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Kristen Gunther

Kristen Gunther grew up with a passion for public lands, beginning with the state park and waterways that surrounded her family’s home in Harford County, Maryland. After she finished her undergraduate study at Bowdoin College in Maine (with one detour to Tanzania), she moved to Wyoming as an AmeriCorps volunteer and fell in love with the state’s wild places. She completed an MFA in creative writing at the University of Wyoming in 2012, followed by a PhD in UW’s Program in Ecology in 2017. Her doctoral research focused on improving science communication for ecosystem managers who apply technical concepts on the ground. In 2017, she became the March for Science’s director of strategy. At MFS, she worked to unite hundreds of partner organizations and more than a million marchers worldwide under one nonpartisan mission as well as to create tools for local activists, develop a permanent network structure and strategy, and mobilize supporters. Kristen lives in Lander with her husband, Rusty, and their melodramatic bird dog, Gus.

Wyoming poised to safeguard big game migrations

Posted on by Kristen Gunther

DECEMBER 2019 UPDATE: We eagerly await the draft of the Governor’s executive order, and we anticipate that it will arrive this month. In the meantime, we’ve continued our advocacy to support the three officially designated mule deer migration corridors in the state (Baggs, Sublette, and Platte Valley), as well as turning our attention to the two corridors next in line for designation (the Sublette pronghorn, or “Path of the Pronghorn,” and the Wyoming Range mule deer). The coming year will hold many opportunities for Wyomingites to get involved in the management of and advocacy for migration corridors, so if you’re interested in mule deer, pronghorn, and/or elk, we’d love to hear from you!

Nobody knows the value of Wyoming’s wildlife more than the people who live here. It was Wyoming residents and leaders — across the spectrum — who initiated the West-wide stakeholder plan to protect the Greater sage-grouse, and now Wyoming is poised to do the same for big game migrations.

This summer, Governor Mark Gordon convened the Wildlife Migration Corridor Advisory Group made up of citizens who represented oil and gas, mining, agriculture, conservation, recreation and hunters, as well as a county commissioner and a Wyoming Game and Fish Commissioner. The Wyoming Outdoor Council contributed extensively to the discussion and made recommendations on behalf of the conservation community.

The Outdoor Council’s recommendations to the advisory group

Among our recommendations, which were grounded in the best-available science and sought to establish balance, we suggested that the group protect corridors through legally-binding oil and gas lease stipulations to guide development on public lands. We also supported efforts to create collaborative, voluntary approaches to conservation for landowners, investments in wildlife-friendly infrastructure, and to reaffirm the independence of the Game and Fish Department as the authority managing wildlife for the people of Wyoming.

Safeguarding our migrating herds requires stronger coordination between public and private stakeholders, among state agencies, and between the state and federal government. We echoed what the Wyoming public overwhelmingly believes: we can have responsible energy development without sacrificing our wildlife.

We echoed what the Wyoming public overwhelmingly believes: we can have responsible energy development without sacrificing our wildlife.

– WYOMING OUTDOOR COUNCIL

The group’s consensus: a state-level solution for development

We were impressed and heartened by the depth of engagement on this committee, and appreciated a frank, ongoing discussion with the citizen stakeholders charged with creating recommendations. While ultimately the group did not choose to recommend oil and gas lease stipulations, the group’s recommendations chart a new path forward to achieve balance. After lengthy negotiations, the group recommended a state-level process that would empower Wyoming decision-makers to shape on-the-ground development, ideally allowing our state to ensure that migrating herds are not harmed by development and other forms of habitat fragmentation. 

The stakeholder consensus was not to manage habitat at the federal level, but to ask Governor Gordon to develop an Executive Order — patterned after the sage-grouse executive order — that gives Wyoming clear legal authority to site development outside of sensitive habitats. In this framework (like the sage-grouse framework), the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission would work with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to manage siting of proposed oil and gas development projects, and ensure they are placed in areas that do not impede corridor functionality or connectivity. 

