Public News Service

The 1922 Colorado River Compact gives priority to Lower Basin states - Arizona, California, and Nevada - for rights to Colorado River Water. (Adobe Stock)

Report: 90% of CO River irrigation water used to feed cattle

As Wyoming and other states grapple with shrinking Colorado River water levels - new research pinpoints how much water is being diverted to feed cattl…

Elk numbers in northwestern Wyoming are projected to drop from roughly 16,000 elk to 8,300 animals over the next two decades, largely due to rampant chronic wasting disease, if winter feed grounds persist. (Adobe Stock)

Game and Fish reports spread of chronic wasting disease to new hunt area

Chronic wasting disease has spread into new territory - Elk Hunt Area 28 near Lander, according to Wyoming Game and Fish. The discovery comes on …

Wyoming has been a leader nationally on protecting wildlife migration corridors, including vast tracts of grasslands key for wildlife connectivity. (Adobe Stock)

Grasslands Protectors Chart Restoration Course in Cheyenne

More than 300 ranchers, tribal members, conservationists, researchers, federal and state agency officials gathered in Cheyenne last week to find ways …

Scientists say to correct the problem of overgrazing and wildlife habitat degradation on public lands, the livestock stocking rate would need to be reduced by about two-thirds from present numbers. (Adobe Stock)

Report: U.S. Forest Service Serving Grizzly Habitat to Livestock Industry

Critical Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear habitat has been degraded by a 2019 U.S. Forest Service decision to allow more than 17,000 …

Just 47% of Wyoming residents prefer leaders place more emphasis on protecting water, air, wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities over maximizing the amount of land available for drilling and mining. (Adobe Stock)

Poll: Conservation Efforts, Environmental Priorities Remain High in Wyoming

Voters in Wyoming and across the West strongly support protecting water supplies, public lands and migration corridors for wildlife, according to the …

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is expected to release new rules this summer for dealing with continued Colorado River water shortages. (Adobe Stock)

Wall Street Sees Profits in Dropping Colorado River Levels

As Wyoming and other Colorado River Basin states grapple with ways to keep a river more than 40 million people, agriculture and industry depend on …

Researchers followed all 26 elk herds that call the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem home, tapping data from 1,088 GPS-collared elk. (Adobe Stock)

Third of Yellowstone Elk Habitat Not Protected from Development

More than a third of all known elk habitat in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem remains wide-open for human development, according to new analysis …

As buffalo herds graze, they inspire new vegetative growth across vast tracts of lands in a natural process that mimics the onset of spring. (Adobe Stock)

Buffalo Restoration Key to Wildlife Economy, Tribal Health

By Jake Bullinger for Bitterroot Magazine.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Wyoming News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Pu…

One million acres of grasslands, considered to be some of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth, are lost each year to agricultural and residential development in the United States. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming, USDA Agree on Partnership to Conserve Wildlife Habitat

Gov. Mark Gordon has signed onto law a new pilot program in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which aims to support Wyoming …

Researchers warn that as climate change increases wildfire areas in snow zones throughout the West, the wildfire influence on the snowpack also will grow. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Wildfires Expanding Into Snow Zones Will Impact Water Supplies

Wildfires in Wyoming and across the West are creating bigger impacts on snowpack supplying farms, energy production and drinking water for millions …

in the late 1800s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began sending

Historic Arboretum Cracked Code to Growing in Wyoming

Before the invention of refrigerated shipping, people living across the High Plains had to grow their own food. As Europeans migrated into the region…

The Padlock Ranch was established in northwest Wyoming in 1867 as a sheep operation. In 1940 the Northern Arapaho Tribe purchased and renamed it the Arapaho Ranch. (Hoffman)

Tour Set for Arapaho Ranch, Former Site of Historic Padlock

On August 27, members of the public will have a rare opportunity to visit the historic Padlock Ranch first developed for livestock in 1867, now …

The latest report from leading climate scientists warned that greenhouse-gas emissions need to peak within three years, and then start going down, in order to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. (Adobe Stock)

Climate Summit in Lander Aims to Boost Awareness, Engagement

Wyomingites concerned about bigger and more frequent wildfires, prolonged drought, threats to clean air, water and wildlife can explore ways to …

Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological disease that kills elk, deer and moose and spreads rapidly when large numbers of animals congregate. It has been recently documented in Grand Teton National Park and immediately adjacent to several state-run feedgrounds. (Adobe Stock)

