Wyoming
Teton County Legislator Wants River Otters Off Wyoming’s Protected List
State Rep. Andrew Byron, R-Jackson, swears he doesn’t hate otters, but his House Bill 45 legislation would remove the aquatic critters as a protected animal in Wyoming.
“I love otters,” Byron said. “I truly love otters.”
Byron said the primary reason for wanting to remove otters from the state’s protected status is to allow for hunting of the species that he believes has fully recovered since becoming nearly extinct in Wyoming about 70 years ago.
An avid fisherman, Byron said he saw many otters while out fishing this summer.
“They seem to be everywhere now,” he said.
Byron said he’s also received multiple complaints from people in Teton and Lincoln counties that otters have been eating up a sizable chunk of the fish populations there.
He wants to remove the otters’ protected status so that Wyoming Game and Fish can have more power to manage the species, but said he has no desire to see it hunted or trapped.
“It just opens up the opportunity to manage them,” he said. “There’s a number of animals we don’t manage, good or bad.”
Similar arguments have been made in Wyoming for delisting the grizzly bear from federal protected status.
Otter Density
Currently, otters, along with the black‑footed ferret, fisher, lynx, pika and wolverine, are all considered protected animals in Wyoming and therefore can’t be hunted.
What Byron’s bill would do is allow Wyoming Game and Fish to manage the otter as regular wildlife, which could open the door for it to be potentially managed for hunting and trapping someday.
State Sens. Barry Crago, R-Buffalo; Dan Dockstader, R-Afton; Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower; Bill Landen, R-Casper; and Reps. Dalton Banks, R-Cowley; Bob Davis, R-Baggs; Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland; Mike Schmid, R-La Barge; and J.D. Williams, R-Lusk; have co-sponsored the legislation.
Otters are not a species protected federally by the Endangered Species Act.
Otter Disbelief
According to Game and Fish, otters have been a protected species in Wyoming since 1953. The northern river otter is the lone species of otter in Wyoming.
Historically, there were northern river otter populations across most major river drainages in the United States, Canada and much of Wyoming, but fur trapping, pollution and habitat degradation decimated the species by the mid 20th century.
University of Wyoming professor Merav Ben-David, one of the state’s perennial otter experts, said the river otter was completely extinct outside Yellowstone National Park by the time it became a protected species in Wyoming in 1953.
Various reintroduction efforts conducted throughout the Rocky Mountain region have been successful, but Ben-David said the otter population in Wyoming is still doing “terribly.”
The main population centers for otters in Wyoming are in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Greater Green River Basin of southwest Wyoming, although there’s some evidence they’ve started traveling up the Laramie River from Colorado to populate southeast Wyoming.
A 2010 Game and Fish study estimated 35-44 otters live around the Green and New Fork rivers, and designated the animal as “very rare” with “moderate vulnerability.”
UW studies performed in 2015 and 2022 of the otter populations in the Green River found an average of one otter per 2.39-3.65 kilometers. Ben-David said a healthy population would represent three or four times those numbers.
“These are really low numbers compared to other areas,” she said.
Ben-David said the biggest reason why otters have been slow to recover in Wyoming is because their recovery started on lake-based habitats in Yellowstone. Rivers, she said, are a much more suitable location for otters to have success.
“Rivers are better for more fishing capacity,” she said.
Donal O’Toole, a UW professor and veterinary pathologist, said otter introduction programs in Missouri, Colorado and New York have had much more success in growing back otter populations than in Wyoming.
“Why are we different from other states?” he questioned. “Before we start killing things, we might want to make sure killing them makes any ecological sense.”
Game and Fish told Cowboy State Daily in 2023 that the agency does some passive monitoring of otters’ distribution around the state, which includes updating their range and distribution maps based on submitted observations by staff and the public. Though trappers aren’t allowed to kill otters, they’re encouraged to report seeing them to help Game and Fish better ascertain their population and range in Wyoming. That’s according to the agency’s current fur bearing animal hunting or trapping regulations.
What’s Driving it?
O’Toole and Ben-David believe the main push for the legislation is out of frustration among people in southwest Wyoming who stock their own private ponds with fish.
“I think the need for change in law is being driven by a very personal vendetta,” Ben-David said. “It’s a misguided decision to change the law. There’s so many other wildlife things we need to worry about. This is ridiculous.”
During a Game and Fish Commission meeting in March, Alpine resident Tim Haberberger told the panel that people have been illegally killing and trapping otters in southwest Wyoming by the hundreds, disposing of the carcasses in dumpsters.
“This is getting ridiculous, there’s so many being caught and trapped in beaver traps,” he said.
Haberberger said Wyoming is one of the few states where otters can’t be trapped. He wants the activity legalized and managed in Wyoming.
“It needs to (be) discussed,” he said.
But neither Ben-David nor O’Toole believe a desire to trap the otter is a major motivation behind Byron’s bill. Ben-David said the market for river otter fur has substantially declined, bringing in about $90-$150 per pelt in Alaska, where it’s legal.
