Open Spaces

Open Spaces episodes:

• 04.26.2024

  Elk feedgrounds, comic strip controversy, and more

  Today on the show, Wyoming is the only state to feed elk every year depending on snowpack. A newly finalized plan gets the ball rolling for reimagining what that might look like going forward. A federal agency wants to revoke...

  
• 04.19.2024

  Best of 2024 so far!

  Today on the show, the newsroom is celebrating our successful fund drive with some of our favorite stories from this year so far. The FBI started a new initiative to gather more data about cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous...

  
• 04.12.2024

  Wolves, small town funding, and more

  Today on the show, recent allegations of wolf abuse in the southwest part of the state have drawn attention from around the world. A massive operation by animal rescue groups has given 10 West Bank dogs a new life in...

  
• 04.05.2024

  Young voters, painted wind turbines, and more

  On today's show, we check in with both political parties on how they are hoping to get young voters more involved. We’ll hear from the Senate reading clerk about his job reading all of the bills in the Wyoming Legislature...

  
• 03.29.2024

  Open Spaces Presents: The Cheyenne Roundup

  Today on the show, we hear the final recording of Wyoming Public Media’s and WyoFile’s podcast that keeps track of the Wyoming legislative session: the "Cheyenne Roundup." A special guest helped moderate the discussion - you may recognize him from...

  
• 03.22.2024

  Government spending, land-grant universities, and more

  Today on the show, we follow along as a Shoshone elder teaches a younger tribal member the Shoshone language. White supremacist trolls have been interrupting the Laramie City Council with hateful, antisemitic comments. And, the University of Wyoming Symphony Orchestra...

  
• 03.15.2024

  UW swimmers remembered, entrepreneurship in the state, and more

  Today on the show, the University of Wyoming mourned and remembered three UW swimmers that were killed in a car crash at the end of February. Casper is home to Wyoming’s only remaining procedural abortion clinic. Its existence is threatened...

  
• 03.11.2024

  Open Spaces: Wyoming Chronicle

  This week, we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS' "Wyoming Chronicle." A young park ranger came to Wyoming and established the state’s chapter of Women Who Hike. And an energy efficient house designed by University...

  
• 03.01.2024

  Open Spaces, March 1, 2024

  Today on the show, two-thirds into the Budget Session, we look at why some lawmakers and advocates are frustrated with how it started. One bill that didn’t get killed early on would ban most forms of gender-affirming care for minors....

  
• 02.23.2024

  Open Spaces, February 23, 2024

  Today on the show, a national group that casts doubt on climate science was allowed to speak at the state capitol during the legislative budget session, and leadership wasn’t impressed. The FBI has a new initiative to gather more data...

  
• 02.16.2024

  Open Spaces: Wyoming Chronicle

  This week, we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS' "Wyoming Chronicle." We check in with an author who wrote a book about the history of Wyoming and its role in the American West. It partially...

  
• 02.09.2024

  Open Spaces, February 9, 2024

  Today on the show, WyoFile and Wyoming Public Radio political reporters preview the upcoming legislative budget session. Maybe you’ve noticed your electricity bills going up. Well, state lawmakers are trying to address that in some bills they’ve drafted. When it...

  
• 02.02.2024

  Open Spaces, February 2, 2024

  Today on the show, this spring, shed antler hunting is going to look a bit different. Wyomingites will be the only ones allowed to hunt for the first week. Members of a comedy group in Jackson find community – and...

  
• 01.19.2024

  Open Spaces, January 19, 2024

  Today on the show, a new federal energy forecast predicts 2024 could be a landmark year for energy transition. An Eastern Shoshone MD/PhD student is the star of a short documentary film that’s been nominated for the Sundance Film Festival....

  
• 01.12.2024

  Open Spaces, January 12, 2024

  Today on the show, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie dropped out of the Republican presidential race and took a jab at Wyoming senator John Barrasso on the way. We’ll hear how Wyoming’s U.S. delegation responded. A new book takes...

  
• 01.05.2024

  Open Spaces, January 5, 2024

  Each year, Wyoming Public Radio’s newsroom produces countless stories for this show, helping to paint a picture of the state of Wyoming each week. Today our journalists look back into 2023’s Open Spaces vault of stories and choose their favorite....