Groups Urge Phaseout of Elk Feedgrounds to Prevent Chronic Wasting Disease

As the Wyoming Game and Fish Department enters the third phase of its elk feedground management plan, conservation groups are calling on the state to …

Taxpayer subsidies to the fossil-fuel industry have been used to fund disinformation campaigns on climate, and lobbying efforts to stall transitioning to clean-energy sources. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Not Too Late to Resolve Climate Crisis

Burning fossil fuels at current rates is expected to produce mass extinctions and other catastrophic outcomes, but a brighter future is possible if …

In 2021, three endangered grizzly bears were killed through the USDA's Wildlife Services program. Of more than 400,000 wild animals killed, at least 2,700 were killed unintentionally. (Adobe Stock)

USDA’s Wildlife Services Killed More Than 400,000 Native Wildlife in 2021

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest report on its wildlife killing program, which aims to reduce the loss of livestock to carnivores…

Wolves have not been protected by the federal Endangered Species Act since 2011, when Congress carved out an exemption for the wolf populations of Montana and Idaho. (Adobe Stock)

Yellowstone Wolf Kills in MT, WY Pose Economic Risks

New Montana hunting regulations could have a direct effect on Wyoming businesses relying on visitors to Yellowstone National Park. At least 21 of …

More than 40 million people rely on the Colorado River, which is fed by melting mountain snowpack, for drinking water. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming Could Face Multiple Years of Snowless Winters

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Wyoming and other western states are projected to see multiple years in a row without any snow as soon as 35 years out if efforts …

Black-footed ferrets rely exclusively on prairie dogs for prey and on prairie-dog burrows for shelter. (Adobe Stock)

Suit Filed Over Plan to Poison Thunder Basin Prairie Dogs

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Wildlife advocates are taking the U.S. Forest Service to court over a plan to eliminate prairie dogs from the Thunder Basin …

The Bridger-Teton National Forest occupies the traditional lands of the Shoshone-Bannock, Eastern Shoshone and Cheyenne people. (Adobe Stock)

Federal Court Rules Against Elk Feedgrounds

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- A federal court agreed with conservationists this week, ordering winter feeding of elk on the Bridger-Teton National Forest …

Scientists say regenerative farming practices that don't use synthetic fertilizers or chemical pesticides can help capture more carbon from the atmosphere and create healthier soil for crops. (Pixabay)

Farmers, Ranchers Push for "Green New Deal" Policies

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Agriculture is the fourth-largest producer of climate pollution. Now farmers and ranchers from across the U.S. have launched a …

In 2019, the average American is projected to eat more than 110 pounds of beef. (Pixabay)

Study: Food Choices Impact Health, Environment

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Foods produced with fewer greenhouse gas emissions are healthier than foods that create more climate pollution, according to …

A new federal report says antibiotic use in farm animals decreased by about one-third from 2016 to 2017. (Pixabay)

Meat Industry Addresses Antibiotics

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The major players in the meat industry have developed what they're calling a "stewardship plan" they say will ensure that they …

Despite growing demand, only about 5 percent of milk sold in the United States comes from organic farms. (Pixabay)

Industrial Food Tops Fossil Companies on Climate Pollution

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – If the meat and dairy industries continue as usual, the Paris Climate Accord will be moot and a climate catastrophe inevitable…

Many chickens that are sold at the local feed store come from large factory farms. (Pixabay)

How to Prevent Salmonella from Backyard Chickens

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- People across the country have become ill this year from salmonella connected to backyard flocks of chickens, ducks and geese…

Three proposed mega-mergers would create companies that would control nearly 70 percent of the world's pesticide market. (Pixabay)

More Than 300 Food, Farm Groups Urge Sessions to Oppose Mega-Mergers

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Nearly 325 organizations have signed a letter pressing new U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to make sure the Justice Department …

The Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless has taken up the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens' challenge to help feed hungry families. (Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless)

Homeless Group Joins Campaign to Grow Food for Needy Families

CHEYENNE, Wy. - The Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless has joined the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens' "Plant a Row for the Hungry" campaign. Volunteers …

A new report calls for restricting the use of antibiotics in factory-farmed animals to curb the global spread of infections. (MercyforAnimals/Wikimedia Commons)

Report Makes Strong Case for Less Antibiotic Use in Agriculture

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – A new report calls for banning or restricting the use of antibiotics in farm animals to curb the global spread of infections…

Honeybee populations in the United States dropped by 44 percent last year. (DrScythe/Pixabay)

