Wyoming

Wyoming calls off sale of wildlife-rich tract in Jackson Hole

Published

1 year ago

September 19, 2024

Wyoming calls off sale of wildlife-rich tract in Jackson Hole

Mike Koshmrl

(Wyofile) – A deal to sell a half-square-mile swath of undeveloped Wyoming-owned land in the heart of Jackson Hole to the U.S. Forest Service has been terminated.

The 320-acre subject of the now-foiled sale is known as the Teton Wildlife Habitat Management Area. Lacking road access, the Game and Fish-owned property is located where the Bridger-Teton National Forest and National Elk Refuge come together at the edge of the Gros Ventre Range foothills. The land had been recently appraised for north of $15 million, and the acquisition had been analyzed via an environmental assessment by the federal government. But on Sept. 11, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission voted to forgo a “purchase contract” brought by the Forest Service. That offer is slated to expire at the end of October.

Outgoing Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik told commissioners it was the department’s recommendation “to not move forward with the sale.”

“There’s some uncertainty about a lot of things that interplay with this sale in that part of the world,” Nesvik said. “Particularly, implementation of our feedground management plan that was just recently approved.”

In March, Game and Fish commissioners signed off on a long-term plan that could lead to big changes in the state’s elk-feeding program. Simultaneously, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reworking its management plan for the largest elk feedground: the National Elk Refuge, where the current feeding-reduction plan hasn’t worked as designed.

Retaining the Teton Wildlife Habitat Management Area could give Game and Fish a bargaining chip in upcoming elk-feeding policy discussions. Potentially, its 320 acres could even offer flexibility for Wyoming to keep feeding elk adjacent to the National Elk Refuge if federal wildlife managers go in a direction state officials don’t like.

The seven-person Game and Fish Commission didn’t engage in much discussion following Nesvik’s recommendation. Unanimously, they voted to take no action. With the “purchase contract” expiration coming within weeks, that essentially ends the deal — at least for the near future.

“We certainly don’t want to close this door as an option down the road,” Nesvik said.

Need to build housing for state employees drove initial interest in sale

Although most recently the Bridger-Teton National Forest approached Game and Fish about the acquisition, it was the state agency that initiated the conversation five years ago. At the time, a need for funds to build housing for Jackson-region state employees drove interest in offloading the property. That housing — at the agency’s South Park Wildlife Habitat Management Area — is in the process of being built with a different source of funding.

Until recently, the conveyance of the Teton Wildlife Habitat Management Area looked like it was on a track to happening.

In July 2023, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reported that the Game and Fish Commission had published a public notice soliciting comments on the possible sale. WyoFile queried the public comments that came in: three of the five received total supported the conveyance. In subsequent reporting by the newspaper, Game and Fish officials pitched the deal as a win-win.

“There’s an opportunity to keep that 320 acres for wildlife in perpetuity and get revenue,” John Kennedy, a now-retired Game and Fish deputy director, said at the time. “That’s a pretty simple concept.”

The state of Wyoming has possessed the parcel since 1965, when it purchased the 320 acres from Kenneth and Beatrice Miller using $80,000 in federal Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration funding.

A September 2023 appraisal landed on a value of $15.36 million, Game and Fish Deputy Chief of Services Sean Bibbey told WyoFile.

Bridger-Teton officials and volunteers had been hoping to come up with that sum.

“We were applying for Land and Water Conservation Funding, fiscal year 2026,” said Michael Schrotz, a retired forest staffer who continues to assist with land acquisitions.

The Bridger-Teton’s interest in acquiring the land, he said, was in keeping it open.

“It’s an inholding, and neither the Forest Service nor the National Elk Refuge would like to have development occur in that area,” Schrotz said. “You can see the Grand [Teton] from that parcel, and so it probably would be worth a bazillion dollars.”

Because the Teton Wildlife Habitat Management Area is owned and administered by Game and Fish, the tract has not faced the same development pressures as other state-owned parcels in Teton County.

Several 640-acre Wyoming sections administered by the Office of State Lands and Investments in the region have been in the news: at Munger Mountain, where the state’s assessing a “conservation lease” proposal after a commercial glamping business expressed interest; the Kelly Parcel, which is in line to be sold to the National Park Service after threat of a public auction; and the section abutting Teton Village Road, which has fueled a fight over whether county zoning should apply on state lands.

Game and Fish, however, does not have the same constitutional duty to maximize revenue from the Teton Wildlife Habitat Management Area. The land, rather, is managed to conserve wildlife habitat and provide access for hunting and other forms of recreation. It’s only accessible on foot or horseback, and only from May 1 to Nov. 30 due to winter wildlife closures.

