January 8th 2009 Open Spaces

It has been a big week for conservation groups who have watched the Obama administration crack down on things such as ozone pollution and oil and gas drilling in sensitive areas. The issue for the oil and gas industry that is getting the most attention in Wyoming is the ability to lease federal land for drilling. Changes proposed by the Obama administration will likely make it harder to get such a lease. While this is good news for conservation groups those in the energy industry say it will hurt their business and the state economy. Wyoming Public Radio's Bob Beck has more.

This month Congress will get back to work on crafting a final health care bill and in Wyoming many are watching. One group ranchers and farmers... have struggled with the rising price of health insurance. High costs have caused some to go without insurance, but they are taking a big risk when they do.
Back in 2006 Wyoming Public Radio's Renny MacKay looked at how ranchers deal with health care catastrophes.

Over the years it has been difficult to get accurate census counts of Native Americans. The reason generally has to do with a lack of trust. This year in an effort to overcome this the census bureau is trying to use more Tribal members to gather census data. Shoshone Tribal Liason Raphaella Stump told Bob Beck there are number of reasons that getting accurate data is important

A landowners' association is touring southeast Wyoming, talking to communities about how they might be affected by wind development. The latest meeting was in Laramie Thursday night - the Renewable Energy Alliance of Landowners spoke to Albany County commissioners and residents. Addie Goss sat down after the meeting with Alliance Chairman Bob Whitton, who ranches near Wheatland. He believes wind development could be a saving grace for Wyoming ranchers, diversifying their incomes and preserving open space. But he says the main reason he supports wind development is he wants his kids and grandkids to have a better chance at getting a job in Wyoming.

A number of protestors have been battling with the Bureau of Land Management over roundups of wild horses. B-L-M Director Bob Abbey says there are five times more horses in the wild than the range can sustain. This imbalance can harm other species. But groups such as In Defense of Animals want the horses left alone and have enlisted celebrities to write the President to ask for his help. This has enraged other groups, including one in Wyoming. Sue Wallis is the director of what is called the United Organizations of the horse. Wallis has been attacked by some for supporting wild horse roundups, but she told Bob Beck the B-L-M is doing the right thing.

This is the time of year when the sled dog race season gets going in earnest. This winter Wyoming hosts the International Pedigree stage stop sled dog race... among other events. In 2007, former Wyoming Public Radio Reporter Elsa Heidorn met up with someone who races dogs, and did this profile.

A new book explores a variety of issues past and present in Wyoming. Author Paul Jensen has written the book The State of Equality in the Equality State .Saving the best of the West in Wyoming. Mr. Jensen joins Bob Beck in the studio and says when he was conducting research for the book, he was able to bust a number of myths about the state.

This week a ski patroller at the Jackson Hole Mountain ski resort got caught in an avalanche. He was carried hundreds of feet and buried under six feet of snow. Other patrollers found him and dug him out, but he remains in the hospital. It's the type of event those that people who use the backcountry are asked to be cautious of. Today we have a story we aired a few years ago as part of an Open Spaces series on Avalanche danger. Former Wyoming Public Radio reporter Kristin Espeland has more.