Bee Losses Raise Stakes for Action on Pesticides

CHEYENNE, Wy. - Honeybee populations in the U.S. dropped by 44 percent last year according to a new national survey. Tiffany Finck-Haynes, food …

A warming planet could put water supplies at risk for Rocky Mountain states. (Hamid Soufi/Wikimedia Commons)

Report: Warming Could Impact Water Supplies in Western States

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Surface temperatures across the globe in 2015 were the warmest since modern recordkeeping began in 1880, according to …

A stronger local food system could boost economic development in the Yellowstone region. Credit: Deborah C. Smith

'Local Food Economy' Potential for the Yellowstone Region

LARAMIE, Wyo. - Wyoming, like most states, imports between 90 percent and 95 percent of its food. A Harvard University economics professor who has …

PHOTO: Environmental groups warn that HR 1526 would return Western forests to the days of clear-cutting to bring in money for counties � an approach they say is short-sighted. Photo credit: Chandra LeGue.

Rep. Lummis Co-sponsors Bill that Aims to Double Timber Harvests

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – It might save the government some money – but it won't do anything to quell the controversy over logging in the national …

PHOTO: Cattle producers in Wyoming and around the country are rethinking feedlot practices after Merck Animal Health recently pulled a popular growth-accelerating drug from the market. Photo credit: Deborah C. Smith

"Lame" Reason Cattle Growth-Accelerator Pulled from Market

LANDER, Wyo. - Cattle producers in Wyoming and around the country are rethinking feedlot practices after Merck Animal Health recently pulled a …

PHOTO: As honeybees continue to decline, native bees, including bumblebees, are being studied as a safety net for agriculture. Photo credit: Deborah C. Smith

Pollinator Safety Net: Native Bees

CASPER, Wyo. - Honeybees are still in decline across the United States, according to a report from the USDA that points to pesticides, parasites…

PHOTO: The average American throws out about 20 pounds of food a month, which ends up costing $300 to $500 a year. Photo credit: John Michaelson

Food Wasted: 20 Pounds per Month per Family

CASPER, Wyo. - Imagine tossing about $25 into the trash can every month. It happens in Wyoming and across the nation as Americans throw out about 20 …

New FDA Ag Antibiotic Ban Explained

CASPER, Wyo. - Farmers and ranchers in Wyoming and around the nation must make some changes when it comes to treating animals with antibiotics…

Annual Holiday Debate: Real or Fake?

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Many Wyomingites will be making the big decision this weekend: whether to buy an artificial or real Christmas tree – or …

Report: "Take Cover" when Farming

CASPER, Wyo. - Growing cover crops in the off-season, and more organic production. Those are two recommendations for Wyoming farmers in a new report …

CDC’s ‘Get Smart Week’ Aims to Outsmart Bacteria

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Outsmarting the enemy will take a team effort. That's the message of the "Get Smart About Antibiotics" campaign from the federal …

WYO Farmers Given the Gift of Time with Deadline Extension

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Wyoming farmers and ranchers have been given a gift of "more time." The USDA has extended the application deadline for the …

WYO Joins Egg Recall List

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Wyoming has now joined the list of states hit by the egg recall because of risks of a salmonella infection, with an announcement …

WYO Indian Country Eyed for Clean Energy Development

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Native American tribes manage 95 million acres of possibilities for clean energy development, as outlined in a new report - but it …

WYO “Sacred Ground” Transcends Stereotypes

Cody, WY – Faith-based organizations and environmental groups in Wyoming historically had kept a distrustful eye on one another, but that point …

Prosperity Best When Homegrown in WYO

Powell, WY – A converted school bus is touring Wyoming towns, and its crew is carrying a hopeful message for the smalltown West. On the …

WYO Research: Hunger and Loss of Local Farms Linked

Lander, WY – Fremont County's economy looks healthy because unemployment is down, but more people are relying on food banks. It turns out the …

WYO Family Ranchers Still Have a “Beef” with the Farm Bill

Newcastle, WY – Many Wyoming ranchers say they still have a “beef” with the Farm Bill. The bill is headed into conference for more …

Market Wishes Can Come True

Market trading with blinders on. It's not the smartest way to do business, but it's the only way for many Wyoming ranchers these days. And that's why …

ICOW Has WYO Ranchers Singing a New Tune

Wyoming cattle ranchers have decided banding together may be the only way to survive. A new cattle group is forming to take on issues that have …

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PNS Daily Newscast - April 18, 2024

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WY: Sustainable Agriculture and Farming