Rebecca Martinez

The Padlock Ranch in Sheridan County is being recognized for using sustainable management practices.
 

The Wyoming Stock Growers Association and the Sand County Foundation have chosen the 500,000-acre cattle ranch to receive the 2013 Leopold Conservation Award.
 

Padlock Ranch COO Trey Patterson says the ranch’s owners, the Scott family, are conservation minded. Patterson says that’s why they rotate the areas where cattle graze to allow grass to recover.
 

In our occasional series “Upstarts,” we profile Wyoming entrepreneurs. There’s no shortage of self-starters in this state, many of whom build, grow or make things… But until recently, tech start-ups were almost unheard of in the Cowboy State. Wyoming Public Radio’s Rebecca Martinez visited with Jason Kintzler, who founded the Pitch Engine software platform in his native Lander and authored the book, “The New American Start-Up.” She filed this report.

The State Senate gave second approval to a bill that would allow the Northern Arapaho Tribe to kill golden eagles for tribal ceremonies as long as it is done in compliance with federal law.  

The Wyoming Senate continued work on a bill that would require companies doing seismic exploration for minerals to post bonds or negotiate a contract with the surface owners.

Proponents say seismic operators sometimes trespass on private property.

A health agency is reminding people of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning this winter.

The odorless, colorless gas can leak from heating systems and can be fatally poisonous to humans.

The Nebraska Regional Poison Center’s Joan McVoy says people often mistake the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning for the flu or food poisoning.

Rep. Lummis appointed to US House Subcommittee on Energy
Wyoming’s Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis has been appointed to chair the U.S. House of Representatives’ Science Subcommittee on Energy. The subcommittee will oversee energy research, development and demonstration projects. Lummis spoke with Rebecca Martinez from the Capitol press room in Cheyenne this week.

The Bureau of Land Management has announced new restrictions on the sales of wild horses and burros.  

A recent ProPublica report alleged that thousands of wild horses bought from the BLM were sold to be slaughtered in Mexico.

Previously, buyers were permitted to buy an unlimited number of horses, but now a buyer can only purchase four horses or burros every six months. They must keep the animals for at least six months, describe where they’ll live, and provide safe transportation.

The Department of Environmental Quality has removed five groundwater cleanup systems in Riverton, mostly at former gas stations and car dealerships. They had been set up to remove excess hydrocarbon pollution caused by leaking gas tanks there. Now, the DEQ will continue monitoring the sites to make sure pollution levels weaken on their own, or at least don’t get worse.

The DEQ’s Storage Tank Program has remediated more than one-thousand sites like these since the early 1990s, starting with the worst offenders. There are about 600 left on the to-do list.

The tribes on the Wind River Indian Reservation have signed a six-month temporary contract with Fremont County to continue solid waste disposal services there. The previous contract expired earlier this month.

Fremont County residents will have a chance to put their Christmas trees to good use after taking down the ornaments and lights.

Each January, area anglers collect Christmas trees and sink them to the bottom of Ocean Lake to create a better habitat for walleye, crappie and yellow perch living there.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department Fisheries Biologist, Paul Gerrity, says the lake is pretty flat at the bottom.

At the end of the month, Susan Simpson will retire from her post as Albany County Librarian. Simpson has worked in the state for more than three decades, and she says she’s proud of the Wyoming library system’s cooperative network.

“I was on a bus in Boston Massachusetts at a conference and I had my name tag on, and woman said to me, ‘Oh, you’re from Wyoming! I wish we did what you did!’ And I don’t remember where she was from, but it’s a very common response.”

Business has been booming for the Wyoming Liquor Division. The arm of the state Department of Revenue distributes all wine and liquor to retailers across the state. Over the last 7 years, there’s been a huge increase in the amount of alcohol sold… and the revenue going back to the Cowboy State. Wyoming Public Radio’s Rebecca Martinez reports.

(Barroom joke, laughter)

Converse County oil boom draws concerns from residents
In October, we reported that Chesapeake Energy had drilled a series of oil wells near Douglas, very close to people’s houses. Chesapeake says the area will likely continue to be a core drilling region. That has some area residents uneasy. Wyoming Public Radio’s Willow Belden reports.

The Wyoming Land Trust, a conservation group, has secured a land easement on one of the oldest working ranches in Sublette County.

The Circle Ranch – also known as the “67 Ranch” – has been in the Miller family for more than 130 years. The easement will prohibit building development and subdivision on almost 2-thousand acres of land, which includes elk, moose, pronghorn and sage grouse habitat.

Land Trust spokeswoman Kendall Brunette acknowledges that this easement could limit the case for adding sage grouse to the endangered species list.

