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Wyoming Outdoor Council Launches New Website in Its 50th Year

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For Immediate Release
January 13, 2017

Media Contact:

Chris Merrill, associate director, Wyoming Outdoor Council, 307.349.7288, chris@wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org

Wyoming Outdoor Council Launches New Website in Its 50th Year

Website makes it easy for citizens to track legislation and contact legislators

Lander, Wyo. — Wyoming’s cornerstone conservation organization, the Wyoming Outdoor Council, has launched a new website to kick off its 50th year and in advance of the state legislative session. The all-new site features easy-to-use tools to help citizens track legislation, contact legislators, and engage in the legislative process, among other things.

Founded in 1967, the Wyoming Outdoor Council is a nonprofit public interest group whose mission is to protect Wyoming’s environment and quality of life for future generations. The organization has operated continuously for 50 years. In recent years, the Outdoor Council has placed a renewed emphasis on fostering citizen engagement with the Legislature and with other government agencies.

“The values of conservation, environmental stewardship, and responsible access to public lands have always been nonpartisan issues in Wyoming, values that nearly all Wyoming people share,” said Chris Merrill, the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s associate director. “In recent years, however, we’ve watched as some legislators have gotten more and more out of step with the mainstream general public on these issues, especially when it comes to public lands and air and water quality. The key to fixing this will be citizen engagement—people showing up and speaking up every way they can, whether it be in person or via email or phone calls. Our new website will help people engage in whatever way works best for them.”

The 2017 Wyoming State Legislative session officially convened on January 10. The Wyoming Outdoor Council urges all Wyoming citizens to engage in the legislative process, regardless of political party affiliation or philosophy.

“We encourage people of all political stripes to use our website and take advantage of the easy-to-use tools to communicate with their legislators,” Merrill said. “With the click of a button you can email legislators and track legislation. The broader the cross-section of people participating, the better off we’ll all be.”

The new Wyoming Outdoor Council website can be found at wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org.

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Share your conservation priorities for the upcoming year

Given the results of the recent local and national elections, we need to hear from you this holiday season as we set our course for 2017.

Here’s how you can take action today:

(1) Respond to our quick, three-question survey here. Your ideas matter. Please take a couple minutes to tell us what you think.

(2) Click here to give to the Wyoming Outdoor Council. President-elect Donald Trump promised during his presidential campaign to dismantle critical environmental protections. If he follows through on even some of his campaign promises, we’ll be facing an uphill battle for the next few years.

There’s a lot we just don’t know yet, but that’s nothing new. We’ve seen many legislators and presidential administrations come and go in the past 50 years—and even in the most precarious times we’ve won for Wyoming. We’re conservation’s home team in Wyoming and that’s an advantage that could make all the difference in the coming years. Regardless of how the winds are blowing in Washington or Cheyenne, the Wyoming Outdoor Council will remain steadfast, energetic, and up to any challenge.

Help us set our course for 2017!

Thank you,

Gary Wilmot, Executive Director

Gary Wilmot

The Wyoming Outdoor Council calendar photo contest: Celebrating 50 Years!

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The Wyoming Outdoor Council Will Celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2017!

Submit your best Wyoming photos for inclusion in the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s 2017 calendar!


Submission deadline is Wednesday, September 21, 2016


Previous calendars have included photographs by some of Wyoming’s best professional photographers, as well as many of its most gifted amateur shooters.

Contest Rules

  • Photographs must have been taken in Wyoming and can include landscapes, lifestyles, wildlife, and people.
  • All photos must be submitted in digital form by email or file sharing tool, or mailed or hand delivered on a USB flash drive.
  • Photos can only be published if available in a high-quality, relatively high-resolution, digital format.
  • Please include your name, address, city, state, zip code, daytime phone number, email address, and description of your photo including where the photo was taken.

Intellectual Property: Your entry to the contest constitutes your agreement to allow your entered photographs, as well as your name and the place the photograph was taken, to be published in the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s calendar and on the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s website to promote the annual photo contest. Photograph entries constitute permission to use the images in this manner with credit to the photographer without monetary compensation. Contest entrants retain ownership and all other rights to future use of the photographs they enter. Use of the entered photos in any other fashion or in any other publications will only occur with permission from the entrant.

