Year: 2026

April marked the Month of the Military Child, a month where military youth are recognized for their courage, sacrifices, and service to their communities, country, and their world. While navigating childhood and pre-adolescence can be challenging for all youth, military youth face additional challenges as their families serve. must they be recognized for their resilience and service. The University of Wyoming Extension recognizes and appreciates how much these youth do for their communities.

The University of Wyoming’s Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems (IMAGINE) has released two short films highlighting cheatgrass management efforts in Carbon and Sublette counties. These films are the latest installments in an ongoing seven-part series highlighting collaborative efforts to “defend the core” from invasive annual grasses like cheatgrass, medusahead, and ventenata.

The University of Wyoming Extension has re-opened its Plant Diagnostic Clinic, which assesses plant samples that may harbor diseases. Based in Laramie but serving communities statewide, the Plant Diagnostic Clinic supports county extension educators and community members by diagnosing possible diseases in any type of plant, including houseplants, turf, row crops, forages, and even trees.

The Wyoming State 4-H Foundation awarded more than $74,000 in scholarships to Wyoming 4-H’ers attending the University of Wyoming or a Wyoming community college in the 2026 – 2027 academic year. The scholarship committee awarded approximately $41,500 to first-time winners, says Steve Mack, Wyoming State 4-H Foundation director.

For those interested in connecting with local artists and agriculturalists, the University of Wyoming Extension will lead a series of free self-guided Ag & Art tours from May through September. The first Ag & Art event takes place in Natrona County Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “We had a great season last year and are excited to bring this event to five counties this summer, kicking things off [in] Natrona County,” says Hailey Sorg, Wyoming’s Jay Kemmerer Outdoor Recreation, Tourism and Hospitality (WORTH) Institute extension educator.

Wild bumble bees are in decline, and various parasites may be a major cause. But there hasn’t been any data on whether Wyoming bees have parasites and to what degree—until now. Amy Storey, a University of Wyoming third-year master’s student in zoology and physiology, shed light on her research when she took center stage at the recent Wyoming Chapter of the Wildlife Society meeting in Sheridan.

Four University of Wyoming graduate students have been awarded prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships. Alex Kurtt, Collin Porter, and Lena Wigger, all graduate students in the UW Department of Zoology and Physiology, and Josephine Walton, a UW master’s student in molecular biology, will each receive one of the nation’s most highly competitive awards for graduate studies. The fellowships are awarded to graduate students who are pursuing research-based degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station (WAES) commended faculty, staff, and students at an annual awards banquet in Laramie Thursday, April 9. WAES is the research arm of the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources.

The University of Wyoming welcomes Professor John Derek Scasta, director of the Laramie Research and Extension Center, as interim director of UW Extension. Prior to his current role as director of the Laramie R&E Center, Scasta served as UW Extension’s rangeland management specialist for more than a decade. He will assume his interim appointment with UW Extension Monday, April 27, following the departure of current director Mandy Marney.

The University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources (CALSNR) recognized outstanding educators and staff members at an annual awards banquet in Laramie Thursday, April 9. “Each year, we celebrate the exceptional accomplishments of faculty and staff within the college of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources,” says CALSNR Farm Credit Services of America Dean Kelly Crane. “Our college excels because of their undeniable passion, innovation, and hard work.”

Palmer amaranth and other weedy species in the amaranth family pose a growing threat to agricultural operations across the West, with a new invader—waterhemp—first documented in Wyoming last summer. Seven amaranth species, including both native and non-native species, have been observed in Wyoming so far.

Beginning Thursday, April 30, the University of Wyoming Extension will host a free six-part webinar series focused on preparing for, responding to, and recovering from wildfire. The weekly series, delivered via Zoom, will discuss topics ranging from how to reduce household fire hazards to community preparedness and understanding how wildfire can impact livestock, wildlife habitat, and public health.

Nearly every conversation I have had lately with anyone from long-time Johnson County ranchers to new-to-the-area home gardeners has eventually found its way to the unusually dry and warm winter we have experienced so far.

Bailey Yeager’s path to conservation began at the Johnson County Fair, where showing sheep taught her responsibility, animal care, and the value of community support.