. Just weeks before that, a hunter in Montana was severely mauled by a grizzly bear.
Last July, a grizzly bear fatally mauled a woman on a forest trail west of Yellowstone National Park. The bear was later euthanized after breaking into a house near West Yellowstone in August.
Advertisement
Also that month, a 21-year-old woman who was planting trees was seriously injured by a bear in British Columbia. Canadian officials could not locate the animal but believe it was a grizzly bear that attacked the woman.
In October 2022, a grizzly bear attacked and injured two college wrestlers in the Shoshone National Forest in northwestern Wyoming.
Grizzly bears in the 48 contiguous states are protected as a threatened species, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Last month, the U.S. National Park Service announced it was launching a campaign to capture grizzly bears in Yellowstone Park for research purposes. The agency urged the public to steer clear of areas with traps, which would be clearly marked
A Biden administration oil and gas lease sale in Wyoming brought in $5 million Thursday, adding to federal funds from several summer energy auctions held by the Interior Department.
The largest single winning bid — more than $2 million — was for 1,300 acres in the state’s prolific Powder River Basin oil play. Overall the sale’s proceeds were modest compared with historic highs set in previous auctions in the oil- and gas-rich state. About 84 percent of the land offered in the auction was sold, totaling about 8,500 acres.
The White House also held a sale in New Mexico earlier this month that brought in $34 million and an auction in Nevada on Tuesday that no one showed up for.
The Biden administration has scaled back oil and gas leasing to curtail drilling on public lands, sparking fights with Republican lawmakers. The GOP’s House spending bill released Thursday would order the White House to hold quarterly auctions for drilling rights on public lands.
Dramedy Explores Resilience, Healing and Intimacy After Sexual Assault
Advertisement
Wyoming International Film Festival will be featuring filmmaker Shoval Tshuva’s debut film Funky on Sunday, July 14th at 4 pm at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne. Set in New York City, Funky weaves humor and resiliency into a poignant, brave look at the ongoing impact of sexual assault and one women’s journey to reclaim her life and her libido.
“In my opinion,” says SHOVAL TSHUVA, WRITER and DIRECTOR, “only a woman can tell a story about a female experience and carry it truthfully.”
The film is part of the Drama #2 lineup on Sunday which will be followed by the festival’s Awards Ceremony at 7 pm. Tickets can be purchased here.
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.”
Advertisement
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
Advertisement
The Miller family receives the Audubon certified award from Alison Holloran (green dress). From left to right, Kaleb, Tara, Mike and Wes Miller.
“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.”
Advertisement
Jaden Bales
/
Wyoming Wildlife Federation
From left to right, Gov. Mark Gordon, Mike Miller and Kaleb Miller come back from a drive around the ranch in Kaleb’s truck.
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.”
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
Mike Miller on his ranch.
“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.
