3.6 magnitude earthquake hits Wyoming - 26 mi E from Jackson, WY - Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 03:01:27 PM at epicenter

MAP

3.6

2010/01/23 22:01:27

43.512

-110.249

2.5

WYOMING

Distances

• 38 km (24 miles) NNE (17°) from Bondurant, WY
• 42 km (26 miles) E (84°) from Jackson, WY
• 44 km (28 miles) E (79°) from Rafter J Ranch, WY
• 335 km (208 miles) NNE (23°) from Salt Lake City, UT

Antelope are roaming Cheyenne, Wyoming neighborhoods early this year in search of food and shelter

Weather pushes big game into city

CHEYENNE - The pronghorns are in town early this year.

While it is not unusual for pronghorn antelope to come into Cheyenne and Laramie during the winter, folks at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said it is unusual for it to happen this early in the winter weather season.

They are, of course, looking for food and shelter, which is more readily available in town than out on the wind-blown plains.

Antelope have created some traffic hazards in Cheyenne.

"People just need to take their time and be careful" when they spot antelope on or near the street, said Cheyenne police Sgt. Nathan Buseck.

There haven't been any accidents, he said, and any traffic problems with the pronghorns have been "very minor" so far.

He said antelope have been in the area of Miller Elementary. A group have been roaming the neighborhood between Eighth Avenue and Pershing Boulevard and Evans and Central avenues.

In one subdivision in Laramie, more than 100 antelope have been chewing on trees and tall grass, according to The Associated Press.

"Wildlife are best enjoyed from a distance," said Bob Lanka, a regional information and education supervisor for the Game and Fish Department.

That is the first thing to keep in mind.

Approaching wildlife raises their metabolic rate and results in more energy being expended during a time when they need it.

The early cold weather has likely caused a higher rate of mortality among the pronghorns already, he said, though there is no data yet.

There are no laws against feeding big-game animals that wander into the city, said Scott Smith, city spokesman.

But feeding wild big-game animals is not a good idea, Lanka said.

Feeding concentrates wildlife, enhancing the spread of disease, attracting predators and diminishing the fear of people so that they may become more aggressive. Improper food also can cause illness or death.

For those who want to help decrease big-game mortality in winter, Lanka suggests:

-- Keep your distance and leave wildlife alone.

-- Keep pets confined and do not allow them to chase wildlife.

-- Slow your vehicle down, especially on icy roads and at dawn and dusk. Big-game animals forage near roads and regularly cross them in search of food.

-- Make fences as wildlife friendly as possible by allowing animals to move either over or under more easily.

The department has a brochure on fencing and wildlife available at regional offices.

-- Consider having one pasture where livestock will be confined in winter and leaving the rest of your gates open so that wildlife can move through if you own a ranch.

-- Pick up bailing twine, loose wire and other things wildlife may become entangled in.

http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2009/12/11/featured_story/01top_12-11-09.txt

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) | Second Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train derails within 24 hours

Associated Press - September 27, 2009 3:25 PM ET

A Burlington Northern Santa Fe train hauling coal in Wyoming derailed Sunday morning, marking the second time within 24 hours that trains belonging to the railway company went off the tracks.

Spokesman Gus Melonas says investigators at the derailments in Wyoming and Montana have ruled out sabotage but have not determined an exact cause.

The Sunday derailment on a side connection near Gillette involved 21 coal cars. Melonas says all the cars remained upright with no spillage, and that crews are working to put the cars back on the track.

He says the main line for hauling coal out of the Powder River Basin is still operating.

On Saturday afternoon, 13 freight cars on the Montana Hi-Line derailed 57 miles east of Glasgow. One was carrying metam sodium, a corrosive liquid and pesticide. Melonas says the car remained intact, but is off the track and its contents will be transferred to another car.

That line reopened Sunday morning.