  
• 12.22.2023

  Open Spaces, December 22, 2023

  Today on the show, Wyoming’s only avalanche center, based in Jackson, is trying to bring together snow observations from community members in the eastern half of the state. This past year, Make-A-Wish Wyoming granted a pretty unique wish. And we’ll...

  
• 12.15.2023

  Open Spaces: Wyoming Chronicle

  This week we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS’ "Wyoming Chronicle." This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. We hear from the current director. And, Aaron Mulkey is a...

  
• 12.08.2023

  Open Spaces, December 8, 2023

  Today on the show, the University of Wyoming's head football coach is retiring after 10 seasons. Craig Bohl brought consistency and toughness to the program and delivered some huge wins. We’ll have more on Craig Bohl’s legacy. Wyoming has the...

  
• 12.01.2023

  Open Spaces, December 1, 2023

  Today on the show, an alleged child assault in a Cody elementary school has parents saying the safety systems that are set up aren't working. Wyoming Rocky Mountain Power customers will see their bills go up again in January. But...

  
• 11.24.2023

  Open Spaces: Wyoming Chronicle

  This week, we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS' Wyoming Chronicle. At one point, the Wyoming Cowboys were an NCAA Division One baseball team. And Jeff Houston was one of the best players they had....

  
• 11.17.2023

  Open Spaces, November 17, 2023

  Today on the show, we’ll talk with a Palestinian student at the University of Wyoming who lives in dread of phone calls bearing bad news about his family from the war in Israel. Plus we check in with a University...

  
• 11.10.2023

  Open Spaces, November 10, 2023

  Today on the show we hear the first of many stories that we’ve compiled from last summer when the nonprofit Storycorps hosted an oral history project in Cheyenne with veterans. We’ll hear a mom and daughter remembering their family member...

  
• 11.03.2023

  Open Spaces, November 3, 2023

  Today on the show, a companion film to Ken Burns' "The American Bison" series follows the return of bison to Indigenous land. Mike Rowe, of Discovery Channel’s "Dirty Jobs" fame, recently spoke at Casper College about the importance of trade...

  
• 10.27.2023

  Open Spaces: Wyoming Chronicle

  This week we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS’ "Wyoming Chronicle." Almost everyone in the state has a story of hitting wildlife while driving or a really near miss. How some in the state are...

  
• 10.20.2023

  Open Spaces, October 20, 2023

  Today on the show, the Endangered Species Act became law 50 years ago. Since then, hundreds of species have been put under its protection. Wyoming and the West are home to many of them. We’re taking time this week to...

  
• 10.13.2023

  Open Spaces, October 13, 2023

  The bison, also known as the American buffalo, is an iconic animal of the West. But its path has been a fraught one. We’re going to take a look back at reintroducing bison in Wyoming. We look at why the...

  
• 10.06.2023

  Open Spaces, October 6, 2023

  On today’s show, we remember Mathew Shepard - a gay University of Wyoming student murdered 25 years ago this month. His death impacted Laramie, Wyoming, and the nation, symbolizing the oppression and violence faced by gay and other marginalized Americans....

  
• 09.29.2023

  Open Spaces, September 29, 2023

  Today on the show, we go to a public meeting in Big Piney where the Bureau of Land Management discusses its draft plan for managing federal land in southwest Wyoming. And there’s a lot of misinformation. We will hear about...

  
• 09.22.2023

  Open Spaces, September 22, 2023

  Today on the show, many people who hunt and fish are using new technology to connect with private landowners. In Teton County, a new nonprofit will offer low-cost legal help to the growing immigrant community. And, the feds announced more...

  
• 09.18.2023

  Open Spaces: Wyoming Chronicle

  This week, we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS’ Wyoming Chronicle. The United States Constitution was signed in Philadelphia in September 1987. 234 years later, we visit Sheridan High School to hear the students in...

  
• 09.08.2023

  Open Spaces, September 8, 2023

  Today on the show, Wyoming ranchers, lawmakers and conservationists met to discuss the future of the state’s water. Ukrainian refugees are calling Jackson home while they wait for the war to end. But, for some, leaving their country meant growing...

  
• 09.01.2023

  Open Spaces, September 1, 2023

  Today on the show, we hear about a group of women who climbed Wyoming’s second-highest peak to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the mountain’s first known female ascent. And about cyclists and hikers from across the world who are following...

