Ivy Engel

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After A Legislative Session Of Budget Cuts, What Happens Next?

The Wyoming Legislature just wrapped up a session where $430 million was cut from the existing budget to make up for major losses of revenue connected with COVID-19.

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Wyoming Public Radio Reporters Discuss The Close Of The Legislative Session

The Wyoming legislature is winding up its work and we thought we'd begin the show discussing what we've seen. Wyoming Public Radio's Catherine Wheeler and Bob Beck have been covering the session.

Yellowstone National Park is seeking public comment on a proposal to improve telecommunications services in the park.

The proposed project would install fiber optic cables along existing roadways, and eventually, some microwave radio reflectors on mountaintops that are currently in use will be removed as they become obsolete.

After noting that certain regions appear to be responding to climate change differently than others, Amato Evan, an associate professor of climate science at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, decided to try to tease out the cause.

He looked at snowmelt, which seemed to be an obvious casualty of a heating climate. But his research shows that snow in certain areas of the western United States is likely to stay put.

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Pandemic Highlights Need For More Meatpacking Capacity Statewide

When a fire burns through an area, one of the first plants to reestablish is the aspen tree. This is because aspens reproduce clonally, meaning new saplings sprout from the underground root system of adult trees.

Even if the trees are damaged aboveground, the root system is likely to survive well enough to produce new saplings. This got researchers wondering if trees that sprouted after a fire were any different from the ones before it. So they looked at a stand of aspens that was part of a controlled burn.

High altitude peatlands in Wyoming's mountains have been shown to sequester large amounts of carbon. Peatlands are a type of wetland also known as bogs, fens, and mires. The name refers to both the peat soil and the wetland habitat on the surface.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has found invasive zebra mussels in marimo balls in several pet stores across the state.

Yellowstone's gray wolf population was reintroduced in 1995. Those first 35 wolves were given vaccinations and treated for parasites to give them a better chance of survival. Since then, the packs have slowly come into contact with different diseases and parasites. In 2007, the first case of mange was reported in Yellowstone's wolves and they've been dealing with it ever since.

Backcountry skiing has steadily become more popular in the last decade and the pandemic has heightened the popularity even more. An increase in recreationists though means wildlife are likely to experience more disturbances. In some wildlife populations, like the Grand Teton bighorn sheep herd, that has contributed to shrinking numbers and habitat size.

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Deb Haaland Takes Off - And A Rising Generation In Indian Country Takes Notes

A 17th-Century book known as the Baumfylde Manuscript has captured the attention of researchers looking to learn more about early modern life.

Every year, hunters set out in search of their quarry. Some will be successful, but inevitably, some will be unable to fill their tag, for a variety of possible reasons. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) is constantly striving to make sure that the number of tags they sold isn't one of those reasons.

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Legislature Struggles To Find 'Constitutional' Solution To Education Funding Cuts

A company called CellDrop Biotech is part of a $354,000 grant taking on the task of creating a faster and more accurate rapid test for COVID-19.

Yellowstone National Park is famous for its hydrothermal activity. Geysers like Old Faithful and Steamboat have delighted tourists and fascinated scientists for years. But a lot is still unknown about the hydrothermal features that make the park so unique.

Whitebark pine trees are found in cold, windy, high elevation areas in western North America. It's a relatively hardy species of tree, known for being one of the first plants to establish in an area after it's been disturbed, like by a fire. But the species is under attack from mountain pine beetles and a non-native fungus known as white pine blister rust that slowly damages and eventually kills trees.

The University of Wyoming (UW) Geological Museum is one of 10 museums from across the nation selected to help develop a new digital learning platform known as Museums for Digital Learning.

A new study from the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) shows that fencing has a bigger effect on migratory wildlife like deer and antelope than previously thought.

In a 4-1 vote, the State Board of Land Commissioners approved the Rail Tie wind project in Albany County on Thursday, January 21. This reverses the Commission's previous decision in November to not extend the lease.

Hawaii's Oahu island is one of the most disturbed ecosystems in the world. Non-native plants that stowed away on ships or were brought to the island by early settlers for lawns and gardens have now nearly wiped out native plants.

In an attempt to offset state budget cuts, Wyoming State Parks and Historic Sites has instituted a fee increase in all areas.

For the first time, all campgrounds in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway will be available for reservation starting January 26.

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Ousted Washakie Public Health Officer: "It Was Political"