The recommendation language reflects the group’s understanding of the best available migration science, and the group’s recommendations are very clear that migration corridors—especially the most sensitive portions such as stopover and high use—are vital  habitat. Therefore, the group recommended that the state should operate under the presumption that development will not occur in these particularly critical areas unless sound evidence suggests that development could be accomplished in a manner that will not harm wildlife habitat. 

Other recommendations

The group created a wealth of recommendations about many land use and management challenges distinct from oil and gas development. These include: 

  • Establishment of local working groups to provide insight, feedback, and access to local knowledge associated with identified corridors;
  • More proactive engagement from landowners;
  • A change to Wyoming law requiring commercial-electrical generation solar and wind power projects be reviewed by the Industrial Siting Council to ensure they do not impact the functionality of corridors;
  • Requests for funding for wildlife-friendly infrastructure and habitat work (e.g. invasive species); and
  • Consensus to prevent recreational infrastructure within corridor habitat.

Will this approach work?

Migration routes cross multiple types of landscapes with multiple governing authorities, and therefore cannot be conserved with a single overarching action. Rather, conservation requires ongoing collaboration and dialogue — the kind embodied by the advisory group’s negotiations. We believe the committee’s recommended approach, if executed well, puts Wyoming in the driver’s seat. That means we have the chance to achieve the real balance that Wyomingites overwhelmingly wish to see: protection of migratory herds and vital habitat alongside responsibly-conceived and sited development projects. The future of our big game herds — and our outdoor heritage —  relies on getting this right.

And we think that Wyoming is well-positioned to get this right. But not everyone is on board with the group’s recommendations for a path forward.

Migration legislation: an end-run around citizen consensus?

One legislative committee, prompted by industry interests who are dissatisfied with what the citizen stakeholder group recommended, is currently considering a bill that would hamper science-based wildlife migration corridor management. This committee’s approach seeks to remove the Game and Fish Department’s authority to identify corridors, and could open the door to higher levels of development within corridors, contrary to what the stakeholder group recommended. 

The Outdoor Council is  tracking these efforts and working with partners to oppose this approach. We support the Governor’s citizen advisory group and their recommendation for a sensible, balanced, and science-based approach. In the coming weeks, we will share further information about how to engage with this committee to oppose this bill, which will be considered in late October. 

Finally, it’s important to remember that the solution that the Governor’s group recommended to address oil and gas impacts is implemented at the development stage, after a lease has been sold and a proponent wishes to drill. We think that’s a workable solution to manage habitat, and an executive order should give the state more leverage to ensure that federal management actions will dovetail with our state-level plan. In this time of widespread leasing, however, we will also continue to work at the federal level to fight back against leasing in these habitats in the first place. As Wyomingites, we know that some things simply aren’t for sale. 

If we wish to secure a future that conserves large, intact landscapes and robust migratory big game herds, Wyoming must ensure that development happens on our terms. We believe that it’s not only possible to create a balance between conservation needs and energy development, but that it’s critical. The implementation of this advisory group’s recommendations will be a l turning point, and a key step in defining our state’s future. Once we lose migration corridors, that’s it — they’re gone. We must get this right. 

Stay tuned for more information about opportunities to support conservation of corridors.

We’re on the move to support our migratory mule deer

Posted on by Kristen Gunther

Migration is hard work for Wyoming’s mule deer, especially for the thousands that move 150 miles each way between their winter range in the Red Desert and their summer range in the slopes of the Hoback. Muleys have to contend with weather, disease, predators, fencelines, and human traffic across an increasingly fragmented landscape. One thing they don’t need more of? Challenges that pose a life-or-death threat by closing off or destroying critical habitat — especially when mule deer populations statewide have declined by more than 30 percent in recent decades.

That’s why the staff of the Wyoming Outdoor Council has been on the move this spring and summer, too, working to support these selective critters by advocating good wildlife policy that defends their future. 