TO SUBMIT PHOTOS, PLEASE EMAIL OR MAIL TO AMY RATHKE:

amy [at] wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org

Wyoming Outdoor Council

262 Lincoln Street

Lander, WY 82520

 

Here are some great shots from our 2015 calendar, “My Wyoming:”

(Click any of the images for a larger gallery. Hover over any image to see the photo credit and copyright holder.)

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Media Release: Tom Bell, Renowned Conservationist, to Receive Highest Award from University of Wyoming

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Media contact: Chris Merrill, associate director, Wyoming Outdoor Council, 307.349.7288 (mobile), chris@wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org

Tom Bell web

Founder of the Wyoming Outdoor Council and the High Country News to receive an honorary doctoral degree in May

LANDER — Tom Bell, award winning writer and renowned conservationist, founder of the Wyoming Outdoor Council and the High Country News, will receive the University of Wyoming’s highest award, the honorary doctoral degree, in May.

“Tom Bell is a decorated American hero, a stalwart proponent of democratic society, a role model to thousands of young people, a scientific and critical thinker, and a humble rancher and writer who has dedicated his life to making Wyoming the best it can be,” wrote Emilene Ostlind, communications coordinator for UW’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. “His exemplary military and civil accomplishments have won dozens of national recognitions, and he has, without question, made outstanding contributions to the lives of Wyoming citizens.”

Bell is a Wyoming native and World War II veteran who was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action in 1944. Later that same year he was severely wounded during a mission over Austria by a burst of flak that nearly killed him and caused him the loss of his right eye, for which he received the Purple Heart.

When he returned home he found solace in Wyoming’s wide-open spaces. Bell attended the University of Wyoming where he earned a bachelor’s and then a master’s degree in wildlife conservation and game management. He went on to work for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and taught science in the Lander schools.

Bell grew up on a ranch outside of Lander during the Great Depression, founded the Wyoming Outdoor Council in 1967 and then the High Country News, he said, because he wanted to ensure that conservation had a strong voice in his “beloved homeland.”

He has won many awards for his conservation work, including the Shikar-Safari Club International Award; Wyoming Conservationist of the year in 1970; the U.S. Department of the Interior Conservation Award in 1974; the Daughters of the American Revolution National Conservation Award in 1995; and the National Wildlife Federation’s Award for Conservationist of the Year in 2002. The latter award was established “to honor individuals who have made exceptional lifetime contributions to the cause of conservation.” In 2000 he was selected as one of the 100 distinguished citizens of Wyoming in the 20th Century.

Born out of a lifelong reverence and passion for the natural world, Tom Bell and the organizations he founded have helped shape the history of Wyoming.

“I never hoped for my kids to be millionaires, but I hoped they would breathe clean air, drink clean water, and experience a state wild enough to foster freedom,” Tom Bell said in 2008.

The University of Wyoming will confer its highest award, the honorary doctoral degree, upon Tom and two other recipients during commencement ceremonies in May.

The Wyoming Outdoor Council calendar photo contest: Outdoor Recreation

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This year’s theme: Outdoor Recreation

Submit your best Wyoming photos for inclusion in the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s 2016 calendar!

Submission deadline is Monday, September 21, 2015

Do you have great shots of outdoor recreation in Wyoming? If so, get them published in the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s 2016 calendar.

Outdoor recreation can include just about any outdoor activity that you enjoy, including wildlife viewing. So, yes, please send in your favorite wildlife photos!

Previous calendars have included photographs by some of Wyoming’s best professional photographers, as well as many of its most gifted amateur shooters.

Contest Rules

  • Photographs must be taken in Wyoming and can include landscapes, lifestyles, wildlife, and people.
  • All photos must be submitted in digital form by email or file sharing tool, mailed on a CD or DVD, or hand delivered on a CD, DVD, or flash drive.
  • Photos can only be published if available in a high-quality, relatively high-resolution, digital format.
  • Please include your name, address, city, state, zip code, daytime phone number, email address, and description of your photo including where the photo was taken.

