Wyoming
Wildlife Officials Relocate Two Montana Grizzlies to Yellowstone Ecosystem – Flathead Beacon
Wildlife management officials from Montana celebrated the translocation of two grizzly bears from northwest Montana to Wyoming, supplementing the genetic pool of the population around Yellowstone National Park and bolstering arguments for state management of the iconic species.
In an announcement on Aug. 2, Gov. Greg Gianforte and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon announced that two bears had been successfully trapped near the Middle Fork Flathead River, part of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE), and released in Wyoming’s Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE).
“Due to the work and sacrifice of Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) and many Montanans over many decades, we’ve been successful in helping the grizzly bear recover,” Gianforte said during a Monday press conference in Helena. “Since Fish and Wildlife Service listed the grizzly bear under the Endangered Species Act, this milestone marks the first time we have a confirmed NCDE bear in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. The state of Montana has made genetic connectivity between these two ecosystems a priority and now we have acted on that priority.”
Grizzlies in the Lower 48 states are protected as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) with six defined recovery areas across the northwestern United States. In both the NCDE and GYE recovery areas the grizzly population is estimated around 1,100, with roughly 80 bears in the Selkirk recovery area that spans the Washington-Idaho-British Columbia border, around 40 bears in Montana’s Cabinet-Yaak recovery area. A handful of grizzlies have been documented in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, while there are currently no bears in Washington’s Northern Cascades.
Recovery Plan. Graphic by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Despite an increase in the number of animals and expanded ranges in the two largest populations, the animals remain isolated from each other with no documented grizzlies crossing between the NCDE and the GYE.
The physical separation prevents any genetic mixing between the two groups with potential long-term implications for the conservation of the species. The translocation of grizzlies from one population to the other supplements the existing gene pool and increases the sustainability of the population.
“We’ve done a lot to help improve the conditions of the Yellowstone and the NCDE grizzly bear population. Both of those populations have met their recovery goals or exceeded them, really,” FWP Research Biologist Cecily Costello said. “Natural movement between these two populations might happen in the future, but this basically gave a head start to that process.”
Costello said that the GYE bears have a lower genetic diversity than other grizzly populations in the Lower 48 with biologists estimating they have been isolated for roughly 100 years. While there is no immediate danger to the population’s genetics and no evidence of inbreeding, the addition of the two Montana bears will serve to bolster the population long term.
“It’s really trying to allow for this population to have enough diversity in their genetics to respond really well to any kind of changes in the future,” Costello said.
After spending two months trying to trap suitable bears to move to Wyoming, biologists with FWP captured the two grizzlies back-to-back within 48 hours along a remote section of the Middle Fork Flathead River.
The first bear, a sub-adult female, was captured near the headwaters of the Middle Fork Flathead River and was released in the Blackrock drainage approximately 35 miles northwest of Dubois, Wyoming on July 30.
The following day Yellowstone National park personnel released a sub-adult male south of Yellowstone Lake within the park boundaries.
Republican officials across the western states have long pushed for the delisting of grizzlies with management returned to the states. Montana officials petitioned FWS to remove the distinct NCDE grizzlies from the ESA back in 2021, citing the robust population and the state’s track record in conserving both the species and its habitat. Idaho and Wyoming officials have also submitted their own petitions for delisting — Wyoming for the GYE, and Idaho for all grizzlies in the Lower 48.
In late July, the FWS announced it would release a decision over delisting the species by the end of January of next year, according to a court filing related to the three state petitions. If either of the distinct populations, or the species as a whole, was delisted, management would be turned over to the states, a future Montana officials have already begun planning for.
“The bottom line is this: The Endangered Species Act was designed to keep species from going extinct, not manage a robust population that’s growing,” Gianforte said during his press conference. “Working with state of Wyoming and our partners, we achieved the goals set for us and we’ve shown the ability to manage bears, protect habitat and population numbers. It’s time for the state to take over management of these iconic animals. It’s time to have full authority for grizzly bears in Montana returned back to Montana.”
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The top boys’ basketball players in Wyoming for Classes 1A and 2A were chosen for the 2026 high school season. The Wyoming Coaches Association has unveiled the all-state awards for this year, as voted on by the head coaches in the two classifications, respectively. The Wyoming Coaches Association only recognizes one team for all-state, and only these players receive an award certificate from the WCA. WyoPreps only lists all-state players as defined by the WCA.
WCA 1A-2A BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-STATE SELECTIONS IN 2026
Each class selected 14 players for all-state, reflecting a broad recognition of talent across Wyoming. Notably, congratulations go to Hulett’s Kyle Smith, Brady Cook from Lingle-Fort Laramie, and Carsten Freeburg from Pine Bluffs, who earned all-state honors for the third straight year. In addition, eight more players achieved all-state status for the second time in their prep careers.
Class 1A
Paul McNiven – Burlington
Bitner Philpott – Burlington
Ammon Hatch – Cokeville (All-State in 2025)
Hudson Himmerich – Cokeville
Kyle Smith – Hulett (All-State 2024 & 2025)
Anthony Arnusch – Lingle-Ft. Laramie
Brady Cook – Lingle-Ft. Laramie (All-State 2024 & 2025)
Tymber Cozzens – Little Snake River (All-State in 2025)
Corbin Matthews – Lusk
Max Potas – Meeteetse (All-State in 2024)
Jace Westring – Saratoga
Hazen Williams – Saratoga
TJ Moats – Southeast (All-State in 2024)
Nic Schiller – Upton
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Class 2A
Caleb Adsit – Big Horn
Chase Garber – Big Horn
Carsten Freeburg – Pine Bluffs (All-State 2024 & 2025)
Mason Moss – Rocky Mountain
Oakley Hicks – Shoshoni
Kade Mills – Sundance
Cody Bomengen – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)
Zak Hastie – Thermopolis
Ellis Webber – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)
Joseph Kimbrell – Wright
Mitchell Strohschein – Wright (All-State in 2025)
Adriano Brown – Wyoming Indian
Heeyei’Niitou Monroe-Black – Wyoming Indian (All-State in 2025)
Cordell Spoonhunter – Wyoming Indian
The 2026 state champions were the Saratoga Panthers in Class 1A. They beat Lingle-Fort Laramie, 50-45, in the championship game. The 2A winners were the Thermopolis Bobcats, who repeated as champions, after a 45-38 victory over Wyoming Indian in the title game.
Lusk versus Rock River high school basketball 2026
Game action between the Tigers and Longhorns
Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Lisa Shaw
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.
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