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Field Notes


STAFF FAVORITES: CELEBRATING SUMMER ON WYOMING’S PUBLIC LANDS

Posted on by Max Owens

Staff Favorites: Celebrating Summer on Wyoming’s Public Lands

Summer is here — and if you’re like us, the shift in seasons means it’s time for blissful days on the water, solitude in the high country, hikes through wildflower-blanketed meadows, and otherwise enjoying all that Wyoming’s public lands have to offer this time of year.

Fortunately, with public lands encompassing over half of Wyoming, you don’t have to look far to find your new favorite summertime spot. From way-out-there wilderness to easily accessible trails, crags, and waterways, the possibilities are endless. We asked our staff to share some of their favorite summer destinations across the state, to inspire you to get out there and celebrate Wyoming’s legacy of protected wildlands. Whether your adventures take you to old favorites or new ones, to the public lands in your backyard or further afield, happy summertime exploring!

EXPLORING THE WIND RIVER RANGE

Era Aranow, government affairs manager

Rugged cirques, rolling meadows, and stunning alpine lakes: the Winds have it all. (Including notorious mosquitoes … If you plan an early-season trip, come prepared!) For Era, choosing a single “favorite” destination does a disservice to this vast and diverse range — it’s the exploration that’s meaningful.

Fortunately, explorers have plenty of options to choose from. The range falls within two national forests (Bridger-Teton on the west side and Shoshone National Forest on the east) which encompass three wilderness areas. “It’s always a special feeling to pass that wooden sign and cross into the wilderness,” Era says.

In addition to the Bridger, Popo Agie, and Fitzpatrick Wildernesses, a part of the range’s eastern slope is protected by the Wind River Indian Reservation. In fact, the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes designated the Wind River Roadless Area to prohibit development on 188,000 acres of the Wind River Range in the late 1930s — nearly 30 years before the passage of the 1964 Wilderness Act.

Era in the Popo Agie Wilderness
Sweetwater Gap, which separates the Popo Agie Wilderness from the Bridger Wildernss

Casting a line in the Wiggins Fork

John Burrows, climate and energy policy director

When the temperatures start to climb, it’s time to escape the lowlands and head to the mountains. “I’ll head up to Double Cabin Campground on the Wiggins Fork in Shoshone National Forest to cool off in the July heat,” John says. “It’s a great place to cast a line and a good starting point to explore the Absarokas.”

Just north of Dubois, this section of Shoshone National Forest holds plenty of opportunities, whether you’re looking to fish, boat, day hike, or backpack deep into the Washakie Wilderness.

Did you know? The Shoshone National Forest has roots as the oldest federally protected forest in the country. Its precursor was the nation’s first “forest reserve,” the 1.2 million-acre Yellowstone Park Timberland Reserve, which was designated in 1891 — part of a much-needed effort to prevent the destruction of the West’s remaining forests.

Wiggins Fork, Shoshone National Forest

Family adventures in Dubois Badlands WSA, Dunoir SMU, and the Snowy Range

Meghan Riley, wildlife program manager

For Meghan and her family, the central perk of living in Dubois is an abundance of options for adventures close to home. For late spring and early summer hikes and wildflowers, you can’t beat the Dubois Badlands WSA. Highlights, she says, include spotting mule deer and bighorn sheep and visiting cottonwood and juniper oases set against a backdrop of beautiful red cliffs. But what the heck is a WSA, anyway? “They’re areas that Congress decided might warrant wilderness protection, but they weren’t quite sure yet,” Meghan explains. “The idea is to gather more data and information before either designating it as wilderness, or releasing it.” Because WSA’s are managed as wilderness, they often have qualities similar to those of designated wilderness, such as non-motorized recreation and opportunities for solitude.

Dunoir SMU
Dubois Badlands WSA

For another backyard destination in mid or late summer, Meghan takes her kids hiking and backpacking in the Dunoir Special Management Unit of Shoshone National Forest. This 28,000-acre wildland northwest of Dubois features accessible front country terrain, but still has some wilderness qualities. “We can hike just three miles up the trail and find ourselves in the most beautiful wildflower-filled meadows,” Meghans says.

Finally, if she wants to travel further afield, the Snowy Range is a favorite spot. As a graduate student in Laramie, the Snowies, located in Medicine Bow National Forest, provided a welcome respite from the summer’s heat: “With its easy access and abundant wildflowers, it’s a beautiful place to replenish your spirit when everything dries out down low.”

A marmot in the Snowy Range, Medicine Bow National Forest

cool-water reprieves in Fremont Canyon and tongue river canyon

Carl Fisher, executive director

Carl’s first year on the job has seen him traveling to all corners of the state to meet with members and partners — and occasionally, he’s been able to sneak off with his fly rod to wet a line. The North Platte River’s Fremont Canyon, southwest of Casper, has been a frequent rest stop: With its spectacular granite walls, juniper-spotted hills, and, of course, clear, cold, trout-filled waters, the canyon offers excellent fishing with easy access.