Intellectual Property: Your entry to the contest constitutes your agreement to allow your entered photographs, as well as your name and the place the photograph was taken, to be published in the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s calendar and on the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s website to promote the annual photo contest. Photograph entries constitute permission to use the images in this manner with credit to the photographer without monetary compensation. Entrants retain ownership and all other rights to future use of the photographs they enter. Use of the entered photos in any other fashion or in any other publications will only occur with permission from the entrant.

TO SUBMIT PHOTOS, PLEASE EMAIL OR MAIL TO CHRIS MERRILL:

chris@wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org

Wyoming Outdoor Council

262 Lincoln Street

Lander, WY 82520

 

Here are some great shots from our 2015 calendar, “My Wyoming:”

(Click any of the images for a larger gallery. Hover over any image to see the photo credit and copyright holder.)

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[envira-gallery slug="selections-from-the-wyoming-outdoor-councils-2015-calendar-my-wyoming"]

Civic Engagement in Wyoming Just Got Easier

By Chris Merrill, Associate Director
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We have great news—civic engagement in Wyoming just got a little easier. The Wyoming Outdoor Council website has a bunch of great new tools to help ensure that your perspective is heard on important issues and debates.

Here’s what’s new: You can easily find and contact elected officials. And with just a couple clicks, you can send letters to the editors of up to six Wyoming newspapers at a time. You can also track key legislation, and much more. Watch this video below to take a tour, and go to the website to check it out for yourself: wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org/

Thanks!

Leveling the Playing Field: The Equality State’s Unequal Approach to Air Pollution and How We Can Fix It

“There is an imbalance at work when rules that are known to protect people, our economy, and our environment are available to only a small part of our state’s population. With development coming to some of Wyoming’s most densely populated counties, it only makes sense to learn from our collective experience, and to use that knowledge to get out in front of this new boom.”

Click here or on the image above to read more!

My Wyoming: Winners of the 2015 Calendar Photo Contest!

Here are the winning photographers in alphabetical order:

Phillip Angerhofer—photo across the bottom of February, Homestead near Jireh

Rich Brame (3 images chosen)—inside cover, May inset, and August inset. (Images: (1) Trail bridge in the Winds, (2) Grayling w/ fly rod, and (3) Llama packing in the Winds)

Stacey L. Cannon (2 images chosen)—featured image for April and featured image for September. (Images: (1) Buffalo Bill Lake and (2) Heart Mountain relocation camp)

Scott Copeland (8 images chosen)—January inset, April inset, featured image for June, July inset, featured image for August, featured image and inset for November, December inset. (Images: (1) Muskrat, Flat Creek, (2) Northern Flicker on Aspen, Oxbow Bend, (3) Warbling Vireo Nest, Death Canyon, (4) Hiking in the Winds, (5) Temple Peak reflection, (6) Otters feasting, Oxbow Bend, (7) Otters catching dinner, and (8) Skiing on the Lander Front.)

Rob Fischer—back cover image, Sweetwater County rodeo.

Addie Heintz (2 images chosen)—June large inset, October large inset. (Images: (1) Mule Deer in the Bighorns, and (2) Fishing on the Little Bighorn).

Donna Johnson—September large inset, Yellow-headed blackbird.

Kathy Lichtendahl (4 images chosen)—featured image for January, featured image for March, featured image for July, and featured image for December. (Images: (1) Bald eagle in flight, Absaroka/Beartooth Front, (2) T Lake, Beartooth Mountains, (3) Ghost trees, Absarokas, and (4) Pilot Peak, Absaroka Range)

Albert Lipsey—featured image for October, Moose battle in the Gros Ventre.

Eric Perez—featured image for May, Fishing the Powder River.

Ron Salyer—featured image for February, Bison in the mist, West Thumb.

Dave Showalter—March large inset, Pronghorn in the snow.

Nena Trapp—cover image, Tetons framed.