Open Spaces

This week, we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS’ "Wyoming Chronicle." Brian Nesvik has been the Wyoming Game and Fish director since 2019. After about 30 years in the department, he’s announced his retirement. We catch up with him as he reflects on his career. And we stay in the Game and Fish department, as we learn about a success story. Undesirable fish were found in a lake in Saratoga but local and federal officials came in to save the population.

Today on the show, Campbell County is part of a national program aimed at strengthening and growing opportunities in local economies shaped by coal industries. The Eastern Shoshone Tribe debuted a new arbor at their annual powwow in Fort Washakie. We’re back with our primary election series - the Road To Cheyenne. We’re taking a look at state House and Senate races in the northwest part of the state and we’ll hear from some voters. And an interview with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Those stories and more.

June 19 marked the 70th anniversary since former Wyoming Gov. and U.S. Sen.Lester Hunt died by suicide in his office in Washington, D.C. Hunt’s political career peaked amid McCarthyism and he himself was targeted politically by McCarthy’s cronies. For many years, details of the political pressures exerted over Hunt were underreported or hidden. Our panelists, including historians, a current state lawmaker and a mental health expert, consider Hunt’s life and legacy, and the throughlines between his lifetime and today.

Today on the show, with Teton Pass out of commission, we check in with businesses and commuters. We visit Kemmerer, where a highly anticipated nuclear power project just broke ground. And we kick off the primary election season with a new series - "The Road To Cheyenne." Every Open Spaces until the primaries, we will keep you updated with what you need to know. Today, the big picture. Those stories and more.

Today on the show, fire managers are anticipating a busy summer after a flurry of spring burns got the season started early. A new program aims to work with Native families to address grief and intergenerational trauma. India’s new consul general for our region met with state officials this week to talk clean energy, tourism and trade. And, a conversation with Governor Mark Gordon about working through disagreement. Those stories and more.

This week, we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS’ "Wyoming Chronicle." Robin Sessions Cooley has had a long career in state government. She was most recently the director of the Department of Workforce Services. Now she’s trying her hand at being a Wyoming District Court Judge. She says her law degree really helped in her most recent job. And we hear from Miss Wyoming USA, Beck Bridger. She's also a sergeant in the US Army.

Today on the show, the first-ever Sportsperson Conservation Forum tackled some of the biggest issues in the field this week. A Wyoming woman whose son was killed for being gay has won the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her advocacy work. A handful of recent federal rule changes target coal. And while the industry has been declining for a while now, Wyoming still heavily relies on it. Those stories and more.

Today on the show, We’ll hear from best selling author CJ Box. He writes stories about wildlife and hunting culture in Wyoming and has thoughts on the recent wolf incident in Sublette County. Wyomingites need solutions for affordable rental housing, and fast. Cheap housing is growing scarce. Preserving posters printed more than 100 years ago can be a challenge, and a new exhibition looks at how to ensure the preservation of Buffalo Bill-era posters. Those stories and more.

This week, we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS’ "Wyoming Chronicle." It’s an election year and there are a couple of new rules. The Secretary of State talks in detail on the new rules and the reasoning behind them. And a vertical farm operation has put roots down in the state and is focused on how to make sure there’s a production method in the world's back pocket for a future where agricultural production is less stable and more expensive.

Today on the show, a conservative student group at the University of Wyoming has become a significant presence in campus politics. Almost a third of families with single moms live in poverty in the state and one organization is helping to change that. And we learn about how a couple decides to buy a record shop in Cheyenne – despite competition from national chains and a tough environment for small shops. Those stories and more.