Gambling addiction in Fremont County could be on rise, but not on radar

There have been rumors that Fremont County is experiencing a rise in gambling addiction amongst its residents. Wyoming Public Radio’s Irina Zhorov reports that whether the rumors are true or not is still unclear, but some services are popping up to address it regardless.

Ojibwe Tribe member Winona LaDuke opposes removing wolves from the endangered species list. The Minnesota-based environmental activist and former Green Party Vice Presidential candidate visited the University of Wyoming to speak about her book, “The Militarization of Indian County.”

Warm weather has caused Casper’s Hogadon Ski Area to postpone its opening day. The slopes were set to open this Saturday, but Anna Wyttenback of Casper’s Leisure Services Department says they’ll push it back more than a week in hopes of some 15° or colder days, when they can start making snow. Wyttenback says Hogadon isn’t worried about its ski season yet.

“I think we’ll cross that bridge as we get there, but we’re definitely hoping for a snowfall like we had last winter. And we’ll just have to wait a little further into December and see how that goes.”

Curling has developed a competitive following in Laramie in recent years… but the age-old winter sport has developed a softer, sillier side once a year to benefit local charities. Wyoming Public Radio’s Senior Poultry correspondent Rebecca Martinez attended the town’s annual Turkey Curling tournament last weekend and filed this postcard.

REBECCA MARTINEZ: Turkey curling is ridiculous, in a really fun way.

(Ambi: “Yeah, baby!”) (Ambi: Curling sounds)

During the campaign season, many fossil fuel developers dreaded the idea of a second term for President Obama.

Bruce Hinchey of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming says during the last four years, it’s been harder to secure oil and gas leases on federal land, get drilling permits, and have environmental impact statements approved.

But Bob Spencer of the Equality State Policy Center says it’s prudent for the administration to strike a balance between mineral production and preserving land for wildlife and public enjoyment.

Health Department director proposed new Medicaid Idea 
One of the costs that continues to grow in Wyoming’s budget is the cost of Medicaid.  Lawmakers were so distressed that they ordered the Department of Health to look for ways to control those costs. Department of Health Director Tom Forslund has proposed a plan to address the issue.  But first he explains why those costs have gone up.

Author Scott Farris can empathize with famous political losers. He was once the Democratic nominee for Congress to Wyoming, but lost to Barbara Cubin in 1998. Farris takes a look at the legacies of some notable-yet-unsuccessful presidential candidates in his book, “Almost President, the men who lost the race but changed the nation.”

This year, Mitt Romney garnered attention for a hard-fought campaign followed by a gracious acceptance speech. Scott Farris tells Rebecca Martinez that speech is a crucial part of every election.      

The fate of the Affordable Care Act has been a contentious issue in this year’s election season.

President Obama promises to stand behind the law, which promises certain benefits to families and, especially to women.  Gov. Mitt Romney has vowed to repeal the law because it will be too expensive.

Physician Louis Hochheiser is the C-E-O of St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson. He said that he thinks insurance companies are likely to still offer these benefits, regardless of who is elected president.

Riverton House and Senate Debate Recap
On Thursday night, candidates for U-S House and Senate gathered in Riverton for a set of debates. They answered questions ranging from how to address the Medicare shortfall … to their views on climate change and the energy industry. Wyoming Public Radio’s Bob Beck was one of the moderators … and he joins Willow Belden from Riverton to talk about the debate.

The fate of the Affordable Care Act has been a sticking point for both presidential candidates. Mitt Romney has said he intends to repeal it, while President Obama has promised to protect the promises it makes to reform parts of the healthcare system. Dr. Louis Hochheiser, CEO of St. John’s Medical Center, has studied the ACA, and says the law is already breaking down barriers, especially for women.

Gov. Mead reflects on GREG report, promises cuts
The Consensus Revenue estimating group came out with projections that lawmakers will have about 85 million more dollars to spend this session.  The CREG report is main tool government officials use to forecast how much money the state will have.  Governor Matt Mead joins Bob Beck to discuss the report and the impact it has on his budget as he prepares to present it in December.

Representative Rosie Berger of Big Horn is sponsoring a bill that would allow water rights holders to temporarily change their use to benefit certain fisheries areas in the state.

Under current law, if a private citizen wants to restore in-stream-flow on his property, he must permanently donate his water rights to the state. Also, holders can lose their water rights if they don’t use them to their full extent. Berger’s bill would allow holders to retain water rights, even if they stop irrigating part-way through the summer… thus leaving more water for the fish.

The state unemployment rate dropped to 5.4-percent in September, giving Wyoming the 6th lowest rate in the country.

Senior Economist David Bullard of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services says the state economy seems to be growing stably.

“There appears to be growth in construction, as well as mining, including oil and natural gas… growth in accommodation in food services, and local government, which includes public schools, colleges and hospitals. So there are a number of sectors that appear to be growing around the state.”