Rather spend the day boating? The canyon is also popular with kayakers and canoers — and Alcova Reservoir is just downstream, too. Or, if you’re a rock climber, the canyon’s walls are dotted with hundreds of established climbing routes.

Another favorite of Carl’s is Tongue River Canyon in Bighorn National Forest, where the Tongue cascades through mountainous terrain dotted with pines and limestone spires. It’s a river he’s had the chance to fish with frequent travel partner Tyler Cessor, WOC’s development director — and the two are itching to get back!

Fremont Canyon
Tyler Cessor in Tongue River Canyon

Scaling Tensleep Canyon’s walls

Max Owens, communications manager

The pocketed limestone walls of Tensleep Canyon hold a special place in Max’s heart. And it’s not just because of the world-class rock climbing: “The expansive views of the plains at the foot of the Bighorns feel classically Wyoming,” he says. “And hiking down from the cliff through fields of lupine and balsamroot, and knowing that I get to do it all again tomorrow, always feels perfect.”

Bighorn National Forest is full of nearby hiking and backpacking options, too — including the spectacular trail to the summit of Cloud Peak, the highest point in the Bighorns. Did you know? This year marks the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Wyoming Wilderness Act, which designated the Cloud Peak Wilderness along with several other Wyoming wildernesses.

Scenic view of Tensleep Canyon in Wyoming with lush sagebrush in foreground and steep canyon walls in middle and background
Tensleep Canyon, Bighorn National Forest

Where are you headed to enjoy Wyoming’s public lands this summer? What are some of your favorite Wyoming destinations and activities? Let us know in the comments!

Field Notes


Help shape the future of public lands in Wyoming

Posted on by Alec Underwood

Help shape the future of public lands in Wyoming

WOC is looking for a public lands program manager to join our growing team.

In Wyoming, we’re fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful landscapes, abundant wildlife, and diverse opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Whether you like to hike, bike, hunt, fish, or birdwatch, there is no doubt that the connections we’ve formed with these special places remains a primary reason many of us live — and travel — here. While enjoying everything Wyoming has to offer is essential to our quality of life, it’s even more essential that we work to protect it for future generations. 

With many competing interests on public lands, growing recreational use, and increased stressors like drought and wildfires, it’s no easy task to ensure that clean water, clean air, wildlife, and the habitats they depend on are protected. Here at the Wyoming Outdoor Council, we are rising to the challenge to keep Wyoming intact and communities thriving for generations to come. 

Through the diligent work of WOC staff, we are helping craft solutions for public lands issues by working with the public and a variety of stakeholders. Excitingly, we’re working to expand our work on public lands as we grow our program team, and are seeking a motivated conservation professional to join us as our Public Lands Program Manager. 

It’s both an exciting and critical time for the future of Wyoming’s lands, waters, and wildlife. Among other duties, you’ll work with our program team to help develop strategies for public lands campaigns and maintain relationships with partners, members, and agency officials to further our conservation goals. In addition to helping shape the future of public lands in Wyoming, you’ll enjoy working with a collaborative team and for an organization that is committed to a healthy work-life balance.

If you have relevant experience and a passion for conservation, come join our energetic team at the Outdoor Council. The deadline to apply is May 10. If you have any questions after reading through the job description below, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

PUBLIC LANDS MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION

Field Notes


Please welcome our new executive director, Carl Fisher!

Posted on by Paul Howard

Please welcome our new executive director, Carl Fisher!

November 29, 2023

Dear friends,

As late November storms blanket much of Wyoming in snow and we transition to winter, the Outdoor Council is in the midst of its own changes. Our search for the right leader to carry our conservation work into the future has concluded — and we’d love for you to join us in welcoming Carl Fisher as our new executive director!

Carl will bring a wealth of conservation expertise honed over many years and marked by a history of collaboration, advocacy, and innovation. In his most recent role as the long-time executive director of Save Our Canyons, a Utah-based organization, Carl forged alliances with communities and organizations to preserve the natural beauty and wildness in and around the Wasatch Mountains. He has also provided leadership on an array of advisory boards and commissions, including the Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and Central Wasatch Commission Stakeholders Advisory Council.

It’s no secret that our work isn’t possible without a deep commitment to the mission — and Carl’s passion for protecting public lands and wildlife while empowering people to stand up for the places they love resonates deeply with the values we hold close to our hearts at the Outdoor Council.

