Laramie, Wy – Reductions in sagebrush habitat are significantly impacting sage grouse populations in the west. Researchers have developed a model that shows where the birds are at risk and for the most part Sage Grouse in Wyoming are ok. But Colorado State and U-S-G-S Researcher Cameron Aldridge says there are areas of the state where sagebrush is being impacted and that could have future ramifications for Sage Grouse. Aldridge says it is something people in the state might want to keep an eye on.

Cheyenne, Wy –
Governor Dave Freudenthal has picked an Arizona man to be the state's new game and fish director. Steve Ferrell is currently the deputy game and fish director in Arizona and says he comes to the state very familiar with many of the same challenges facing Wyoming. Ferrell calls himself a consensus builder, but says he is confident that if he has to make some tough calls on behalf of Wyoming's wildlife that he will have the support of the Governor and other leaders.

Washington D-C – A conservation group is seeking to halt
drilling on a booming natural gas field in western Wyoming through
a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court.
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership claims the
government has reneged on promises to shield deer, sage grouse and
other wildlife from energy development in the Pinedale Anticline.
That's a geologic formation an hour south of Jackson with an
estimated 21 trillion cubic feet of natural gas - one of the
largest reserves in the United States.

By Peter O'Dowd

Laramie, Wyo – Senator John Barrasso answered critics who said his no-vote last week on a Medicare bill was partisan and bad for seniors.

Barrasso voted against a bill sponsored by Democrat Max Baucus, and voted in favor of another sponsored by Republican Chuck Grassley.

Barrasso says the Grassley bill was better for residents of a rural state.

Dubois, Wy – Archeologists are concerned that the Western Bark Beetle infestation will destroy the state's oldest man-made structures. Dan Eakin studies sheep traps built by Shoshone Indians more than 200 years ago. The structures in Western Wyoming stand among trees that have been decimated by pine beetles. Eakin says it is only a matter of time until the traps are lost to forest fires.
"I don't know how you would buy time. Time is of the essence. We have to extract as much data from them now as we can, as quickly as we can. We don't know when these areas are going to burn.

Washington D-C –
Wyoming has the greatest potential of harnessing wind for energy in the Western states. Wyoming Infrastructure Authority board member Bryce Freeman told Congress federal help is needed to deliver Wyoming wind power to other areas of the region. Freeman suggests that help come in the form of tax free bonds. This would provide incentives for developers and investors and could significantly reduce costs to customers.

Saratoga, Wy – Another case of Hantavirus has killed a Carbon County resident. Epidemiologist Stacey Anderson says it's the second case from Carbon County in the past week.
"We have had two cases in other years in the same county, but to have them close together like this, it's not what we usually see as far as a pattern goes."

Jackson, Wy – Jackson and Teton County are asking for public input on a plan that would shape future development. Jackson Planning Director Tyler Sinclair says the plan has prompted a lot of public debate. But he says one message is clear: most residents want Jackson Hole to feel like a community, not like a resort. He says, under the new plan, no new resorts would be approved.
" as far as looking at brand new resorts, I think we've heard increased resort expansion in Teton County and in the Town of Jackson isn't necessarily something the community is interested in."

Casper, Wy – The Wyoming Supreme Court has upheld the
murder conviction of an Evansville woman for shooting her husband
in 1977.
The Casper Star-Tribune reports that Wyoming's highest court has
ruled that Rita Humphrey was not denied a speedy trial.
Justice Michael Golden wrote in an opinion released Monday that
while a delay occurred in bringing Humphrey to trial, the length of
delay wasn't unreasonable.
Humphrey was charged with first-degree murder for the death of

Daniel, Wy – The Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory
says it has confirmed positive brucellosis tests for two cows from
a Daniel ranch.
The state reported last week that blood tests taken at a sale
barn first showed the cows had brucellosis.
The cows then were sent to the state veterinary lab, where the
brucellosis bacterium was cultured from the tissues of both cows.
The Wyoming Livestock Board and USDA Animal Plant Health
Inspection Service say they plan to test the rest of the ranch's