Around the 307
News, commentary, and other items of interest from the greater Wyoming landscape.
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Here are some Wyoming news items of interest from the week of November 10th, 2024:
Tuesday, November 12th, Cowboy State Daily published this article about a rare wolverine sighting near Yellowstone National Park. A dashboard camera captured video of a dark, medium-sized animal loping across a snowy West Yellowstone roadway (video imbed below courtesy of Trent Sizemore). Despite the video’s poor quality, the loping-gallop is the strongest tell indicating wolverine according to wildlife biologist Cat Wood. The solitary wolverine (gulo gulo luscus) is extremely rare in the lower-48; the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) estimates a population of a mere 15 animals across the entire state. In Alaska, where wolverine populations are more stable, the density of these animals is still only about 4 to 5 wolverines per every 400 square miles! Seeing a wolverine is a bucket-list item for many outdoor enthusiasts. I know I’d love to see one some day!
On Friday, November 15th, Governor Mark Gordon released a proposed $692M Supplement for Wyoming’s 2025-2026 Biennial Budget; the Legislature will take up the supplement for consideration when they return to session in January. In the wake of the devastating 2024 fire season with its destruction of nearly 850,000 acres, nearly one-third of the proposed budget supplement is for the restoration of the state’s depleted wildfire fighting funds. Other items within the supplement include additional monies for school construction, a boost in Medicaid payment rates, further resources for defense of Wyoming industries in court, and other requests. You can read more about the Governor’s proposed budget supplement in this story from the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
Also on Friday, November 15th, we were treated to the fourth supermoon since August! November’s full moon, also known as the Beaver Moon or Snow Moon, began its ascent about 2:29pm MST. According to this National Aeronautics and Space Administration article, when a full moon coincides with its closest approach to Earth it earns the moniker supermoon. This is the last supermoon of 2024 and we won’t have another one until October 2025. Hope you got a chance to see it! You can also read more about this month’s super-Beaver Moon in this article from Wyoming Public Media.
That’s all for today Wyomingites! Thanks for reading and have a great week!
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