“Throughout that entire [sale] process, our biggest concern was making sure that the property was perpetually protected and usable for wildlife,” said Bibbey, the Game and Fish staffer. “We never lost sight of that.”

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Wyoming

Group asks judge to restore abortion rights, block Human Heartbeat Act

Published

3 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Group asks judge to restore abortion rights, block Human Heartbeat Act

A group of abortion access advocates are asking the Natrona County District Court to block the Human Heartbeat Act. The law went into effect on March 9 and bans most abortions at six weeks.

That’s because cardiac activity can be detected with a transvaginal ultrasound at about six weeks — a time when abortion advocates say many people don’t know they’re pregnant yet.

The motion to the court states that the new law involves the same “fundamental problem” as other abortion-related laws already being considered by the court.

They are asking to add the law to an ongoing case over separate laws, which would require building renovations at abortion clinics and require transvaginal ultrasounds 48 hours before an abortion. Both of those laws have been temporarily blocked.

“[The Human Heartbeat Act] transgresses the constitutional guarantee of Plaintiffs’ and individuals’ to make health care decisions without interference from the government,” says the document filed on the afternoon of March 10 by Robinson Bramlet LLC.

Wyoming Public Radio obtained the filing from Chelsea’s Fund, an abortion-rights nonprofit and one of the plaintiffs in the case — part of the same group that has been challenging the state for years to protect abortion access.

They recently won their case in the Wyoming Supreme Court, when the majority of justices decided to strike down two near-total abortion laws enacted in 2024, saying they violated residents’ right to make their own healthcare decisions, which is specifically protected in the Wyoming Constitution.

The Legislature quickly got to work on more anti-abortion legislation, such as the Human Heartbeat Act, which Gov. Mark Gordon signed on March 9. It carries an exception for cases where the health of the mother is in jeopardy, but not for rape or incest victims, which Gordon called an “unfortunate flaw.”

Chelsea’s Fund Executive Director Janean Forsyth said she was disappointed the state again restricted access to “vital care.”

“I’m thinking about everyone from the 15 year old that we supported, whose grandmother actually reached out, a victim of sexual assault,” Forsyth said. “I’m thinking about a family with a very wanted pregnancy that we supported in eventually seeking an abortion for a severe fetal anomaly.”

Forsyth added that abortion laws like this result in medical providers leaving the state.

“So it’s not only affecting access to abortion care, it’s affecting reproductive healthcare access generally for parents and children, which is really unfortunate,” she said.

Wellspring Health Access in Casper, the state’s only abortion clinic, is cancelling appointments with patients seeking to end their pregnancies later in their term, according to Executive Director Katie Knutter.

Speaker of the House Chip Neiman (R-Hulett) sponsored the law. He said he wasn’t surprised it was met with legal action, as that’s been the trend in recent years.

“I think we’re in a good spot,” Neiman said in a voicemail to Wyoming Public Radio after the lawsuit was filed. “And we’re going to move ahead and the people of the Legislature, Wyoming has spoken.”

Lawmakers decided against putting the issue directly before Wyoming voters as a constitutional amendment this fall. That’s after Gordon urged them to do so to end the legal cycle.

Neiman couldn’t be reached by publication time to comment on the decision to not pursue a constitutional amendment, but in a Jan. 26 town hall, he expressed worries that voters could codify the right to abortion.

In 2024, 64% of Nevada voters supported enshrining the right into the state constitution. A majority will have to vote in favor again later this year to recognize the right.

In his voicemail, Neiman added, “There’s folks out there that are completely good with killing kids, killing babies in the womb, and there’s other folks out here like the Legislature that are fighting desperately to preserve their lives.”

The abortion-rights group said it will ask the court to issue a temporary restraining order and block the new law while the legal challenge proceeds.

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Wyoming

Wyoming Coaches Pick the Best of 1A & 2A Boys Basketball in 2026

Published

15 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming Coaches Pick the Best of 1A & 2A Boys Basketball in 2026

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

Read More Boys Basketball News from WyoPreps

WyoPreps 1A-2A State Basketball Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps 3A-4A Regional Basketball Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Final Basketball Poll 2026

1A-2A Boys Basketball Regional Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 11 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-25-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 10 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-18-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 9 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-11-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 8 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-4-26

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

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Wyoming

New laws establish a statewide literacy program

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

New laws establish a statewide literacy program

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.

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