SURFING THE GREEN WAVE INTO SUMMER

During late spring and early summer, we joined friends in Lander, Rock Springs, Laramie, and Casper to “Surf the Green Wave” into summer. We were thrilled to see so many of you at these events! Together, we explored the latest science, chatted policy and land management challenges faced by our deer, and talked about how you can take action to support Wyoming’s muley herds (which you did!). We also replicated a mule deer migration by “pub crawling” to various “stopovers” — those places along migration routes harboring the highest quality green “groceries” — and celebrated with our version of high-quality summer forage: a special beer brewed by our friends at Square State Brewing in Rock Springs! 

Thanks to the many, many volunteers, hosts, donors, and members who made these events possible, including Pedal House in Laramie and Backwards Distilling in Casper.

ADVOCACY UPDATE: GOV. GORDON’S MIGRATION ADVISORY GROUP

Your commitment to learn about and take action for mule deer has been essential as we’ve engaged with Gov. Gordon’s Wildlife Migration Advisory Group, which began meeting at the end of June. This eight-person citizen group, comprised of Wyomingites from a range of backgrounds, has been hard at work this summer. The group is considering scientific, conservation, policy, and economic data as it crafts a recommendation for the governor about how Wyoming should manage migration corridors. 

The Outdoor Council had the opportunity to present to the group on July 8 on behalf of the conservation community, and we worked diligently to represent the hopes and concerns you’ve shared with us about the state’s mule deer. I was honored to be able to talk about our conservation priorities for migration corridors and our recommendations for protecting migrating big game — especially mule deer. The committee’s conversations afterward were thoughtful, and I came away encouraged about the prospect of a strong, Wyoming-based solution for our migratory big game.

TAKING ACTION TO SUPPORT OUR MULE DEER

The committee’s final meeting will be held in Pinedale on August 12 and 13. If you are able to attend, we would love to see you there. Watch your inbox for information about the meeting and how to participate. 

Also, the state offered several oil and gas leases in migration corridors this month — including some in critical stopover habitat. We’d like to ask that these leases be canceled until stronger rules — already in development through the Governor’s task force — are in place to make sure that mule deer corridors aren’t harmed. Join us in asking the State Board of Land Commissioners (a group which includes Gov. Gordon) not to approve the sale of seven leases in corridor and stopover habitat.

Speak Up For Mule Deer

FINALLY: Do you want to get your hands dirty and help support the world’s longest mule deer migration?

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the Rock Springs Bureau of Land Management are organizing a habitat improvement project on Saturday, August 10. Volunteers are needed to help replace fence. It’s a big job with some heavy lifting involved, and will help migrating mule deer access a key stopover in the Red Desert to Hoback corridor. If you’re interested in joining WOC staff to volunteer, please email me: kristen@wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org. We’ll provide a WOC t-shirt or hat to anyone who volunteers, and will help arrange carpools to Farson! More details about the volunteer day can be found at this link. 

Thank you for being a passionate advocate for Wyoming’s mule deer and other big game! Your voice is making a difference as we strive to negotiate a permanent conservation solution for our iconic migratory herds.

WOC’s legislative interns take the capitol!

Posted on by Kristen Gunther

Conservation had some great wins at the 2019 legislative session! In addition to the creation of our first-ever Wyoming Public Lands Day, we saw the passage of several important bills that better fund and protect our natural resources. Plus, every bad bill that we opposed was defeated.

Wyoming Outdoor Council staff spent many weeks and many long hours in Cheyenne — and in addition to the support of citizens and partner groups, a big part of our success was the incredible team of legislative interns who joined lobbyists Steff Kessler and Kristen Gunther. Three interns each worked for a week, researching, testifying, and keeping track of the legislative action to sharpen their skills as citizen conservation lobbyists.

We asked them to share their experiences, in their own words:

Mary Grace Bedwell

I am a second year graduate student pursuing my Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming. I’m originally from Alabama, so working closely with the people who cultivate policy in my new home of Wyoming was a new and exciting experience. After working with WOC at the legislature, I feel energized and empowered to make a difference in Wyoming and beyond.

