Ivy Engel

Residents in Wyoming and across the country are reporting packages of mysterious seeds showing up at their doorstep, but the recipients never ordered them. 

The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing on reducing the spread of zoonotic diseases on July 22. A zoonotic disease is one that spreads from animals into humans.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) is asking landowners and outdoor recreationists to report dead sage grouse they find as part of an ongoing effort to track West Nile Virus (WNV) outbreaks in the species.

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A Chapter Ends As Wyoming Grants Its First Coal Mine Permit In Decades

Imperiled species - species that are threatened or endangered - are seeing population declines that are much faster than they were 100 years ago, according to a recent study by researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Stanford University, and the Missouri Botanical Garden. While Wyoming is home to a relatively low number of imperiled vertebrate species, scientists warn that's no reason to be lax.

As the summer season ramps up, so does the possibility of Harmful Cyanobacteria Blooms (HCBs). Also known as blue-green algae, cyanobacteria are found in many bodies of water worldwide. They're normally harmless, but when their growth explodes and forms a bloom, they can release toxic chemicals into the water around them. They can cause symptoms in people ranging from skin irritation to liver damage, and they can be deadly to animals.

Tracking wildlife in Wyoming is no easy task, but the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) is working to create comprehensive datasets on the state's animal populations.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) may soon adopt technology that could give them an earlier warning when a "creeper" landslide is occurring and allows them to respond. 

A University of Wyoming professor has come up with a novel solution to get people, especially kids, to wash their hands for at least twenty seconds, which is how long the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends to prevent contracting COVID-19.

Ramaco Carbon has long sought to develop a complex in Wyoming involving the manufacturing, development, and mining of coal. Permit and transparency issues though have caused the company to face pushback and delays.

Yellowstone National Park is seeking public comment on the possible impacts of a wifi expansion plan to historical properties. The proposal would connect areas like staff dormitories, administrative buildings, and high traffic tourist attractions like Old Faithful to wireless internet, or improve existing connections.

The National Park Service has partnered with Grand Teton National Park Foundation to improve access to the Snake River.

According to a recent study, bees in areas with natural fires are more resilient in the face of a changing climate. Not only do these typically small wildfires clear away underbrush and dead trees, preventing the chances of a megafire, but they also provide important signals for native plants to grow, leading to an increase in native plant diversity. 

Sixty-eight and a half acres of land along the Wind River front range is now protected as a conservation easement - which is a voluntary legal agreement that permanently limits uses of the land to protect its conservation values.

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Local Government Fears Loss Of Tax Revenue

This is a tough financial time for a lot of Wyomingites. But impacts on the general public also impact funding for local governments, which directly impacts a wide variety of services from law enforcement to streets.

An invasive species of insect, commonly referred to as the "murder hornet," has been spotted in Washington state and British Columbia. Its actual name is the Asian giant hornet and it's known to decimate whole hives of honeybees.

A 4,350-acre parcel of land on the Wyoming-South Dakota border is now protected as state land. The property is in the western Black Hills and improves access to more than 8,000 acres of adjacent public land in the two states.

Suckley's cuckoo bumblebee has historically been found across western North America. But in the last 20 years, it's only been found in a handful of places. This has pushed the Center for Biological Diversity to petition for Endangered Species Act protections for the bee.

Yellowstone cutthroat trout are starting to show signs of recovery after nearly 30 years of efforts to eliminate the invasive lake trout threatening their population. 

A recent study by University of Wyoming (UW) economists found that parents have a bigger impact on the environment than those without kids.

COVID-19 has many people concerned about the health and safety of their loved ones. For some people, that includes their pets. One question is whether the virus can be passed on to their dog or cat or if they can pass the virus to humans.

Thermus aquaticus is a bacteria found in Yellowstone's thermal lakes - it's what gives some their brilliant yellow color. It was discovered almost 50 years ago, and it turns out to be a key component in most COVID-19 testing.

The Casper Police Department (CPD) is offering a new optional video 9-1-1 service for the next 30 days. The service, called 911eye, will allow callers to share video and location data from their phone with emergency dispatchers.

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Albany County Sheriff's Officers Pushed Victim To Recant Assault Allegation. Now They're Being Sued

This story includes descriptions of sexual assault.

A recent partnership between the Pilot Hill Project and Occidental Petroleum will help protect the 5,500 acre parcel of land east of Laramie from future mineral development. 

A new survey conducted by the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center found that more than half of the state's residents or their immediate family members have seen impacts to work or pay because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joining many other Universities across the country, the University of Wyoming (UW) is allowing students to apply to change how they will be graded in any class.