Mark Heinz
Mark Heinz covers the outdoors and wildlife for Cowboy State Daily.
He previously worked or freelanced for numerous newspapers and magazines across Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, covering all manner of news and feature stories. He has a strong background in topics related to wildlife, hunting, and wildlands conservation. He's written extensively since the 1990s about the controversies surrounding wolves, grizzly bears and mustangs.
He also enjoys people-centric stories with quirky edge of humor and has written several such pieces for Cowboy State Daily.
Mark lives in Laramie with his wife, Kendy, and the youngest of their five children.
Latest from Mark Heinz
Blind Fox, Bobcats And ‘Stinkerbell’ The Skunk Share A Home At Wyoming Rescue
The goal of the Broken Bandit Wildlife Center east of Cheyenne is to rehab wildlife and return them to the wild. But when disabilities don't allow that, like the blind fox named 'Vixen,' they’ll live out the rest of their lives on the property.
Mark HeinzMarch 16, 2024
Sheridan Joins Running For $10M Wyoming Shooting Complex
Competition for which Wyoming community will be the site of a sprawling, multimillion-dollar shooting complex just got more intense with Sheridan joining the running with eight others.
Mark HeinzMarch 15, 2024
Whatever Happened With Delisting Wyoming’s Grizzlies?
A year ago, Gov Mark Gordon’s office announced that he had struck a deal with the Fish and Wildlife Service that would very likely get grizzlies delisted within a year. But nothing has changed.
Mark HeinzMarch 15, 2024
Will Gordon Keep Campaign Promise To Sign Repeal Of Gun-Free Zones?
Then-candidate Mark Gordon promised in a Wyoming Gun Owners survey during his 2018 campaign that he’d sign legislation to eliminate gun-free zones in Wyoming. Now that bill is on his desk.
Mark HeinzMarch 14, 2024
Iconic Deer Haven Lodge Near Ten Sleep Reopens
After months of hard work new owners reopened the storied Deer Haven Lodge near Ten Sleep on Thursday. The lodge, which dates back to 1917, has long been a beloved getaway for Wyoming residents and visitors.
Mark HeinzMarch 14, 2024
Montana Man, 80, Pleads Guilty To Creating Giant Mutant Hybrid Bighorns
A Montana man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to federal charges stemming from his creation of giant mutant hybrid bighorn sheep. Wyoming biologists said they don’t want weird mutant hybrid species here.
Mark HeinzMarch 13, 2024
Here Come The Bears: First Grizzlies Of The Season Spotted In Yellowstone
Yellowstone’s first grizzlies of the season have emerged from hibernation, including a pair of male grizzlies that quickly devoured a bison carcass that some coyotes had hoped to get. As for Grizzly 399, she usually wakes up in May.
Mark HeinzMarch 13, 2024
Eight Communities Competing For $10 Million Wyoming Shooting Complex
There are eight communities vying to be the home of a $10 million world-class shooting complex in Wyoming. Locations include: Campbell County, Natrona County, Park County, Cheyenne, Fremont County, Hot Springs County, Uinta County and Guernsey.
Mark HeinzMarch 12, 2024
How Do Coyotes Compete Against Bears & Wolves In Yellowstone? It Ain't Easy.
A Yellowstone National Park wildlife tech has studied how coyotes eke out a hard living competing with grizzlies and wolves, the park’s apex predators. It often means munching on voles and, for brave coyotes, nipping at wolves.
Mark HeinzMarch 12, 2024
Central Wyoming Bighorn Reintroduction All But Certain, Ranchers Still Not Happy
A bill that could pave the way for bighorn sheep to return to Wyoming’s remote Sweetwater Rocks area passed the Legislature, but some are worried the feds or anti-grazing advocates could use bighorns as leverage to push ranchers out.
Mark HeinzMarch 11, 2024
Iconic Laramie 90-Foot-Tall ‘Boat Church’ To Be Demolished
Laramie’s “Boat Church," which opened in 1968, towers 90 feet tall. But acoustically, it's always been terrible. When it first opened it had a 7-second echo. Plus, it's falling apart. So, it's scheduled to be demolished next week.
Mark HeinzMarch 09, 2024
Wyoming Animal Rescue Adopts Massive 2,500-Pound Draft Horses
Patricia Wyer of Cheyenne has rescued many small animals through her Broken Bandit Wildlife Center. Recently, she started also fostering massive 2,500-pound draft horses.
Mark HeinzMarch 09, 2024
Will Gordon Sign Or Veto Bill Eliminating Wyoming’s Gun-Free Zones?
A bill that would eliminate Wyoming’s gun-free zones is on Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk. Opinions in the Legislature are mixed on whether he’ll sign it, veto it or simply let it pass into law without a signature.
Mark HeinzMarch 09, 2024
Only A Veto By Gov. Gordon Can Keep Wyoming’s Gun-Free Zones
A bill to eliminate Wyoming’s gun-free zones easily passed its final vote before the state’s Senate Thursday, 28-8, and is headed to Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk where only his veto can stop it from becoming law.
Mark HeinzMarch 08, 2024
New Fishing Pond Could Make Cheyenne A Bass, Bluegill Hotspot
A new 2-acre fishing pond in Cheyenne could become a hotspot for anglers going for bluegill and bass.
Mark HeinzMarch 07, 2024
Resurrected Gun-Free Zones Bill Advances, With Guns In Dorms And Hospitals Still OK
A bill that would eliminate Wyoming’s gun-free zones passed its second reading before the state Senate on Wednesday and is one vote away from heading to Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk.
Mark HeinzMarch 06, 2024
Bears Start Waking Up In Wyoming In March, But Not Much Activity Yet
March is usually when Wyoming’s bears start emerging from their winter dens, but some frontline bear observers say there’s little evidence of them so far. But, not for long...
Mark HeinzMarch 05, 2024
Wyoming State Senate Committee Kills Bill Eliminating Gun-Free Zones
After passionate testimony on both sides, the Wyoming Senate Judiciary Committee late Monday evening rejected a bill that would have eliminated the state’s gun-free zones by a 3-2 margin. In stark contrast, the House passed the bill 57-4.
Mark HeinzMarch 05, 2024
Each Wyoming School District Could Get $10,000 To Store Guns, Train Staff
A bill moved to the Wyoming House floor Monday would give school districts $10,000 each to safely store firearms in schools, and also help pay to train staff how to use them.
Mark HeinzMarch 05, 2024
Bill To Ban Tracking Of Wyoming Gun, Ammo Sales Heads To House Floor
Speaking in support of a bill that would ban the tracking of gun and ammo sales, Sen. Anthony Bouchard said "everything you buy is tracked and data is sold. The problem is on the gun side, that data could be used for nefarious purposes.”
Mark HeinzMarch 04, 2024
Wild Horse Advocates Outraged Over 6-Month Old Removed From McCullough Peaks Herd
Wild horse advocates are seething at the BLM over a six-month old foal named Thora being taken from the McCullough Peaks Herd. "They’re still nursing, they still need to be with their moms,” mustang advocate Angelique Rea of Thermopolis said.
Mark HeinzMarch 02, 2024