Carl is looking forward to deepening the ties he’s formed with Wyoming communities during many visits to his family — his wife hails from Green River and has deep roots in Lander, where Carl and his family will move. In Carl’s words, they’re like salmon swimming upstream to their points of origin, a relocation that leaves Carl “excited to expand my networks and really engage with the Wyoming community.”

Carl regards community as the vital “currency” that allows for an organization’s success. I believe he’ll be right at home in Wyoming and at the Outdoor Council, where one thing is certain: conservation isn’t something one does alone. As Carl puts it, “The real power comes from bringing people together, establishing a foundation of understanding, and then working through whatever challenges that emerge. I really think there’s an opportunity to do a lot better for our environment, but also to do a lot better for one another.”

We’ve been immeasurably lucky in recent years to be led by Lisa McGee, who’s shepherded the Outdoor Council through many highs and lows — always fearlessly, and always with patience and wisdom. With her departure at the end of the year, and with Carl’s tenure beginning, we’re confident that WOC will remain in extremely good hands.

Carl will officially begin in January. Stay tuned for more details about opportunities to connect with him and learn more about his vision for the Outdoor Council.

With eagerness for this exciting new chapter,

Paul Howard
President, Wyoming Outdoor Council Board of Directors
Cheyenne, Wyoming

Field Notes


Marking a new milestone in the Outdoor Council’s 56-year history

Posted on by Paul Howard

A message from Paul Howard, president of the Board of Directors.

April 28, 2023

Dear friends,

Today is an inspiring time to be part of the Wyoming Outdoor Council. While we still embody the hardscrabble spirit of our founder Tom Bell and those early days as a home-grown Wyoming conservation group, we’ve also matured as an organization.

We have a strong base of passionate and engaged members, a dedicated group of staff, and a committed board of directors. Most importantly, we continue to bring people together to protect this place we love. Public lands, wildlife, clean air, and clean water have a voice in Wyoming thanks to you.

Much of the Outdoor Council’s progress during the last six years has come under the guidance and leadership of Lisa McGee, our executive director. It’s my bittersweet responsibility to announce that Lisa has decided to step away from WOC later this year.

From intern to executive director, Lisa has been a constant at the Outdoor Council for the last 18 years. Lisa first joined the staff in 2005 as a staff attorney to lead our National Forest work. Over the next decade, she and our partners secured lasting protections for the Wyoming Range and parts of the Shoshone National Forest. She took the helm as director in 2017, the year WOC celebrated our 50th anniversary. She and our board of directors set some ambitious goals around this milestone, most of which we’ll realize by the year’s end.

As Lisa told me, “So few people have the good fortune to work for and grow professionally within an organization whose mission they so deeply believe in. I’m honored to have contributed to the Outdoor Council’s mission over these many years. It’s been a joy, and I know the best is yet to come for Wyoming’s conservation community.”

While her departure will be felt by all of us, Lisa is leaving the organization on solid footing. Our conservation advocates are driving meaningful change to protect the Red Desert and big game migration corridors, support Indigenous-led conservation efforts, and help Wyoming communities respond to climate change. We’ve committed to becoming a more equitable organization where all people and perspectives are respected. We’ve strengthened our fundraising capacity and are about to break ground on our “forever home” in Lander.

I’m grateful that another of Lisa’s lasting contributions will be a well-thought-out transition to her eventual replacement. Lisa will be staying with us through the end of September and we, the board, hope to have a new executive director in place this fall. The board will be conducting an exhaustive search to find a candidate who can fill Lisa’s shoes — no easy task.

Please join me and the entire Wyoming Outdoor Council board of directors in wishing Lisa good fortune with her next endeavors and thanking her for her leadership, service, and friendship through all of these years.

Sincerely,

Paul Howard

President, Wyoming Outdoor Council Board of Directors

Cheyenne, Wyoming

Field Notes


New staff member is Outdoor Council’s first Wind River organizer

Posted on by Alan Rogers

The Wyoming Outdoor Council recently welcomed Yufna Soldier Wolf to the staff. Yufna grew up on the Wind River Reservation, has degrees from the University of Wyoming and Montana State University, and is the former director of the Northern Arapaho Tribal Historic Preservation Office. She got involved with the Outdoor Council last summer as part of the FIELD Training conservation leadership program, and now she’s making an impact as our Wind River Organizer.

Tell us a little about yourself 

I was born and raised on the Wind River Reservation. Early on in my life we were taught to dance at pow wows. I learned to dance fancy shawl and we traveled the pow wow trail every summer. While traveling we would stop in areas that were once sacred and, as my dad would say, “important to our old people.” As we traveled the states he would tell us traditional stories of various locations, why those areas are important to us, and that we should never forget. Knowing these stories of the land is important in the modern day. I went as far as high school on the reservation and attended college away from the reservation. My cultural identity helped me gain a perspective on education. I have gone to school nearly as long as I’ve worked, and that is nearly my entire life. Now, I have been accepted to two graduate school programs and am deciding which one I will attend.