WOC intern Mary Grace Bedwell takes a selfie with Chairman Hans Hunt and Greg Cook (Department of Revenue)

My favorite moment came when, during a House Agriculture Committee meeting I was attending, I realized that one of my favorite family friends and my cousin’s college roommate were in the same room with me! Not only was it awesome to see these folks I hadn’t seen in years, but it was amazing to realize just how interactive and easy to access the legislature is in Wyoming.

The lessons I learned through my brief internship will have lasting impacts on my life and my career. I found joy and invigoration in advocacy that I plan to take with me in my future. I cannot speak more highly of the experiences I had working with WOC. I have always wanted to work to save the world, and if more folks were as motivated and driven in what they do as the amazing individuals I had the pleasure of working with, then doing just that will be much easier.

Jason Hill

Prior to participating in the legislative lobbying internship, I’d also taken part in WOC’s Conservation Leadership Institute. It was in this class that I hoped to gain a better perspective, as a new resident, of Wyoming’s conservation landscape and to develop a better sense of what drives policy decisions. This is important to me because I see the impact of Wyoming conservation policies in my work at NOLS.

WOC intern Jason Hill

As a legislative intern, I learned how civic engagement can occur beyond the scope of voting, volunteering, or other direct service efforts that many of our nonprofits engage in.

During my internship week, Kristen and I pulled senators off the floor and asked them to vote against SF 148, Federal facilities seizure, a bill we opposed because it would supposedly allow the state to seize control of important public lands and resources like Yellowstone National Park. After speaking with a couple of senators together with Kristen, she turned me loose to lobby a few lawmakers on my own. That experience, as well as later testifying in a committee meeting, made me feel the most like a real lobbyist.

This experience allowed me to explore policy in the context of the legislative session, which is grounded in recognizing that policy work also happens outside of session. Working with stakeholders, building relationships, and creating an environment where policy can be given meaningful consideration occurs year-round, every year. It’s long-term work. It’s the work that calls for us, too, as citizens, to help shape our communities.

Rhiannon Jakopak

When I followed the legislature in previous years, I found it overwhelming and confusing. I frequently found myself wondering what opaque acronyms meant (“CoW,” anyone? That’s “committee of the whole” — i.e. the entire body of the House or Senate) or wondering whether I had the most up-to-date version of a bill. Before my WOC internship, I certainly did not feel confident in my ability to participate in the legislative process.

WOC intern Rhiannon Jakopak hard at work in the field.

As a scientist, I want to be able to independently draw my own conclusions, and as a citizen, I want to be informed and involved in legislative processes. After completing the legislative internship with the Wyoming Outdoor Council, I feel empowered to engage in policy work because I have a dramatically improved understanding of how the legislature works. During the brief time that I followed Kristen and Steff around the Capitol, I observed how bills were shaped by careful discussions regarding fine minutiae of language and legal considerations.

I also had the opportunity to testify in a committee meeting on SF 87, a bill that could have improved instream flows for fisheries. It was there that I learned how receptive legislators can be when people show up to voice their concerns. When I stood up to provide testimony, I was nervous that the room would be hostile and uninviting. However, both legislators and members of the audience were attentive and listened as I — someone who was clearly not a “policy person” — spoke, even though it was the final committee meeting of the day and was well after 5 p.m. When the committee adjourned, a few folks came up to me and offered encouragement and congratulated me on speaking.

I am encouraged by the experience, and better prepared to take part in policy work, both as a scientist and as a citizen. I’m using the lessons I learned, and I happily share my newfound knowledge regarding the legislative process with others.

Interested in joining WOC for a week at the 2020 legislative session? Learn more on our  “careers” page!

Learning the art of advocacy

Posted on by Kristen Gunther

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Citizen advocates converge for WOC’s inaugural Conservation Leadership Institute

On a November evening at the Lander Library, Mike Burd, a sportsman and trona miner from Green River, spoke to a group of 17 students about the value of partnerships. More than a decade ago, when labor union leaders sat down with hunters and conservationists to discuss potential oil and gas development in the Wyoming Range, they all agreed about the need to protect this special area.

“We all wanted a clean environment, safe places to live, and some places set aside from development,” he said. Despite having wildly different backgrounds and experiences, the key to success, Mike suggested, was finding common ground.

