Yellowstone Bison Management In Limelight After Multiple Criminal Incidents
Since the beginning of this year, there have been four criminal acts at the Stephen’s Creek Facility in Yellowstone National Park. This facility is the central hub for the management of the Yellowstone Park bison herd. Bison or buffalo once roamed the American plains in the millions but today about 4,200 exist. Wyoming Public Radio’s Kamila Kudelska reports
Inaugural Women’s Antelope Hunt a success, despite snow
Women still only make up a small percentage of all hunters, but that number has increased significantly in recent years. Now, organizations like the Wyoming Women’s Foundation want to encourage more growth through mentorship. The group says hunting is an important way to teach self-sufficiency and economic independence. A few years back, Wyoming Public Radio's Irina Zhorov tagged along on the state's inaugural Women's Antelope Hunt and filed this report which won a national award for the best use of sound.
New Studies Look At How Ravens Affect Sage Grouse Nest Success
When people think of ravens, they often think Edgar Allen Poe…But talk to a sage grouse ecologist and it’s a different story. In the last 50 years, as energy development has moved in, raven numbers have skyrocketed. Several new studies across the West show that these “ominous birds of yore” are feasting on sage grouse eggs and chicks, a species that’s already on the brink of extinction. And so, to protect them, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering upping the number of ravens they’re controlling lethally. Wyoming Public Radio’s Melodie Edwards reports.
Researchers Study The Success Of The Snowy Range Moose Herd
Most moose herds in Wyoming are in decline, but the Snowy Range Moose herd appears to be an exception. After a moose re-introduction in northern Colorado, they started showing up in the Snowy Range Mountains west of Laramie in the 1980s. They’re commonly spotted throughout southeast Wyoming, but there had been little data concerning their exact numbers. Now a joint research project by the University of Wyoming and Wyoming Game and Fish is trying to change that. Bob Beck reports.
Scientists Regroup After Winterkill Wipes Out Mule Deer Herd Fawns
Life isn’t easy for the Wyoming Range mule deer herd. They face harsh winters and make long migrations over rugged mountains. And for the last 20 years, the herd has been in decline. And nobody really knew why. But five years ago this month a collaborative effort began to radio collar deer, giving scientists a chance to get a closer look at what’s threatening the herd.
To mark that milestone, we have two stories about the efforts of the Wyoming Mule Deer Project. We’ll start by revisiting a story about fawn survival reported by Wyoming Public Radio’s Melodie Edwards last summer.
After Mule Deer Decline, Human Collaboration Could Bring Herd Back
Turns out winter for those little fawns wasn’t so bad. The smaller herd size meant deer had more to eat last summer, so they got fat and healthy. But winter isn’t the only thing that makes survival hard. Energy development also takes its toll. Wyoming Public Radio’s Tennessee Watson met back up with research scientist Sam Dwinnell at spring captures to learn more.
How Wyoming Leaders Might Change The Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act is facing increasing pressure to reform. Momentum in Congress and in western states is building to make changes to the landmark regulation that protects threatened animal and plant species and their habitats. Wyoming Public Radio’s Cooper McKim covered this story last summer.
Grizzly Death Triggers Park to Weigh Options for Elk Hunt
The death of a grizzly bear in Grand Teton National Park on Thanksgiving Day of 2012 triggered calls for ending the park's annual elk hunt. A hunting party shot the grizzly after the hunters said the bear charged them. The Park Superintendent at the time, Mary Gibson Scott, called the bear's death a travesty. It was the first hunting-related grizzly death in the park. But Scott said her agency, the National Park Service, can't just end the hunt. Rebecca Huntington reported this story in 2013.