What do you love about Wyoming’s outdoors? 

I love Wyoming’s outdoors because in all the vastness and beauty you feel free. Where I live I see deer, moose, owls, sage-grouse — just about every critter Wyoming is known for lives in my backyard. I’ve been to big cities and they are overrated. I like Wyoming because I can fish, hunt, and gather where my ancestors once did. I can carry stories and prayers back to those places and connect in a way that many cannot. I love Wyoming because it is a magical place to see it snow, rain, and watch the seasons. It is the best place to grow strong in determination and grow strong in cultural identity and community. They say this is God’s country, but to carry a big stick because who knows when there might be a mountain lion waiting around the corner! Kidding aside, I love Wyoming. We are isolated enough to appreciate the beauty and still enjoy the day-to-day life that Wyoming has to offer.

What types of projects have you been working on recently?

My job at the Wyoming Outdoor Council is Wind River Organizer. My main job is to bring a tribal narrative to the Red Desert and incorporate tribal involvement into our work. I recently finished a renewable energy project for a Mountain Sentinels fellowship. I researched how tribes transitioned to solar panels and how this would benefit the tribes and others who want to navigate a diverse economy in the future. My solar project was titled “Hiisiisiiceheekuuni Tei’ehiit = Solar Power – Tribal Traditions – Tribal Transitions.” The other projects I am currently working and collaborating on are mainly related to the Red Desert, including Run the Red, a tribal tour of the desert, tribal media training, and getting involved with Citizens for the Red Desert.

Do you see any opportunities for grassroots conservation groups on and off the reservation to work together?

I am currently trying to work on getting these groups to collaborate. I think it’s good to find where tribal grassroots and conservation groups can work together, because they don’t always have the resources to fund their ideas to make impacts on various social issues. I see many opportunities for grassroots groups on and off the reservation to collaborate, exist and honor each other’s boundaries. I see many of those allies who can benefit from each other and learn from one another. I also see how unified we are strong, and alone we struggle. I would love to see the future full of programs and organizations who benefit and honor each other to make a better, safer, and healthier environment for all of us.

Field Notes


Outdoor Council’s latest legal intern fills key role for conservation

Posted on by Claire Cella

The work the Wyoming Outdoor Council does as a conservation nonprofit takes the effort of a group of people with a range of skills, backgrounds, and expertise. Across the state, we have become known for our immersion at the Wyoming State Legislature each year, where our conservation advocates work with lawmakers to help craft and pass some of our state’s most important conservation policy. We’re also known for citizen engagement, which involves the entire WOC team in planning events (in-person and online) that bring our work to you, our supporters, members, and the public.

But beyond these more public-facing endeavors, a lot of our work goes on behind the scenes, quietly and diligently. It is within this work that the Outdoor Council staff attorneys play an invaluable role. And it’s seen in no better place than the small legacy of our legal internship program, which we’ve run informally for about 20 years and which has recruited some of our current staff including Executive Director Lisa McGee and Conservation Advocate John Rader. 

Our current intern is Alex Hamilton, a 28-year-old who is finishing up his law degree — as well as a master’s in Environmental Studies — at the University of Colorado-Boulder. His work so far with the Outdoor Council is proof of the critical role attorneys play in our work and more broadly in environmental conservation. It’s crucial to the watchdogging part of our mission — staff attorneys often are responsible for reviewing pages upon stacks of important legal documents to keep federal and state agencies and lawmakers accountable to their own policies, contracts, management plans, and legislation.

Alex’s particular interest has been in federal land use planning and management, which involves the land under the control of the Bureau of Land Management, the National Forest Service, and the National Park Service. Land use planning and management is the process of regulating the use of land by these agencies to allow for a variety of uses while preserving the land’s natural resources.

“I’m really excited to be working at the Outdoor Council on these particular issues,” he said, “because I’ve been working on the interface of federal and state law while at law school, and this is where WOC’s focus has been, too. With this last year being especially focused on school, it’s exciting to have tangible and meaningful work to do.”

For Alex’s internship, he’s already reviewed how the state of Wyoming has chosen to spend money from the Federal Natural Resource Policy Account since 2015. These funds can be used to take action in response to federal land, water, air, mineral and other natural resource policies, or to participate in environmental review processes.

Alex found that most of the expenditures have gone either to local governments to facilitate their involvement in federal land use planning or to the Attorney General’s office to fund litigation. But what he also found, and why the Outdoor Council was pursuing this research, was that despite the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes paying millions of dollars in taxes to help fund FNRPA, the tribes are not eligible to receive any of these funds. As a result, the tribes must fully fund their own participation in resource planning, while Wyoming counties receive tens of thousands of dollars in support from the state.

