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
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With invasive zebra mussels now known to be present nearby, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department (WGF) has developed a rapid response plan specific to Wyoming water bodies including Keyhole Reservoir. Meanwhile, watercraft owners have been reminded to clean, drain and dry their boats before moving between bodies of water and are asked to ensure they follow all the regulations for AIS inspections. According to Game & Fish, invasive zebra and quagga mussels have not yet been found in Wyoming. However, the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and...
Fire season has already brought significant damage to Crook County, with the Fish Wildfire responsible for devouring thousands of acres. This has brought the welfare of residents and property to the fore with fire department and council in neighboring communities, Moorcroft and Pine Haven. Moorcroft While Moorcroft has not previously mandated an absolute fire ban, adhering to an ordinance allowing open flames under specific conditions. After discussion with Moorcroft Volunteer Fire Department Ch...
Crook County has joined the call for the U.S. Forest Service to rethink its draft assessments for the revised Black Hills National Forest Plan. A comment letter submitted by the county commissioners touts "significant concerns" with the science used to create the drafts, and with the level of public input solicited so far. "I think we probably have some of the most comprehensive comments that will be submitted," commented Dru Palmer of Dru Consulting, who prepared the 21-page letter on behalf of...
The threat of zebra and quagga mussels to Wyoming’s waters is closer than ever before. Last week, zebra mussels were discovered in Pactola Reservoir, located 13 miles west of Rapid City, South Dakota, in the Black Hills. The reservoir is only 27 miles from the Wyoming border and is a popular boating destination for Wyoming and South Dakota residents. The westward expansion of invasive mussels is significant as Wyoming remains one of the few states yet to have the destructive species. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is concerned about t...
A full burn ban will be in effect across the county beginning July 22. Fire Warden Doug Leis sought the blessing of the Crook County Commissioners last week to implement the restrictions, anticipating that what started as a moisture-filled summer may turn more dangerous in the coming weeks. "Everybody has been really enjoying this nice, green grass – and a lot of it – but it's just going to be a lot more to burn when it dries out," Leis explains. After a long period of drought, this will cha...
With campgrounds filled to capacity and boats decorating the water like bright marbles beneath the setting sun, Saturday evening saw hundreds more guests enter Keyhole State Park's Coulter Bay with families setting up chairs and coolers before the sun slowly departed the day's sky. Firefighters and EMS volunteers stood at the park entrance to offer comments, smiles and a boot for donations; this is the department's largest fundraiser of the year and the moneys collected will provide much needed...
The Fireworks Over the Lake celebration has received a green light from the state fire warden to move forward this year. The excitement starts at dark on Saturday, July 2. The pyrotechnic display is the largest yearly fundraiser for the Pine Haven Volunteer Fire Department with planning by both the department and town council started months in advance. The around 40 different types of firework bundles have been ordered at a cost of approximately $10,000, according to fire chief TJ Gideon. Fred Negebauer and associates is volunteering their...
Last Tuesday morning began a perfect sunny day for the annual Northeast Wyoming Walleye Association's Kids' Education Day at Coulter Bay on the Keyhole Reservoir. The six station event hosted 126 fifth graders from around the county, "The largest one yet," volunteer Sharon Coleman later reported. Among the minnow races, knot tying and casting classes, more serious lessons were taught as well. Powder River Energy conducted power-line safety and Wyoming Game and Fish demonstrated water safety and...
The Wyoming Sportsman Group Hulett Youth Field Day is an anticipated annual event drawing over 100 youth and their families from northeast Wyoming and surrounding states to participate in outdoor activities related to hunting, marksmanship, fishing, wildlife, conservation and personal safety. The group's mission is to introduce and keep youth interested and involved in outdoor and wildlife related activities. The event will take place right outside of Hulett on Hwy 24, Sat., June 4 beginning at...
Black Hills National Forest campgrounds are scheduled to open Friday, May 13 and seasonal gates will all be open Monday, May 16, 2022. The Forest offers 30 campgrounds with more than 680 individual sites. Many of the campgrounds are operated by a Forest Service recreation service partner, Forest Recreation Management, (FRM) Inc. based in Hill City, SD, under a concession permit. The fees in the Forest campgrounds range from $16 to $28.50 per night. Group camping is also available with advanced reservations near Pactola Reservoir and Sheridan...
Curious Major thinks he might like to explore inside the truck, though Beulah the dog isn't convinced he's going to fit. Both four-legged friends belong to Jennifer Pierson of Moorcroft....
While recreational shooting is allowed, it is unlawful to shoot at or use exploding targets anywhere on the Black Hills National Forest. A regional closure order prohibits the use of exploding targets on National Forest System Lands. The order states, “The following act is prohibited in Region 2 – using an explosive, which is any chemical compound, mixture, or device that has the primary or common purpose of which is to function by explosion (including exploding targets). 36 C.F.R. § 261.52(b).” Persons shooting at exploding targets can face a...
Workshops about invasive grasses and weeds are scheduled in early May in Gillette, Sheridan and Sundance. Sponsored by University of Wyoming Extension, the free public workshops – all covering the same topics – are scheduled for 3-6 p.m. in: • Gillette: Tues., May 3, George Amos Memorial Building Cottonwood Room • Sheridan: Tues., May 10, UW Extension Center, 1090 Dome Loop • Sundance: Tues., May 17, Crook County Courthouse Community Room The workshops are for those wishing to learn more abou...
