ARIZONA

New jaguar spotted in wild

The spots gave it away. Just like a human fingerprint, the rosette pattern on each jaguar is unique so researchers knew they had a new animal on their hands after reviewing images captured by a remote camera in southern Arizona.

The University of Arizona Wild Cat Research and Conservation Center says it’s the fifth big cat over the last 15 years to be spotted in the area after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The animal was captured by the camera as it visited a watering hole in November, its distinctive spots setting it apart from previous sightings.

The team is now working to collect scat samples to conduct genetic analysis and determine the sex and other details about the new jaguar, including what it likes to eat. The menu can include everything from skunks and javelina to small deer.

As an indicator species, Susan Malusa, director of the center’s jaguar and ocelot project, said the continued presence of big cats in the region suggests a healthy landscape but that climate change and border barriers can threaten migratory corridors. She explained that warming temperatures and significant drought increase the urgency to ensure connectivity for jaguars with their historic range in Arizona.

More than 99% of the jaguar’s range is found in Central and South America, and the few male jaguars that have been spotted in the U.S. are believed to have dispersed from core populations in Mexico, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

WYOMING

Governor presents budget

CHEYENNE — Gov. Mark Gordon presented his proposed 2027-28 biennium budget, titled “The Essentials,” to lawmakers for the first time this year during a Dec. 1 Joint Appropriations Committee meeting.

The proposed budget, totaling $11.1 billion, has increased by an average of 3.5% per year since 2019, closely tracking the overall Consumer Price Index, Gordon said.

Gordon noted that 76% of the budget, or $8.4 billion, is directed toward communities, not administrative expenses, for things like schools and hospitals through grants and contracts.

The governor discussed the state’s education funding following a Laramie County District Court judge’s decision earlier this year the state is unconstitutionally underfunding its K-12 public school system. The budget incorporates the legislative interim committee recommendations, including $2.2 billion for school funding and $400 million for school capital construction.

It also calls for mitigating the reduction of federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds to support working families, and recommends increases to ensure care for people with developmental disabilities, boost home health reimbursements for high-needs children and improve access to maternity services.

Concerning employee compensation, the budget proposes raising state employee salaries from their 2022 market value to the comparable market index value of 2024 to combat increasing vacancy rates.

On fiscal stability, the governor proposes dedicating $250 million to permanent savings, splitting the amount evenly between the Permanent Mineral Trust Fund and the Common School Permanent Land Fund. He also recommends leaving approximately $80 million in the Strategic Policy Investment Account.

The legislature’s 2026 budget session kicks off in early February.

MONTANA

Nonresident deer licenses limited

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission has adopted a handful of new deer hunting regulations aimed at reducing hunting pressure on public land and bringing the state’s flagging mule deer population out of a multiyear decline.

During an eight-hour meeting in Helena on Dec. 4, the commission voted to reduce available nonresident deer hunter licenses by about 2,500 licenses for the 2026-2027 hunting seasons. The commission also voted to reduce the total number of deer a Montana hunter can kill in a season from eight to three, and reined in the number of does both resident and nonresident hunters can harvest on public land.

Commission Chair Lesley Robison described the rise in hunting pressure and decline of deer populations as issues she’s been passionate about since she joined the commission, which includes seven governor-appointed members. 

Robinson added that she’s open to revisiting the new policy, which is estimated to reduce Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ license collections by $1.7 million annually, once the department has more clarity on what’s driving deer numbers down. She also acknowledged that the policy will impact small businesses that rely on an influx of nonresident hunters in the fall.

Chris Fortune, with the Mule Deer Foundation, praised the reduction to nonresident licenses, saying that mule deer — populations of which are currently well below 10-year averages across the majority of the state — can bounce back, “but we’ve got to do our part.”

UTAH

Sundance film slate unveiled

Charli XCX is making a trip to the Sundance Film Festival in January. The pop singer-songwriter appears in three films premiering at the 2026 festival, including a mockumentary that she produced and stars in. Programmers on Dec. 10 unveiled a lineup of 90 feature films set for the festival’s last hurrah in Park City, Utah.

The slate includes documentaries on basketball great Brittney Griner, Nelson Mandela, Salman Rushdie, Courtney Love and Billie Jean King. There are starry features with the likes of Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega, Seth Rogen, Channing Tatum, Danielle Brooks, Olivia Colman, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Alexander Skarsgård and Ethan Hawke.

Olivia Wilde directs her first feature since “Don’t Worry Darling,” in “The Invite.” Judd Apatow chronicles comedian Maria Bamford’s mental health journey. And Gregg Araki will be back in Park City with a restoration of his 2004 coming-of-age drama “Mysterious Skin” and a new film as well.

Ever a festival of discovery, of the 90 features culled from 4,255 submissions, 40% are from first-time directors. 

Programmer Kim Yutani said she thinks “Wicker,” about a woman who asks a basket maker to weave her a husband, starring Colman and Skarsgård, will be a big crowd pleaser.

As in years past, the Sundance competition titles will also be available to watch online. This year’s festival will also honor its late founderRobert Redford with legacy screenings and serve as a celebration of its 40+ years in Park City before it relocates to Boulder, Colorado in 2027.

The 2026 festival kicks off on Jan. 22 and runs through Feb. 1.