After finishing this review, Alex wrote a memo to Rep. Andi Clifford, requesting that the state legislature make the tribes eligible to seek these funds. The hope is to expand access to the account so that the tribes have the same support for engagement in federal land use planning processes that local governments do and so that it honors their vested interests in federal land use. Up until this point, the state has not allowed this.

Alex also has two other projects, both related to water quality issues. He’s reviewing the requirements that give the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality primacy over the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. Primacy means that these state-level agencies like the DEQ have the ability to administer these acts, as opposed to the Environmental Protection Agency. If, however, the state agency isn’t meeting the criteria, the EPA can revoke primacy and begin to regulate these acts. Through his research, Alex is looking to ensure that the DEQ can meet — and is meeting —the requirements by adequately protecting Wyoming’s air and water in compliance with federal law. 

He’s also helping to look into next steps regarding the DEQ’s decision to require surface water quality samplers (such as conservation groups, students, or citizen scientists) to have advanced degrees and other qualifications to collect data for determining surface water quality standards. His research is helping us understand the options the Outdoor Council could pursue with the Environmental Quality Council as well as any potential violations of the Clean Water Act this decision causes.

While Alex admits that delving deep into dense legal cases, regulations, statutes, and other documents isn’t always easy, he knows how important the task is to being a lawyer. It’s like solving a puzzle, he said, and part of that involves getting to understand how certain agencies communicate both internally as well as to the public through these documents.

The tangibility of working as an environmental lawyer is what hooked Alex on the career path initially, too.

“That’s a big part of the reason I’m in this field,” he said.

This path seemed to have been worn in from an early age. Alex grew up on the outskirts of the shores of Lake Tahoe, in Truckee, CA, and proclaims to have always loved the snow (which is a lucky penchant to have when living in the West). He was a cross-country ski racer in high school and went to college in Maine to pursue the sport. It was through ski racing that he was first exposed to the Rocky Mountain West, which he described as “eye-opening.” Although not dissimilar to northern California, the scenery and sense he got looking out many a ski team van window was enough to have an impact. When he graduated with an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies, he was already sure about two things: that he wanted to get back West and he wanted to pursue law.

“I knew that I wanted to work in environmental and conservation from early on in college. I cared a lot about the Mountain West and wanted to work to protect these places that I care about.”

When he graduates in May of this year, he hopes to seek a position with the federal government, perhaps with the National Forest Service as a natural resources planner. He thinks it’s vital that the government uphold its responsibility to the people and to the land, and he wants to be a career employee who dedicates his life to that.

“This experience with the Outdoor Council has really prepared me to have a holistic perspective on the land use planning process as I pursue a position within the federal government,” he said. “I’ve seen first hand how it plays out from an interest group and an advocacy standpoint, and so now I’m able to bring this breadth of understanding to my future career and hopefully facilitate full and fair participation when it comes to land use.”

“I knew that I wanted to work in environmental and conservation from early on in college. I cared a lot about the Mountain West and wanted to work to protect these places that I care about.”

Field Notes


Video: Thank you for supporting the Outdoor Council in 2020!

Posted on by Alan Rogers

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE OUTDOOR COUNCIL IN 2020!

It’s hard to express how grateful we are for the support of Wyoming Outdoor Council members and the greater Wyoming conservation community. During a turbulent year, your dedication has remained constant and been a source of hope and motivation. The staff put together this short video as a virtual thank-you card for all you do.

If you’d like to be part of the Wyoming Outdoor Council community and help make sure our work has a fighting chance in 2021, you can join today or renew your membership.

Field Notes


Wyoming law student puts passion to work as Outdoor Council intern

Posted on by Alan Rogers

Ryan Sedgeley didn’t take the traditional path to law school. Instead, the Colorado native studied photojournalism in Denver, worked at a newspaper on the Oregon coast while living as part of an intentional community, and spent most of the last eight years in and around national parks. 

Ryan — the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s 2020 summer legal intern — is now studying law at the University of Wyoming, and working concurrently toward a master’s degree in environment and natural resources through UW’s Haub School. The willingness to forge his own path may come in handy this fall, as he transitions to online and hybrid classes due to COVID-19.

“I’ll be doing it all online, which has the double benefit of me being able to stay here with my wife and not having to be long distance again,” Ryan said. “Though I’m really dreading 17 credit hours over Zoom.”

Ryan’s wife Nicole is a full-time interpretive ranger in Yellowstone National Park, where the couple currently lives at Madison Junction. Ryan worked as a seasonal ranger himself in 2016, and has volunteered for the park service every summer since about 2012. His upcoming master’s thesis will focus on the Yellowstone bison herd’s migration between the park and Paradise Valley, Montana.

