Around the 307
News, commentary, and other items of interest from the greater Wyoming landscape.
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I missed sending out my selection of Wyoming news items last week. But, now I’m back on track with this handful of stories from Around the 307 for the week of April 13th, 2025 :
On Tax Day, April 15th, we learned in this story from Cowboy State Daily that Yellowstone National Park’s Steamboat Geyser was at it again with the second eruption of the year recorded at 11:05am the previous day. Steamboat is the world's tallest active geyser with major eruptions lasting over an hour and reaching heights of more than 400 feet. With the flurry of eruptions in recent years scientists speculate that perhaps Steamboat may be taking a page out of the Old Faithful geyser’s book and getting more regular. Of course, there really is no way to be sure, and even with the April 14th eruption, it could be years or decades before Steamboat decides to go off again. One thing we do know, is that when Steamboat blows is often spews dissolved minerals into the adjacent parking area which can damage glass and paint on vehicles. So, park at your own risk folks!
Also on Tuesday, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) took another step toward the long-awaiting designation of the Sublette Pronghorn Migration Corridor. In a meeting held in Pinedale, WGFD reviewed the Sublette Antelope Biological Risk and Opportunity Assessment report with some 50 residents at the local library. The focus of the report (which you can find online at this link) breaks the 165-mile pronghorn corridor into 10 segments and evaluates each segment for characteristics such as peak seasonal use, stopover habitat, fences, and “potential pinch points”. The report is currently open for public comment through May 2nd after which the WGFD will make revisions in advance of the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission (WGFC) meeting planned for July in Evanston. Formal establishment of the Sublette Pronghorn Migration Corridor has been in the works since 2020 when Governor Mark Gordon signed the Migration Corridor Executive Order outlining the public designation process to be followed. If the WGFC ultimatley recommends pursuing designation, the next step will be formation of a a local working group by the Governor. At the end of the process the Governor’s signature will complete designation of the corridor. Stay tuned folks! In the meantime, you can read more about the meeting in this article published in the Star Valley Independent (via the Wyoming News Exchange).
Tuesday, as it turns out, was quite the newsy day. Unfortunately, this particular item provides more bad news for customers of Rocky Mountain Power (RMP). It seems the Wyoming Public Service Commission approved another double-digit rate increase for RMP on Tuesday. That means starting in June the average residential customer’s bill will go up another $14 a month and I’m sad to say there could be more rate increases ahead. Good grief! You can read all about this sad state of affairs in this article published on Thursday April 17th by Your Wyoming Link.
That’s all for today buckaroos! Thanks for reading and have a great week!
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