For the students, his advice wasn’t just conceptual. This was a session of the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s first Conservation Leadership Institute, a free eight-week course designed to introduce aspiring grassroots leaders to the tools of organizing, and to help build stronger connections with one another.

History and goals

WOC’s CLI was modeled on a program created by the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance. We tailored the program for Fremont County, bringing in experienced Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribal leaders as speakers, recruiting a variety of conservation and outdoor recreation stakeholders in the region, and distilling lessons from advocacy practices from around the state. CLI introduces emerging advocates to the basics of organizing, from leading a successful meeting to crafting a letter to the editor, and emphasizes community and relationship building, especially within the group.

Our syllabus was made up of eight action-packed weeks covering everything from Wyoming’s election laws to effective communications. We also asked each student to workshop a project to test concepts learned in class.

WOC’s first CLI class

Lander was ready for a program like CLI — the class filled in a matter of days. The 17 students who enrolled represented a range of experiences, backgrounds, ages, and connections to Wyoming. Some students were new to Lander and wanted to meet like-minded community members; others had deep Wyoming roots and wanted to build skills to support their passions. Their diversity is evident in their array of projects (see some examples on page 9).
The eight weeks were packed with guest speakers and information — covering everything from how to run a Facebook page to tips for approaching legislators about a policy issue.

Guests, too, represented a range of experiences, coming from groups such as the Wyoming Education Association, The Wilderness Society, and the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association. There was plenty of opportunity for fun, too. Students practiced short, fast pitches before experienced Wyoming lobbyists and learned the basics of campaign planning through a Lord of the Rings framework. (“One does not simply walk into Mordor.” Before setting off to reach a goal, you must analyze the landscape, gather allies, and make a plan of approach.)
One success of CLI 2018 was the connections students made with one another. Their mutual support and friendships will strengthen their projects and their communities into the future. To us, that’s the most valuable lesson: advocacy in Wyoming is all about building relationships and finding common ground.

Interested in CLI? We’re planning for 2019! Email Kristen Gunther —
kristen@wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org.

Image: Claire Cella

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Wade Lippincott, who owns a roofing company and lives in Thermopolis, is forming a collaborative group to conduct recreational planning and development in Hot Springs County.

Eryn Pierce, NOLS’s art director, is building a grassroots network of local artists to volunteer time to advocacy or nonprofit groups in Fremont County.

Skyler Dixey, executive director of the Wind River Native Advocacy Center, wants to enhance the effectiveness of the group’s outreach and programs.

Aaron Foster, district supervisor of Fremont County Weed and Pest, wants to improve local participation in the “Play, Clean, Go” campaign to reduce the spread of noxious weeds.

Luke Stacy, a Creative Energies employee, is volunteering with the Wyoming Wildlife Federation to expand their Hunters for the Hungry food donation program.

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Last chance to comment on important Fremont and Natrona County public lands

Posted on by Kristen Gunther

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Since June 2016, a group of Fremont and Natrona County citizens​ have met to negotiate the future of the eight Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) and other lands in the two counties. As part of the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative, these nine volunteers represent interests from agriculture, energy, recreation (both motorized and non-motorized), conservation, county commissions, sportsmen, and the general public. The management recommendations they make will be passed to the Fremont and Natrona County Commissions before inclusion in a public lands bill. This final bill will be a package sponsored by Senator Barrasso at the Congressional level and will include other recommendations from other county-level initiatives taking place around the state.

Now is your last chance to weigh in as a local on the fate of these important public lands. This is your last chance to ask for strong conservation protections for Sweetwater Rocks, the Sweetwater Canyon, the Dubois Badlands, Whiskey Mountain, Copper Mountain, and the Lander Front.

To share comments with the committee, you have two options (and we encourage you to do both!):

  1. Submit written comments to fcpli.comments@gmail.com by 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 21.
  2. Attend the final advisory committee meeting on Thursday, June 28 – the last meeting before the group forwards their recommendations to the Fremont County commission.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 28
6 p.m.
Fremont County Courthouse
Commissioners’ Chambers
450 N. 2nd St. #200
Lander, WY 82520

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What are the draft recommendations?
What should be improved?