When factoring in the time and energy to trap an otter, Ben-David said most people don’t find it to be worth their time when they could trap other game and make much more money.
“Trapping in the mountains is way easier and you can make way more money,” Ben-David said. “If in one year you’d get 10 otter pelts, you’d have to wait 50 years to get another 10.”
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
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Like many rabbit holes, it all started with a simple question.
About two years ago, Jaye Wells was at a small gathering in Cody when the topic of the 2026 centennial anniversary of the Dude Ranchers’ Association came up.
Wells asked how many dude ranches in the country had a comparable 100-year legacy to the Cody-based member organization.
“Nobody in the room knew,” said Wells, co-founder of the True Ranch Collection, with a portfolio of dude ranches around the West, including the Blackwater Creek Lodge and Guest Ranch in Cody.
Thus began a yearslong and, at times laborious, project of tracking down the number of dude ranches in operation since 1926, which are commemorated in “100 Years of Dude Ranching,” a coffee-table-style book published by Wells in December.
Though it took a lot of digging through records at the Wyoming Historical Society, old newspaper clippings and cross-referencing family records, the team behind the book finally identified a fitting answer to Wells’ question.
Of the 94 dude ranches that are members of the association today, 26 were in operation and accepting guests a century ago.
“That shocked us,” Wells said. “Every ranch has got its own little curiosity.”
The team behind the book was strict about the criteria it established: To be included in the book, a dude ranch must have been accepting guests in 1926. Had they expanded their criteria, the list would have been even longer.
“There are a lot of ranches that are 97 or 98 years old,” Wells said.
A Tribute To Hospitality
As much as the book celebrates the long legacy of dude ranching, it also serves as a tribute to a unique way of life — particularly in Wyoming.
The state is home to half of the 26 centennial ranches: A Bar A Ranch (Encampment), Absaroka Ranch (Dubois), Blackwater Creek Lodge and Guest Ranch (Cody), CM Ranch (Dubois), Crossed Sabres Ranch (Cody), Darwin Ranch (Jackson), Eatons’ Ranch (Wolf), the Hideout Lodge and Guest Ranch (Shell), Medicine Bow Lodge and Guest Ranch (Saratoga), Paradise Guest Ranch (Buffalo), Rimrock Ranch (Cody), Shoshone Lodge and Guest Ranch (Cody), and Triangle X Ranch (Moose).
As the book details, the origins of dude ranching trace back to the 1880s, when a ranch near modern-day Medora, North Dakota, began charging guests from back East room and board when they’d come out West to hunt bison and other big game.
The word “dude” had become a popular term by that time for a man with fancy duds.
More and more ranches started opening up to guests in the 1900s, including welcoming many young men whose parents had sent them West to dry out and stay out of trouble.
“You had to be wealthy to stay at a dude ranch back in the day,” Wells said.
But life on these ranches today might look surprisingly similar to a century ago.
Ranch hands might start rounding up horses at 4:30 in the morning and preparing breakfast so it’s ready for guests when they awaken, Wells said. In addition to historic photos of the ranches, photographer Scott Baxter spent four months on the road capturing how the ranches look now.
While still offering a vacation that’s more expensive than a typical tourist might be able to afford, Wells said one of the constants at the centennial ranches spread across four states is the service and experience they offer.
“The strongest element that’s kept dude ranching going all that time is a common denominator,” Wells said. “It’s the desire to offer great hospitality.”
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It was while kicking around ideas for the 100-year anniversary of the Dude Ranching Association that Jaye Wells asked how many ranches have a similar legacy. “Nobody in the room knew,” Wells recalled. That’s how the new book “100 Years of Dude Ranching” was born. (Courtesy Scott T. Baxter) -
As much as the book celebrates dude ranches, it’s also a tribute to a unique way of life, particularly in Wyoming. “It’s such a tough business, but it’s such a joy,” said Jaye Wells, who owns the Blackwater Creek Lodge & Guest Ranch in Cody. (Courtesy Scott T. Baxter) -
As much as the book celebrates dude ranches, it’s also a tribute to a unique way of life, particularly in Wyoming. “It’s such a tough business, but it’s such a joy,” said Jaye Wells, who owns the Blackwater Creek Lodge & Guest Ranch in Cody. (Courtesy Scott T. Baxter)
Pressures To Modernize
Even so, dude ranch owners do feel some pressure to modernize to appease guests who have become downright uncomfortable unplugging.
Such changes have seen ranches offering Wi-Fi, say, or packing days with lots of activities.
Even though guests will quickly learn that riding a horse all day is exercise in and of itself, Wells said he’s felt that pressure, too. “We have a full-blown exercise room at White Stallion Ranch,” he said of one of his ranches near Tucson, Arizona. “You have to have it now.”
What’s more, even though guests will rave about how relaxing they find their stay or how much they appreciate the quality time with loved ones, they’re booking shorter and shorter stays.
In the 1920s, people from out East might come to a ranch for months at a time, and there was a time not so long ago when a one- or two-week stay was the norm.
