The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 185
Due to the extreme drought conditions and ever-decreasing water levels at the Keyhole State Park reservoir, Superintendent Wade Henderson advises guests to be cautious as they enjoy the park. With the burn ban in effect this summer, no open flame is allowed including in the propane-fed open-topped grills provided at most camp sites. “They are [currently] illegal. People can have gas or propane grills with non-transparent lids,” Henderson says. Henderson also warns guests playing on the wat...
Moorcroft, Pine Haven and Sundance Volunteer Fire Departments responded to a fast moving grass fire along Strong Lane near Pine Ridge on the south side of the Old Sundance Road at 11:44 a.m, Saturday, June 12. According to Moorcroft Fire Chief Rusty Williams, a “live” power line was torn down by wind the previous evening and lay smoldering on the dangerously dry ground throughout the night before blazing to life Saturday morning. Ten units including tenders, command trucks and fire engines wit...
The Moorcroft Community Gardens face the unusually warm June weather with color and life as all but five of the 8 x 4 x 3 boxes are groomed and planted with this summer’s crops. Two of the three “Garden Gnomes” who were working with their baby plants last Friday morning talked about how the enterprise is coming along. The grapes and clematis are coming back strong along the fence and the Virginia Creepers planted a few years ago to cover the gazebo have reached the monkey bars. “Our plan [i...
The Black Hills National Forest announces the Moon Walk interpretive program schedule for the 2021 season. In its 26th year, Forest visitors will explore the importance of caves and karst systems, beavers, learn about the stars in the night sky and nocturnal animal adaptations. The focus this year is to expand visitor awareness beyond the boundaries of the Forest. Speakers include The National Speleological Society, The Nature Conservancy, Black Hills Parks & Forests Association and the Black Hills National Forest. Moon Walks are held on a...
Noonan Park is busier this week than residents have seen it for decades. The repurposing of the basketball court and the finishing touches to the new restroom facilities are joined with the installation of the new playground equipment. The work on the playground and restrooms is tentatively anticipated to reach completion by the end of June, according to Public Works Director Cory Allison, “If we don’t have anything else come up.” To finish construction of the parking lot and loop, Allis...
On a blustery Friday morning last week, the Northeast Wyoming Walleye Association once again held their annual Kids Education Day in Coulter Bay for 42 Moorcroft youngsters and 15 from Upton. The kids traveled through five “stations”, learning about water safety and how to recognize aquatic invasive species, taught by Game and Fish personnel; knot tying and casting with NWWA volunteers; and for a treat, the students got to race minnows. Volunteers also provided a tasty lunch of hot dogs and bur...
The Northeast Wyoming Walleye Association (NWWA) is hosting their annual Kids Fishing Derby June 5 with registration starting at 9 a.m. at The Reservoir in Pine Haven. Anyone big enough to hold a fishing pole and under 19 years old can enter. There are three age categories: big enough-9, 10-13 and 14-18. Contestants may fish from shore or boat and any fish caught from Keyhole Reservoir is eligible for measurement. All fish must be presented for measurement at The Reservoir Bar and Grill before 2 p.m. to be considered. Prizes for each category...
In conjunction with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s ”Free Fishing Day”, on June 5, daily use fees are waived at all parks/recreation areas that provide angling. WyoParks locations offering free entrance are Boysen, Buffalo Bill, Curt Gowdy, Edness K. Wilkins, Fort Phil Kearny, Glendo, Guernsey, Keyhole, Seminoe and Hawk Springs. Camping fees are not waived. The fee waiver does not apply to reservations. Fishing opportunities also exist at the following sites, which offer free entrance year-round: Bear River, Hot Springs, Medicine Lodge...
This year saw some great fishing despite the low levels on Keyhole Reservoir as 52 teams prepared to put all their cunning and knowledge of the sport in play to catch the biggest fish in this two-day competition. Jeremy McInerney and Brad Humpal ended the weekend with a total of 51.1 pounds putting them in First Place. Troy Huckins and Phillip Bailey made an impressive second place, bringing in 45.28 total pounds. Third place went to Steve Jones and Greg Renstrom with a total of 34.88 pounds;...
Elk populations in Wyoming’s major herds are nearly 30% over objective Wyoming Game and Fish Department personnel revealed as their governing commission approved hunting seasons and nearly 2000 additional licenses Wednesday. Some 101,800 elk populate the state’s 28 closely monitored herds, according to the estimates presented in the agency’s proposed annual hunting-season-setting regulations. That’s 28.6% above the objective for those groups. In addition to the 28 herds for which the agency makes individual population estimates — through t...
Caught in the act on Friday, several wooly residents north of Moorcroft decided they'd prefer to buffet on the other side of the fence....
JACKSON — Federal and state agencies have sorted out discombobulation that led to an awfully confusing 2020 onset to the popular antler gathering season in western Wyoming. When May 1 strikes in 2021, there’s one time to keep in mind: 6 a.m. That’s the day and time when the Bridger-Teton National Forest will lift its winter closures and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department will allow people to pick up shed antlers off public land in the region. National Elk Refuge staff will lead a motorcade down Refuge Road at 6 a.m. to forest lands, and g...
Rock climbing routes on the southwest face and the southwest edges of Devils Tower summit will be temporarily closed effective immediately to protect nesting Peregrine and Prairie Falcons. The closure is implemented annually to provide the falcons with an undisturbed nesting location during this critical courtship and nest-selection period. The presence of climbers near falcon nests can be distressing to parent birds and disturbance from climbing activities may force falcons to abandon eggs or...
