Caitlin Tan

Latest Stories (13)

When the U.S. Forest Service’s budget shrinks, who pumps campground toilets?

Nov 11, 2024
The U.S. Forest Service is likely facing half a billion dollars in budget cuts from Congress. This means the federal agency will have less money and staff for maintaining public lands. In western Wyoming, a nonprofit is helping fill the gaps.
The freshly cleaned public toilets at a campground on the Bridger-Teton. This is an annual check list item that keeps the toilets usable for visitors. 
Caitlin Tan

Wyoming summer camp tackles "brain drain" with nature

Oct 4, 2024
A kids camp in the Rockies lives out Wyoming’s vision for teaching the next generation of outdoor leaders and conservationists.
Campers tromp around by the beaver pond they are helping restore. Outdoor conservation is a key point for the camp, as its founders hope these kids will learn how to take care of Wyoming’s vast public lands.
Caitlin Tan/Wyoming Public Radio

Bill Gates’ nuclear project breaks ground, marking a new chapter for a struggling Wyoming coal town

Jun 20, 2024
Construction began on the first-of-its-kind nuclear power plant. So far, a coal town in southwest Wyoming is seeing a boost.
Multibillionaire Bill Gates speaks to a crowd at his nuclear company’s groundbreaking near Kemmerer, Wyoming.
Caitlin Tan/Wyoming Public Media

Skijoring brings cowboys and skiers to Western towns, but warm weather leaves the sport in flux

Mar 7, 2024
Many small towns across the Rocky Mountain West depend on the sport for an economic boost during an otherwise slow winter, but this year it's been tricky with unseasonably warm temperatures.
A cowboy and his horse pull a skier off a jump on the Pinedale skijoring course. The fastest time wins.
Caitlin Tan/Wyoming Public Radio

Small ski resorts face uphill battle with snow shortfalls

Jan 8, 2024
As climate change makes winter snowfall uncertain, selling lift tickets gets trickier — especially at smaller, locally owned resorts.
In the past, White Pine ski resort in Wyoming has been able to open by Dec. 1, but this year there was not enough snow for the resort to open by Christmas.
Caitlin Tan/Wyoming Public Media

Wyoming is an EV charging desert. Federal money could help, but the state isn't so sure

Dec 11, 2023
There's an electric vehicle charging desert in Wyoming and private businesses are taking matters into their own hands. The state remains hesitant.
Pinedale Mayor Matt Murdock and OtterSpace President Mike Yin stand in front of the company’s new EV charger just a block off main street. It charges vehicles in about 30 minutes — before this, there was only one charger in town just for Teslas and it took eight hours for a full charge.
Caitlin Tan/Wyoming Public Media

Cyclists and hikers bring life back to an old gold mining town in Wyoming

Sep 18, 2023
A growing number of adventurers are traveling the Continental Divide each summer, bringing a much-needed boost to one community.
Cyclists sit at the wooden bar in the Atlantic City Mercantile. It is an old saloon that was originally built for gold miners, but now sees mostly hikers and cyclists.
Caitlin Tan/Wyoming Public Media

Wyoming, long known as a top coal producing state, makes a big move into wind energy

Jul 31, 2023
A new power line project will transfer Wyoming wind to supply parts of the Southwest with electricity. Wyoming’s focus on renewable energy is a shift from its history with fossil fuels.
Wyoming’s Republican Governor Mark Gordon attended the ground breaking ceremony. Despite the state’s fossil fuel history, he said this project is needed to address climate change.
Caitlin Tan/Wyoming Public Media

New energy projects are coming to small towns. Where will workers live?

Jul 11, 2023
The Biden administration is eyeing nuclear as one solution to ‘clean’ energy, but as a new nuclear plant moves into a rural community in Wyoming, there's another challenge — housing shortages for workers.
Kemmerer, Wyoming is known for both its prehistoric fossils and its fossil fuel industry.
Caitlin Tan for Marketplace

Wyoming school is training students for a new energy future

Apr 4, 2023
A power plant in the offing will need trained workers to build and operate it. A local college has the first power-line program in the state.
A student practices using his harness and spiked shoes to climb a power pole. The Western Wyoming Community College program sets up graduates to get apprenticeships to eventually become journeyman electricians.
Caitlin Tan/Wyoming Public Media