Wyoming
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.”
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
Read More Girls Basketball News from WyoPreps
WyoPreps 1A-2A Girls State Basketball Scoreboard 2026
WyoPreps 3A-4A Girls Regional Basketball Scoreboard 2026
WyoPreps Coaches and Media Final Basketball Poll 2026
WyoPreps 1A-2A Girls Regional Basketball Scoreboard 2026
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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.
Wyoming 3A Boys Swimming & Diving State Championships 2026
Photos from the 3A Boys State Swim Meet
Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Marcello Monterastelli Photography & Jared Newland, WHSAA
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