The first signs of spring are bringing romance back, as was made apparent by these demonstrative fellows early on Tuesday morning as they strutted their stuff near town hall in preparation for courting season....
GILLETTE — Paul Langevin first noticed the unusual substance beneath the ice on Keyhole Reservoir in December. As he’s done for decades, Langevin headed out on the frozen lake to bore a hole and drop a line. But when he broke through the thick layer of ice, it wasn’t just water that sprang up through the hole. “It was just so abnormal,” Langevin said about the green substance that emerged from his ice fishing hole. “It was so out of place.” The 70-year-old Pine Haven resident said he and other ice fishermen who frequented Keyhole State Park th...
We all have seen aspen, growing on a hillside, with their lighter shade of green than the surrounding pine. Perhaps in autumn when patches of gold show up on a hillside and we say, “The aspen are changing color.” But have you noticed an aspen forest when you walk into it? I remember years back, when I had been spending my days working in a pine forest. Day after day dark green forest. Then one afternoon, the forest glowed. The summer sunlight was filtering through the green aspen leaves making the whole area have a beautiful emerald glow. I h...
For ice fishermen and other winter enthusiasts wanting to visit Keyhole State Park this month, park supervisor Wade Henderson reports that, “The ice is anywhere between six and nine inches, depending on where you’re at. In some areas, the ice is cloudy and not great and in other places, several inches of clear over a couple inches of cloudy.” Cloudy ice is unsafe to traverse, according to Henderson, while clear is sound. The superintendent also warns guests on the reservoir about an unusu...
Welcome to the inaugural publication of The Forestry Corner. This monthly column is jointly produced by the Wyoming State Forestry Division and the Wyoming Tree Farm Committee, a landowner advocacy group, associated with the American Forest Foundation. The mission of this periodic column is to provide interesting information about trees and forests, management assistance and to answer important and frequently asked questions. We hope the information provided will stimulate interest and support for science based sustainable forest and tree...
Sheyanne Fosheim and Jaycee Garman with one of the Crook County Cattlewomen beef promotion signs. If you have seen some of these new signs around Crook County, they are brought to you by the Cattlewomen. Promoting beef is the Cattlewomen’s main objective and the five new big signs that have been placed around on different highways are a great way to do that. The signs were designed by Tracy Bush and paid for the by the Crook County Cattlewomen. Jenn and Lee Jay, W Bar Feeds, donated the posts a...
Work resumes this week on a project to improve accessibility at Devils Tower. Superintendent Amnesty Kochanowski said, “We want all people to be able to experience the nation’s first national monument. The accessibility project has been in the planning and design phase for nearly a decade. As it comes to fruition in 2020 and 2021, we thank the community and visitors for their patience with construction.” Ground broke in February and work completed in the visitor center area thus far inclu...
Park staff have observed that three peregrine falcon chicks have fledged from their nest on Devils Tower. The confirmation of chicks leaving the nest means that all rock climbing routes have reopened on the tower. Each year, some climbing routes are temporarily closed during the spring and summer to protect falcon nesting sites and to protect climbers from adult falcons who will defensively dive to protect their young. Protected nesting locations such as Devils Tower have been crucial in the...
The Wyoming Department of Health has issued a recreational use advisory for Keyhole Reservoir due to a harmful cyanobacterial bloom (HCB). On August 10, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality received a report from Keyhole State Park of dog illnesses that were potentially linked to cyanobacteria exposure. The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality visited the reservoir on August 12 and collected water samples. Cyanobacteria densities were found to exceed the 20,000 cells/mL recreational use threshold as identified in Wyoming’s H...
A concerned visitor alerted Wyoming State Parks that their pets became ill after a recent visit to Keyhole State Park. Out of an abundance of caution, park staff posted warning signs and contacted the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). That agency is proceeding with an investigation of a potential harmful cyanobacterial bloom (HCB). The investigation is currently only for the section of the reservoir in the upper end of Cottonwood Bay, potentially affecting Pronghorn, Tatanka,...
The Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust (WSGLT) has announced that Ogden Driskill will be the recipient of the 2020 Kurt Bucholz Conservation Award. Driskill is being recognized for his exceptional support of agricultural land conservation, private property, and water rights. Driskill was nominated by Wyoming representative Tyler Lindholm, candidate for U.S. Senate Cynthia Lummis and his daughter Andrea Wood. The Bucholz Conservation Award is given in memory of the late Dr. Kurt Bucholz, DVM,...
0-6 Barrels: Kase Lambert - 20.198 Jax Franzen - 20.799 Gavin Gorzalka - 22.506 Lila LaDuke - 24.518 Jentry Harrington - 24.845 0-6 Poles: Gavin Gorzalka - 21.28 Morgan Tysdal - 23.03 Tynlee Thomas - 23.40 Hartley Steele - 23.50 Mesa Dell - 24.03 Jentry Harrington - 24.65 0-6 Ribbon Snatching Dale Spaulding - 6.24 Gavin Gorzalka - 6.69 Mesa Dell - 6.97 Lila LaDuke - 7.25 Morgan Tysdal - 7.28 Jax Franzen - 7.37 0-6 Dummy Roping Gavin Gorzalka - 2.82 Katie Burch - 6.38 Stace Bossman - 6.87 Maxon Dell - 9.25 Morgan Tysdal - 10.57 7-10 Barrels Abby...