Over the summer, Ryan has worked hand in hand on public lands issues with Outdoor Council conservation advocate John Rader. His first major contribution was researching tribal consultation related to the draft environmental impact statement for the Wyoming Pipeline Corridor Initiative, which seeks to designate a 2,000-mile pipeline right-of-way across the state. 

“The [Bureau of Land Management] is supposed to consult with different Native American tribes on pretty much everything, and have an ongoing relationship with the tribes … and obviously that’s not the case right now,” Ryan said. “In particular with this project, they seemed to really gloss over any kind of engagement with the tribes. They sent out one letter.”

Once the Outdoor Council submitted public comment on the pipeline project, Ryan shifted gears to research the potential impacts of a federal land use plan in southwest Wyoming. Specifically, he’s looked into areas of critical environmental concern, tribal consultation, and how the plan may align with local and state laws. 

After graduating from UW he hopes to stay involved with issues related to bison, or working toward policies that help atone for America’s history of taking lands from Indigenous people. 

“I really just want to have work that is meaningful and makes the world, ideally, a little better or heals some past harms,” Ryan said. “I love the idea of working with our public lands. I’ve been living in and around them my whole life, especially the last eight years in national parks, so those are near and dear to my heart, as are Indigenous issues.”

He and Nicole hope to settle down in the greater Yellowstone region permanently. 

“It’s the place that feels like home to us,” Ryan said. 

The Outdoor Council currently has three attorneys on staff — executive director Lisa McGee, senior conservation advocate Dan Heilig, and John Rader — and offers a legal internship each summer. Lisa and John both started their Outdoor Council careers as interns.

Field Notes


A warm welcome to two new Outdoor Council staff

Posted on by Alan Rogers

This winter we were thrilled to bring Michael Kusiek into the fold as our new engagement director. In that capacity, he’ll work on building relationships with members, the public, and community organizations, as well as spearheading conservation efforts in the Red Desert. He most recently worked for the Outdoor Council on a contractual basis and has over 25 years of experience in health care education and public lands issues. He currently serves on the boards of the Lander Community Foundation and Wyoming Wildlife Federation.

Another welcome addition to the staff is Alexandria Beyer, a native of Wisconsin with a background in outdoor education. Before coming to the Outdoor Council she spent five years as a grant writer, a skill she’s now putting to use as our new development associate. She also worked as a canoe guide in Canada and as an outdoor educator in the San Juan Islands.

We took a few moments to ask them a little about their backgrounds, their experiences in the great outdoors, and what brought them to the Outdoor Council.

What do you love about the outdoors? 

ALEXANDRIA: I love everything about the outdoors — that’s where I feel curious, connected, mystified, peaceful, rooted, and inspired. I feel held and supported in nature, no matter what the weather and no matter where I am. Nature is my wise teacher and honest companion. I just love everything about being outside.

MICHAEL: Growing up, my best friend’s home had the Black Hills National Forest as his backyard; we spent every day after school there. Since then I’ve always felt more at home in the woods than anywhere else. The smell of a lodgepole pine after it has been basking in the sun all day or of sagebrush after a good rain; the view of Wind River Peak when you finally top out on Roaring Fork Pass, and the beautiful cacophony of the Popo Agie River as it cuts through and rushes down Sinks Canyon — these things are what I love about the outdoors.

Any favorite memories? 

ALEXANDRIA: I paddled with a group of youth for three summers in Lake of the Woods, Canada. There were crackling fires, loon songs, pelicans, miles of endless water, over 14,000 islands, gorgeous wild bogs, portages that tested every ounce of my strength, the sound of the paddle dipping and swinging through the water, beautiful outcroppings of granite, and swimming whenever we felt like it. It was just an incredible experience. And what’s more, I had the privilege of sharing this with a group of insightful and curious youth who were often experiencing these things for the very first time.

MICHAEL: Backcountry motorcycle tours are a wonderful way to see wide-open spaces. One of my favorite moments occurred while riding Yampa Bench Road between Craig, Colorado, and Dinosaur National Monument. I was riding through this rugged high desert with giant, sweeping vistas and suddenly, as I turned north, this shocking drop in the road was backlit with vermillion, grey, and white rock formations that came seemingly from out of nowhere. But honestly, every day and any day that I’m in the woods is packed with spectacular memories.

What drew you to conservation work, and to WOC in particular?

ALEXANDRIA: I’ve always sought work that brings people and conservation together. So when I moved to Lander earlier this year and learned that WOC was hiring, I was over the moon for the opportunity. I am grateful to wake up every day knowing that my time and energy are going toward conservation and public lands. 