“Now, guests only want to stay three nights. That’s the number one trend in the business we see,” Wells said. “We forget we’re so connected now, it’s almost too much. We’re being bombarded by information 24 hours a day.”
‘It’s Such A Joy’
Putting this book together gave Wells a newfound appreciation for the diversity of Wyoming’s topography and landscapes.
The project also offered constant reminders about why he loves dude ranching so much and how pivotal the business was to shaping the West.
Of course, he’s also reminded of how unique this business is while conversing with guests over the years — including tourists from abroad who marvel at the idea of being able to shoot a gun, spend a week bonding with a horse or simply get to decompress in a way they haven’t been able to do since childhood.
“I would venture to say it’s one of the most iconic symbols in the world,” Wells said of dude ranching. “It’s such a tough business, but it’s such a joy.”
CASPER, Wyo. — There was magic, or something like it, in the air on Saturday as the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds presented the 2026 Casper Holistic Expo, Casper’s longest running holistic expo and a hallmark of the beginning of spring in Natrona County.
Countless vendors from Casper and beyond gathered with their goodies to present them to eager customers searching for something a little different.
The holistic expo featured crystal and metaphysical shops, tattoo and body piercing studios, henna and glitter tattoo studios, holistic shops, tarot readings, fortune tellers, magic and so much more. There was truly something for everyone, and Christina Kuhn, the lead organizer, said that nobody who came to the expo would leave disappointed.
“This actually started over 20 years ago,” Kuhn said. “I’ve been doing it for years. My mom did it for seven years before me. And Judy Ick, who actually does our photography, she did it before that. So it’s been a very long, very longstanding and growing event.”
Kuhn said that the Holistic Expo has grown exponentially over the years.
“When Judy passed it down to mom, there were 38 booths,” she said. “After mom passed it down to me, there were 78. Now I think we’re up to, like, 98.”
The booths are as eclectic as the people who run them. There’s magic, mysticism and moonlight; storytellers and palm readers; conversationalists and creators. There are CBD products, organic teas, energy testing, and even fudge.
“Some of this is kind of a special niche,” Kuhn shared, “but some of it is not. We’ve got a chiropractor. We’ve got people that are working with healing modalities. Some of it’s spiritual stuff. We’ve got crafts, too.”
There’s a wide variety of vendors and customers as the Holistic Expo, and Kuhn said she wouldn’t want it any other way. The most important thing they do, Kuhn said, is donate to local nonprofits.
“People can either pay the $5 door fee — anybody that’s 13 or over — or they can donate five nonperishable goods,” Kuhn said. “We started donating that to poverty resistance, and then we did City Park Church. This year we’re donating to the Wyoming Food for Thought Project.”
Kuhn said this was just a simple way to give back to the community, a community she and her business have been a part of for years. Kuhn owns a store in downtown Casper called A Place for Passion, and the Holistic Expo also allows her to bring some merch from her store and put in on display with a variety of other items. It’s a fun way to spend a weekend, she said, and she’s proud to be a part of it.
“Good lord, I’ve been doing this for a long time,” she said. “I helped my mom with it for ages and she wanted somebody that would carry on and keep expanding and doing well with it. Before I was helping run the show and managing it, I was a booth. I started sharing a booth with my mom because I only had a few things and I wasn’t sure how well they’d sell. But then it just expanded and took off, and now here I am.”
Kuhn said it means a lot that she’s able to continue the Holistic Expo for her mother.
“It’s nice to keep expanding something, especially something that contributes so much to the community,” she said. “There are so many people that come out and enjoy everything that they get here. And it’s a big opportunity for them to connect with others, to connect with people that have stuff they want to offer them.”
That, Kuhn said, is her favorite part of the Holistic Expo — meeting people.
“It’s just nice connecting with people and helping them out in any way that you can,” she said. “Everybody’s got their own knowledge, gifts, products that they’re putting out — services, whatever it is. So being able to share that with others is awesome. You’ve got to come check it out. It’s an awesome experience. There’s a little something for everyone.”
The Casper Holistic Expo is happening Saturday until 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Industrial Building at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds.
Photos from the Holistic Expo can be seen below:
Related
A 6-inch megalodon shark tooth was found by a Wyoming teen during a dive trip off Manasota Key, Florida earlier this week.
Sixteen-year-old Aiden Andrews and his father Brian were on a guided dive with Fossil Junkies, a local fossil-hunting tour company.
Captain John Kreatsoulas told FOX 13 Tampa Bay reporter Kimberly Kuizon that while finding small megalodon teeth isn’t uncommon, finding one that size is quite rare.
Video captured the moments when Aiden and his father celebrated underwater after making the remarkable discovery.
Popularized by Hollywood monster movies, the Carcharocles megalodon was the largest shark to have ever lived, according to the Smithsonian Institution.
Scientists believe the largest megalodon reached up to 60 feet in length and weighed up to 50 tons.
And as Andrews can attest — they possessed teeth the size of a human hand.
According to the Smithsonian, megalodon lived between 23 and 3.6 million years ago across all of Earth’s oceans.
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