Wyoming suspends youth conservation camp

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is suspending this year's Youth Conservation Camp and Forever Wild Educator Workshops for at least a year. The camp planning team has decided to take a year off to make the programs more relevant. The programs are designed to allow participants to improve their outdoor skills and get experience with wildlife.

Governor concerned about proposed gun exemption

Gov. Matt Mead says he has concerns with a bill pending in the Wyoming Legislature that would seek to exempt the state from any new federal ban on assault weapons. Mead, a Republican and former federal prosecutor, told reporters Tuesday that he's a gun owner himself and owns some of the firearms that could be banned. Mead also emphasized that Wyoming gun owners are law-abiding and responsible. The bill has cleared the Wyoming House and is pending in the state Senate. It would seek to exempt the state from any new federal ban on assault weapons or high-capacity magazines. It also would make it a misdemeanor for federal officials to seek to enforce them. Critics say the bill would be unconstitutional because states are bound by federal law.

Feds: Warming means more fires, insects in forests

The U.S. Department of Agriculture warns that big changes are in store for the nation's forests as global warming increases wildfires and insect infestations, and generates more frequent floods and droughts. The report released Tuesday is part of the National Climate Assessment and will serve as a roadmap for managing national forests across the country in coming years. It says wildfires are expected to at least double the area burned over the next 25 years, and insect infestations will cover even more ground. Dave Cleaves, climate adviser to the chief of the U.S. Forest Service, says climate change has become the primary driver for managing national forests, because it poses a major threat to their ability to store carbon and provide clean water and wildlife habitat.

House passes bill allowing year-round classes

The state House of Representatives has passed a bill that would allow school districts to try year-round class schedules in hopes that students will better retain what they learn. The bill passed on a 33-27 vote Tuesday and now heads to the Senate for consideration. The proposal would give school districts the option of adopting a school year calendar with vacation breaks of no longer than three weeks. Districts would not have to increase the number of overall school days. Supporters of the bill say shorter breaks would help better prepare Wyoming students for the world economy and note the year-round school calendar would be voluntary. Opponents question the $3 million appropriation for the bill and argue the year-round schooling would impede on summer activities and jobs.

Last bighorn in Wyoming Sinks Canyon herd dies

A bighorn sheep that liked to butt vehicles at a central Wyoming state park has died. Officials with the Sinks Canyon State Park near Lander say Bam Bam was the last survivor of the bighorn sheep herd in the Sinks Canyon. He is believed to have died of natural causes. Bam Bam became a local celebrity when he began showing up near the park's main road in 2007 and allowed people to pet him. He earned the name Bam Bam because his liked to butt vehicles. Fearing for the sheep's and visitors' safety, officials moved Bam Bam to an enclosed state facility near Wheatland in 2009. Sinks Canyon Superintendent Darrel Trembly says Bam Bam will be mounted by a taxidermist and put on display in the park's visitor center.

City Council Preview

The Green river city council meets tonight, Erick Pauley has a look at the agenda

House rejects hike for some hunting license fees

State lawmakers have rejected another proposal to raise selected hunting license fees. The House voted 52-8 Monday to throw out House Bill 260, which was projected to generate $3.6 million a year for the state Game and Fish Department if it had passed. The bill was a scaled-down version of an earlier proposal that lawmakers rejected earlier to raise fees. Both bills were spurred by concerns that the department will face deep budget cuts if it doesn't fill an $8 million to $9 million annual shortfall by 2015. Game and Fish officials say license fees haven't increased since 2008, but department costs have been rising due to inflation and new legislatively mandated programs. Some lawmakers questioned whether it was the right time to raise fees.