MICHAEL: In my opinion, the Wyoming Outdoor Council sits atop the list of conservation groups in Wyoming.  Since discovering WOC in the pages of High Country News 20 years ago, it has been clear that WOC leads the charge in making sure Wyoming values live on. I want to contribute to the clean air and water, healthy wildlife, and beautiful landscapes that make Wyoming so wonderful.

What do you want to accomplish in the coming year? 

ALEXANDRIA: Nature is home. As a writer, I have the ability to speak out for people who care about the outdoors, but the best way I can protect it is to inspire others to do the same.

MICHAEL: We are working on protecting important landscapes throughout Wyoming, in particular the Red Desert.  I want to continue to foster awareness for this unique and quintessentially Wyoming place. I believe when folks see special places like the Red Desert, something inside them speaks to them, and almost encourages them to work to protect it. I want to create more moments like that for people.

Why are you excited about the future of conservation in Wyoming?

ALEXANDRIA: Change is a constant, but Wyomingites’ love for their state is also constant. Love and change are great allies in conservation. Undoubtedly, the future is bright.

MICHAEL: People in Wyoming have always cared about the core issues WOC works on every day — and I see more and more energy around protecting those values every day, too. Wyoming people from every background unite in their care for our state.

Field Notes


Welcome to two new Wyoming Outdoor Council staff

Posted on by Lisa McGee

As we start a new year and a new decade, the Wyoming Outdoor Council is even more committed to building relationships — with members, partners, decision makers, and the general public alike — led in part by Kristen Brown, who was promoted to associate director in November, and Alan Rogers, our new communications director who joined the staff on the first of the year. 

Kristen joined the Outdoor Council at the end of 2018 as the membership director after working at NOLS for 11 years. Kristen has a successful history of administrative work for small businesses and nonprofits, and is excited to apply these skills to protect the landscapes she loves. As associate director, Kristen will continue her work to grow WOC’s member base and strengthen the internal operations of the organization. 

Alan comes to the team following a 15-year career in journalism, including eight years as an editor at the Casper Star-Tribune. A love of wilderness and the desire to make enjoying the outdoors a full-time pursuit brought him to Wyoming, and the drive to take an active role in safeguarding those places landed him at the Outdoor Council. As communications director he’ll juggle a variety of tasks, but it all comes down to keeping our members and the public informed and empowered to make their voices heard. 

As Kristen and Alan continue to get settled into their new roles, we pulled them aside to talk about their road to the Outdoor Council and what they have planned for the year to come. 

What do you love about the outdoors? 

ALAN: First off, when I was growing up, being outside was priority No. 1. My dad had been a backpacker and climber during his bachelor days, and my mom grew up being hauled across the country on summer-long camping trips. So outdoor recreation was just the default activity when my brothers and I came along. We camped, hiked, and fished but some of my best times were during elementary school, when I could spend my entire summer vacation catching minnows, frogs, and turtles in our pond with a battle-worn butterfly net. 

KRISTEN: My family didn’t spend a lot of time outside, but every summer we would travel a few hours north to a lake for camping and boating. It was a great escape from city life and introduced me to wildlife (bears, deer, and so many birds) that we didn’t have in my hometown. I loved fishing, swimming, and riding in the boat. The roar of the motor drowned out all other sounds, but I loved the opportunity to be alone with my thoughts. 

Since those childhood camping trips, I’ve grown to love spending time outdoors. My first ever backpacking trip was in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park in southern California. While a short trip, it amazed me to be so far out of sight and sound of other people. I’ve come to cherish those moments and rely on even the memories of solitude to bring peace to my life. In addition to hiking and backpacking, I enjoy long distance cycling, birding, and learning new skills like cross-country skiing. 

ALAN: As an adult, getting outdoors is still my way of recharging mentally. Spending a decade and a half in daily journalism meant that I was constantly connected to technology and being bombarded by negativity. When you’re hiking up a mountain or listening to the swish of your skis that all disappears. 

Any favorite memories? 

KRISTEN: One favorite memory I have is on a backpacking trip with a friend in Kings Canyon National Park in California. I had found a lovely hillside to watch the sunset over the mountain. Downhill from me was a large boulder with a u-shaped slot in it’s top. Not long before the sun went down a yellow-bellied marmot hopped right up onto the boulder and nestled itself on its side right in that slot as if it was a nightly ritual. It looked over its shoulder at me and I like to think it was encouraging me to enjoy the sunset right along with it. 

ALAN: It’s hard to choose one in particular, but a few memories stand out. About twenty years ago I did my first extended backpacking trip, which was a week on Isle Royale National Park in the middle of Lake Superior. It was my first experience in a wilderness area and the first time I ever felt completely removed from civilization. I realized I could be self-sufficient. 

