THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2018
108TH YEAR/ISSUE 24
Rohrer to become principal of Powell Middle School Sleep, who was away from school with health issues, Curtis said. “Mr. Rohrer was kind of yle Rohrer will soon drop “assistant” from his thrust into the position. He job title at Powell Middle basically acted as principal for a number of weeks throughout School. Beginning this summer, the school year,” Curtis said, Rohrer will lead the school as adding that Rohrer had to solve some difficult issues durits principal. ing that time. “He has demon“He really just strated for the past proved that he had six years at Powell a great cool head, a Middle School that calm demeanor and he makes a positive was really thoughtdifference in that ful and approached school every day,” each problem as a said Jay Curtis, true professional,” superintendent of Curtis said. “He Park County School was able to keep District No. 1. “… that building going We have 450 kids as normal.” KYLE ROHRER in that school, and Rohrer called it a he can name every single one of them and greet good learning experience and said it gave him insight into them by name.” Rohrer said he takes pride what the job entails. “It definitely was a preparain knowing kids’ names and values those connections. tion year for making that tranEven though his job responsi- sition,” he said, adding that it bilities are changing, Rohrer made him more confident and said he’ll still make interacting comfortable with the position. Rohrer called it a dream job. with students a priority. “I still want to see them After growing up in Worland and living in Arithrive inside of zona for a while, the classroom Rohrer said he and outside of realized how the classroom,” ‘He’s got some Rohrer said. really great fresh great Wyoming is and wanted to “They’re our move back. clientele, so we ideas on how to “Powell was need to let them take that middle my number one,” know they’re valschool to the he said. ued.” Rohrer was The Powell next level ...’ hired to teach school board Jay Curtis at Southside Elunanimously apSchool superintendent ementary School proved Rohrer’s in 2011, and then transfer to the principal position at its meet- became assistant principal/ athletic director at the middle ing last week. He will replace Jason Sleep, school in 2012. Rohrer said he will miss who’s becoming the district’s assistant superintendent in working with Sleep, calling him a wonderful mentor and July. During this school year, a man of integrity who always Rohrer demonstrated his leadership skills in filling in for See Rohrer, Page 3 BY TESSA BAKER Tribune Features Editor
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to the Backyard
INSIDE TODAY’S TRIBUNE
Bill Pickett, natural resources manager for the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, and Ryan Bradshaw, a range technician for the Bureau of Land Management, put together a dart filled with a vaccine that will help control birth rates in the Pryor Mountain wild horse herd. Tribune photos by Mark Davis
ARMED WITH VACCINATIONS, LOCAL OFFICIALS SEEK TO CONTROL GROWING POPULATIONS
CHASING WILD HORSES BY MARK DAVIS Tribune Staff Writer
T
he four mares and a foal moved slowly as they browsed through Mustang Flats, with at least two ears up at all time. Joseph — a magnificent stallion of colonial Spanish descent — followed his mares, keeping a wary eye on the horizon. They were being pursued. Bill Pickett, natural resources program manager for Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, was trying to get within 30 yards of a beautiful young mare known as Icara, hoping to hit her with a dart loaded with contraceptives. But the band knows Pickett. He and Bureau of Land Management Range Technician Ryan Bradshaw usually put on several stalks a day, often covering 8 miles or more. They’re almost always alone on the stalks, watching for rattlers and hoping for a good shot at mares on their priority list. Leery and lean from a long winter, the horses only paused shortly for occasional bites of grass and snow. It was a hike for Pickett to reach them near towering peaks west of Wyo. Highway 37 on the Montana side of the recreation area. As he closed in on the band, every step was placed with intent.
A mare seemingly taunts biologists Tuesday as they attempt to vaccinate Icara, a mare in the Mustang Flats. The band is new, led by the stallion Joseph, and consists of six horses, including a colt named Sorcerer. And at every opportunity Pickett hot-footed it, stretching his stride, seemingly effortlessly, to reach surprising speeds through washes and across the rocky flats without startling the horses.
Tuesday was the first time Bradshaw and Pickett worked together, but they’ve been on the same mission since 2012 — working to administer the contraceptives to control the size of wild horse herds.
‘A successful day for us is vaccinating one horse. Some days we only get one, some days seven. There’s more to it than people might think.’
“A successful day for us is vaccinating one horse. Some days we only get one, some days seven. There’s more to it than people might think,” Pickett said. Along with the BLM, the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service work together to help control numbers in the Pryor Mountain herd’s 30,000acre range outside of Lovell; it runs through the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, BLM land and the Bighorn National Forest. The Appropriate Management Level (AML) for the Pryor herd is between 90-120 horses; the current official count is 155. While it’s too many, the problem is minor compared to most places in the country where wild horses thrive. The AML for all of the habitat in the U.S. is about 26,000 horses, but there are more than 78,000. There are also more than 50,000 horses in the BLM’s long-term storage facilities, costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars each year. The BLM has the lead in the partnership. Jerrie Bertola, program leader for the BLM’s wild horse and burro program in Montana and South Dakota, is concerned about the growing
Bill Pickett, Natural resources program manager
See Horses, Page 8
N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C ’ S M A R K J E N K I N S P R E S E N TAT I O N
Climbing expedition to Egypt becomes more for Wyoming writer After a couple of assignments in less than ideal conditions, Jenkins was in search of a warm-weather adventure to recharge his n climbing vernacular, a “first ascent” is batteries. A conversation with a climbing buddy piqued his interest: Hidden deep in the culmination of one’s climbing career. the mountains of the Sinai It identifies the climber Peninsula were enormous as a pioneer: The first to acwalls and domes of red grancomplish and document a ‘We tend to ite, all but unknown to the difficult route up a face of imagine so many climbing community. One granite or a crag of mountain, places as being wall in particular had stymied where the risks and challengJenkins’ friend; the challenge es often far outweigh even the dangerous and to conquer it sealed Jenkins’ most experienced climber’s impossible, but decision to make the trip. patience and tenacity. When a “I had been in the cold for a first ascent is finally achieved, there are all these year almost, between winter, the climber usually gets to oases of peace and then a trip to Tibet and then name the route he or she used harmony that we on assignment to Alaska,” he to get to the top, and it will forever be known as such in don’t hear about.’ said. “I was like, ‘Gosh-darn it, I never even got a summer.’ climbing circles and field So I wanted to get out and guides. Mark Jenkins do something that was much It was the promise of such Writer more climbing-intensive, with an adventure that drew National Geographic writer and University of less stress. I wanted a journey without an Wyoming’s writer-in-residence Mark Jenkins to South Sinai in Egypt last November. See Jenkins, Page 2
BY DON COGGER Tribune Sports/News Editor
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A pair of climbers walk ahead of their camel as they trek toward their destination in the mountains of the Sinai Peninsula. The climbers were part of an expedition led by Mark Jenkins, National Geographic writer and writer-inresidence at the University of Wyoming. Courtesy photo
INSIDE ♦ PHS TRACK PREVIEW: PAGE 9 ♦ MISSOULA CHILDREN’S THEATER: PAGE 13