SHERIDAN — Starting in July, Wyoming hunters will have increased chances to hunt the big five game animals in Wyoming: moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, bison and grizzly bears. During its recently completed session, the Wyoming Legislature passed House Enrolled Act 10, which aims to increase local hunting opportunities for some of Wyoming’s rarest and most coveted animals. It does this through a two-prong plan. The first prong is to limit big five hunting licenses to once-in-a-lifetime events: once you receive a license for one of the...
The 22-person Montana Conservation crew has split into two teams with one working in the classroom and the other on the ground in Pine Haven, clearing the area between the bigger trees. This is done so that ladder fuels won't carry the fire up the trunks of those trees to create "crown" fires at the top that can jump from crown to crown quickly and cannot be fought from the ground. These crown fires can only be conquered from the air. Residents could hear the chainsaws Monday morning as the...
Beginning April 1, 2022, Devils Tower National Monument will be accepting entrance fee payments via card and digital payments only. Reducing cash collected in fee operations allows a park unit to be a better steward of our visitor's dollars. It allows our park unit to: 1. Reduce the amount of time park staff spend managing cash (i.e. reduce our administrative burden); 2. Increase the amount of fee revenue available to support critical projects and visitor services; 3. Improve accountability and...
This rare white (or smoky gray) wild hen has been a resident of Pine Haven for a couple of years, says Sunny Schell. About one in 100 wild turkeys are thought to be this color. While not as rare as an albino, these birds are noteworthy. Schell also said that this particular hen had hatched a black poult. If this is, in fact, an entirely black unbarred bird, it is considered extremely rare and is, according to the National Wild Turkey Federation, melanistic: "a rare genetic pigment mutation that...
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will once again be holding public open houses around the county this month to discuss the proposed hunting seasons for 2022. Meetings are scheduled in both Sundance and Hulett and comments will be accepted until April 1. The first of the two meetings will take place in Sundance on March 21 in the courthouse basement from 4 to 6 p.m. The next day, March 22, the Greater Hulett Community Center will host a meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The intent is to gather public input on general hunting regulations, as...
Black Hills National Forest officials are asking the public to avoid parking in front of closed Forest gates. Gates are closed to provide a seasonal refuge for wildlife, protect road surfaces and other resources, and provide for public safety as some of the roads are converted into part of the snowmobile trail in the winter. Seasonally closed roads and trails are identified on the current Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM). “We would like to remind Forest users that even though a gate on a road might not look like there is any activity occurring b...
With ice forming on lakes and reservoirs throughout the state, the Wyoming Division of State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails reminds anglers of potential dangers on the ice. Ice fishing and other ice-related activities are a great way to enjoy Wyoming’s state parks and sites in the winter. However, ice is always in a state of flux, so anglers and other recreationists are reminded that driving any kind of motorized vehicle, and in some instances even walking on the ice, is risky. Pressure ridges can cause thin patches in the ice that cannot s...
Though flurries have passed through the area fairly regularly over the last couple of weeks, Wyoming’s snowpack is lower than usual so far this season – and Crook County is almost at the bottom of the list in terms of how much snow has accumulated in this area. While the overall average for the state is 88% of the median for this time of the year, Crook County has just over half the snowpack it would normally see. Only South Platte has a lower percentage at 31% of median. According to the Water Resources Data System and Wyoming State Cli...
The Crook County Natural Resource District (CCNRD) is encouraging the public to read two documents that outline both the past and future: an annual report and a plan of action for the year ahead. These documents have been published as a guide to the work that was accomplished over the last twelve months, and the accomplishments CCNRD will be aiming for in 2022. Road Ahead In 2022, CCNRD will continue its work to improve water quality by focusing on impaired stretches of the Belle Fourche River and Donkey Creek, according to its plan of action....
Keyhole State Park Superintendent Wade Henderson updated on conditions at Keyhole Reservoir, closing out the year. With varying thickness of four to six inches, Henderson warns guests, "Use extreme caution venturing out on the ice. You can walk on it, but I would keep vehicles off of it – I don't think the ice is quite there yet." Several pressure ridges and spots of open water can be seen from shore. Henderson cautions those who choose to walk on the ice, to pay attention to these weak p...
As of January 1, 2022, Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails will begin collecting sales and lodging taxes to comply with Wyoming State Statutes 39-15-101 and 39-15-201. Tax rates vary by county and will be collected on fees for overnight camping, annual camping permits, reservations and overnight rental facilities such as cabins, lodges, yurts and treehouses. “Wyoming State Parks has worked closely with the Department of Revenue to determine where taxes need to be applied to our fees in order to comply with state law,” Deputy Dir...
With the advent of winter on the reservoir, Keyhole State Park superintendent Wade Henderson talks about what to expect on the water this season. Temperatures in the Keyhole Reservoir have been reading in the high 30s as the fishing season enters December, however, diehard fishermen are not stymied by the lack of ice. "We still have people out and about who are fishing as the weather permits, catching walleye, crappy and pike, but everything else, right now, is kind of slow," notes Henderson....