Around that same time I became infatuated with the Wind River Range. It seemed like the most beautiful and remote place I could imagine. When I moved to Wyoming years later I finally got up into the Winds for the first time. I’ll never forget that. Not long after, I asked my wife to marry me in the Cirque of the Towers. Luckily she said yes … it would have been a long walk home otherwise. 

KRISTEN: My son, Rowan, was born not long after we moved to Lander so my favorite memories of Wyoming revolve around exploring with family. When he was little, it was amazing to be able to take a short car ride, pack him in a baby pack, and be hiking up the Falls Trail in Sinks Canyon in no time. Now that he’s older, I’m looking forward to exploring the Winds on longer trips together. 

What drew you to conservation work, and to WOC in particular?

KRISTEN: From a young age I felt a strong connection with wildlife. I poured over my Ranger Rick magazines in my room and in 1987 when the California Condors were being removed from the wild I joined my first conservation organization to support their recovery. I mourned the listing of the Przewalski’s horse and even drafted a letter to President Reagan to make sure he knew it was an issue. So, I guess it’s really no surprise that I ended up studying ecology in college and interned at a local environmental nonprofit. 

ALAN: The main reason I took this step is because I came to realize that enjoying the outdoors and being a cheerleader for conservation wasn’t enough. I always considered myself a conservationist because I valued our wild places and natural resources, and wanted them to be treated with care so they could remain forever. But what difference was I making? Not much. 

KRISTEN: My partner, Eric, and I became members of the Outdoor Council soon after moving to Lander. It was really no question for us, even though we both were making small nonprofit salaries at the time. We knew that WOC was doing the work that would protect wildlife, public lands, and our clean air and water. Being a member of WOC’s community was an important and rewarding way that we could play a part in conservation in Wyoming. 

ALAN: We’re incredibly blessed to live in a country with such a wealth of public land, which we can all enjoy for free. The trade off is that an increasing number of people who recreate in the outdoors does not necessarily translate into more funds for land and wildlife management. And a conversation among friends about clean air and water is not going to influence industry or policymakers. Everyone needs to speak up, and this is my way of doing that. 

There are a good number of conservation groups working in Wyoming right now, and it’s been encouraging to find a real sense of community among them. What I respect most about the Outdoor Council is the focus on results. The staff take real pride in serving as a resource to help other groups and individuals make a difference. And the overriding culture at WOC is that we can best protect Wyoming’s environment and quality of life by bringing people together to find solutions. Conservation issues can be polarizing, but reasonable people can find common ground. In a place as small as Wyoming that’s very important. 

KRISTEN: When an opportunity opened for me to work at the Outdoor Council, I was excited to play a larger role in the WOC community. Early on, it became clear that the staff at WOC is stellar. There are so many committed individuals working together to move our goals forward; it’s really inspiring. Now that I’ve been at WOC for a little over a year, I understand so much more about what goes into meeting our goals. Whether it’s reading legal documents, talking to legislators about upcoming bills, making sure our members and the public know what’s happening around the state, or taking care of the many logistics needed to keep everything running behind the scenes, everyone has an important role to play.

What do you want to accomplish in the coming year? 

KRISTEN: I’m looking forward to playing more of a leadership role at the Outdoor Council. As we continue to grow our team, I hope to provide a base of support for employees so we continue to work well together and do good work for conservation in Wyoming. 

ALAN: I’m transitioning to a completely new field, so I have my work cut out for me. Right now I’m focused on getting up to speed on our advocacy programs, as well as the nuts and bolts of the print and online publications I’ll be responsible for. I have a background in social media management and would like to leverage that to help build more awareness of the Outdoor Council’s work and foster public discussion about the issues. And our advocacy staff does some impressive work outside the public eye. I’d like to help share it with more folks around the state. 

Why are you excited about the future of conservation in Wyoming?

ALAN: Wyoming is unique in that so many people are tied to the landscape in one way or another. And, for the most part, there’s an understanding that what we have here is special. People might have different opinions on how much loss of wildlife habitat is acceptable, or what level of methane emissions can be justified by the economic benefit of an oil and gas project, but at least we’re speaking the same language. 

KRISTEN: We are heading into uncertain times. I don’t know what the future will hold for conservation in Wyoming. We are facing the impacts of climate change at the same time as we are seeing coal companies closing in Wyoming and throughout the country. I think Wyoming has an opportunity to lead the country in the way that we handle our transition away from a carbon-based economy. As a state with a smaller population, I think we can be more nimble, innovative, and forward-thinking. While I don’t know what the answers will be, I am excited to be part of the conversation.

ALAN: I work for a conservation group, but my kids will attend great schools funded by coal royalties. Guys working in the oilfield are probably some of the biggest contributors to science-based wildlife management in the form of hunting and fishing license fees. Our interests are intertwined more than most people realize and there’s so much potential to work together.