  
• 08.25.2023

  Open Spaces: Wyoming Chronicle

  This week, we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS’ Wyoming Chronicle. If you’re a fan of Wyoming football or basketball you’ll recognize the voices of these two... We’ll hear from the University of Wyoming’s sports...

  
• 08.18.2023

  Open Spaces, August 18, 2023

  Today on the show, finding an immigration lawyer is difficult for Wyomingites looking to gain citizenship. But a new program from UW’s civil legal services clinic is trying to help solve that problem. Electric long-haul semi trucks are hitting the...

  
• 08.11.2023

  Open Spaces, August 11, 2023

  Today on the show, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency recently visited the Cowboy State. We’ll hear a conversation about why he came and what he did. The Laramie City Council recently approved the creation of a police advisory...

  
• 08.04.2023

  Open Spaces: Wyoming Chronicle

  This week, we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS’ Wyoming Chronicle. We learn how employers can help and support their employees with disabilities. And the Frontier Auto Museum in Gillette has some pretty interesting memorabilia.

  
• 07.28.2023

  Open Spaces, July 28, 2023

  Today on the show, we’ll hear about a new program the Riverton Police Department is proposing to address issues around crime and policing there. And we’ll hear how Wyoming is revising its areas of protection for sage grouse in hopes...

  
• 07.21.2023

  Open Spaces, July 21, 2023

  Today on the show the federal government is spending billions on infrastructure projects, including ecosystem restoration. A look at what those dollars are buying for one Wyoming project. Wyoming is taking its first try at how to manage elk feedgrounds...

  
• 07.07.2023

  Open Spaces, July 7, 2023

  Today on the show, farm and ranch lands across the West are facing many threats. Now, the federal government is pushing to preserve more agricultural open spaces. Wyoming is exploring renewable energy projects as a way to continue being a...

  
• 06.30.2023

  Open Spaces, June 30, 2023

  This week, we asked our reporters to look back on the year so far and submit their favorite stories. We learn about cowboys in Italy that have a unique connection to American cowboys. We make a stop at one of...

  
• 06.23.2023

  Open Spaces: Wyoming Chronicle

  This week, we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS’ "Wyoming Chronicle." On this week’s show, we meet a Wyoming native who helped build the James Webb Space Telescope. He says his uncle intrigued him at...

  
• 06.16.2023

  Open Spaces, June 16, 2023

  June is Alzheimer's Awareness Month so we speak to one organization on how they work with the community. We observe a mass shooting training in Powell to better prepare separate departments to communicate and work with each other. It’s been...

  
• 06.09.2023

  Open Spaces, June 9, 2023

  Today on the show, uranium mining may be ramping up across the West as the U.S. looks to transition more of its energy production away from fossil fuels. A look at how more mining could impact our region including how...

  
• 06.02.2023

  Open Spaces: Wyoming Chronicle

  Today on the show, we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS’ "Wyoming Chronicle." On this week’s show, we go behind the scenes of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra with music director Christopher Dragon.And back in 2019,...

  
• 05.26.2023

  Open Spaces, May 26, 2023

  Today on the show, a grizzly bear was mistakenly killed near Cody earlier this month. Are black bear hunters educated well enough? As the Colorado River shrinks, one of its largest reservoirs is at a record low. Before Lake Powell...

  
• 05.19.2023

  Open Spaces, May 19, 2023

  Today on the show, it's the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, a landmark and sometimes controversial law in the world of wildlife conservation. Extreme weather events are affecting birds’ migration patterns, so University of Wyoming researchers recently began...

  
• 05.12.2023

  Open Spaces: Wyoming Chronicle

  Today on the show, we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS’ Wyoming Chronicle. On this week’s show, we meet a photo outfitter who goes out to the backcountry with photographers looking for wildlife. And we...

  
• 05.06.2023

  Open Spaces, May 5, 2023

  Today on the show, Yellowstone’s east entrance is now open and the superintendent is hoping for a normal year. Teton County continues to grapple with funding new housing efforts – and local advocates are working to help people with disabilities....

  
• 04.28.2023

  Open Spaces, April 28, 2023

  Today on the show, one of the main utilities in Wyoming is proposing an increase in rates because of unforeseen costs largely due to extreme weather. Plans to track spending for visitors and participants at this year’s National High School...