Stories from - WYOMING
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At Mortenson Lake Refuge, Using Fire to Save a Toad
"I never thought I'd be burning prairie to help a toad," Felix Valdez said last spring. But that's exactly what he was doing... Read More
Stories from - WYOMING
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Toads on the Range
Fisheries biologist Dave Paddock arrived in 1997 for his first day of work at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Saratoga National Fish Hatchery in Wyoming ready to... Read More
Featured Species in Wyoming
Canada lynx
While their name suggests otherwise, the historic range of Canada lynx extended across the border into northern parts of the contiguous United States from Washington to Maine and down into the Rocky Mountains. A variety of factors contributed to lynx reduced range, notably land use changes with human expansion and a warming climate as possible contributing factors. More »
Canada lynx.
Photo credit: Michael Zahra
Wyoming toad
The Wyoming toad is an extremely rare amphibian that exists only in captivity and within Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming.
Wyoming toad.
Photo credit: David Paddock, USFWS
Grizzly bear
Historically, there were around 50,000 grizzly bears in North America. Today, there are 1,000 to 1,200 grizzly bears remaining in five separate populations in the lower 48 states.
Grizzly bear.
Photo credit: USGS
Black-footed ferret
The black-footed ferret was considered extinct or nearly extinct when a small population was located in Mellette County, South Dakota in 1964. Still, the black-footed ferret remains one of the most endangered mammals in North America.
Black-footed ferret.
Photo credit: Ryan Hagerty, USFWS
Partnership Stories in Wyoming
How Wolves Change Rivers
When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in the United States after being absent nearly 70 years, the most remarkable "trophic cascade" occurred. What is a trophic cascade and how exactly do wolves change rivers? George Monbiot explains in this movie remix.More »
Unique to Wyoming
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The Wyoming toad (Bufo baxteri) is a glacial relict known only from Albany County, Wyoming. It formerly inhabited flood plains, ponds, and small seepage lakes in the shortgrass communities of the Laramie Basin. Similar to other amphibian species, spraying of insecticides to control mosquitoes, changes in agricultural practices, increased predation, disease, and climatic changes have been suggested as causes of the decline.
Photo credit: David Paddock, USFWS -
Desert yellowhead (Yermo xanthocephalus) is a member of the sunflower family, and is only known in Fremont County, Wyoming. The species is restricted to shallow hollows in outcrops of sandstones and limestones of the Split Rock Formation at its junction with the White River Formation. It is threatened by surface disturbances associated with recreation, oil and gas development, mineral extraction, trampling by livestock, and invasive plant species.
Photo credit: Jan McKee, USFWS