For a brief review of the recommendations thus far, check out these simple guides to the committee’s draft package and what crucial conservation improvements we suggest you can include in your comments.

We want to encourage the committee to prioritize the unique values of these landscapes and call for the protection of the rugged, backcountry qualities of places like the Dubois Badlands and Sweetwater Rocks. Assigning those areas special designations such as wilderness or National Conservation Area will ensure they are managed in the future just as they are today. We’d also like the committee to explicitly prohibit mineral extraction in important areas such as Whiskey Mountain and on the Lander Front, and to ban the creation of new roads on landscapes that are currently Wilderness Study Areas. The committee has recommended that about 6,000 acres of the Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness Study Area be designated as wilderness — we suggest that you support wilderness on the Sweetwater Canyon in your comments.

The Fremont advisory committee is also recommending that the Bureau of Land Management look for appropriate places to add new motorized recreation trails, and we want to make sure that areas like Copper Mountain aren’t considered for that kind of development. However, we do want the committee to strongly suggest that public access to public lands is protected and improved as a part of this recommendation package.

How do I make a strong comment?

Get to the point, but also personalize your perspective. Speak about how these specific landscapes are important to you and how they keep you living and working in Wyoming. Be specific about the management you support for these landscapes, and highlight any recommendations or possible changes that you can’t get behind.

In the last few weeks, it’s been heartening to connect with so many powerful conservation voices around Wyoming as we work to inform stakeholders about the details of this recommendation package. Conservation advocates in Lander, Dubois, and Casper have been working together — and together, we can make our voices heard and ensure that our treasured public lands remain wild and protected long into the future. I hope to see many of you in Lander next Thursday! And please, email me if you have any questions.

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New to the Team: Kristen Gunther

Posted on by Kristen Gunther

Hello! I’m Kristen Gunther, and I recently joined the Wyoming Outdoor Council staff as a Conservation Advocate. I’ve long admired the Outdoor Council’s powerful legacy of conservation work throughout Wyoming, and I am thrilled to join this wonderful team.

Though I’ve lived in Wyoming for almost a decade, I grew up in Maryland, near the top of the Chesapeake Bay, in the middle of a forested state park cut through by a river. The opportunity to explore public lands built my perspective of the world, even as I watched my historically rural county face increasing development pressure. By the time I departed for college, hillslopes I remembered as family farms had been paved over. It taught me how quickly you can lose touch with the legacy of a landscape, and that you can’t take open spaces and functioning ecosystems for granted. You have to fight for their future.

After completing an undergraduate degree in English, environmental studies, and biology at Bowdoin College, I moved to Cheyenne as an AmeriCorps volunteer in 2009. I fell in love with Wyoming immediately, delighting in its wide open spaces and hidden nooks. I spent most of my first couple of years in the state hiking, climbing, and camping. I laid awake all night by Crazy Woman Creek listening to the roar of the snowmelt-powered stream. I picked my way down the Outlaw Cave trail to eat lunch in one of the Hole-In-The-Wall Gang’s hideouts. I snowshoed and mountain biked in the Laramie Range, spent my first day learning to untangle a fly rod near the shadow of Elk Mountain, and learned to love getting chewed up by the rough granite of Vedauwoo.

In 2010, I moved to Laramie to pursue graduate study in creative writing. After I finished my Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Wyoming, I chose to return to science and pursue a PhD in ecology at UW with a focus on improving science communication. In particular, I was interested in strengthening communication between ecosystem scientists and the rangeland managers who incorporate emerging insights from research into new management practices on the ground. I spent much of my PhD in conversation with ranchers, Extension agents, local elected officials, Weed and Pest staff, and other decision-makers and stakeholders around the state.

That experience deepened my passion for Wyoming’s heritage and honed my appreciation for the ties that our communities have to the landscape.

It also made my commitment to advocacy stronger, and I increasingly found new footing for my belief that grassroots organizing has the power to create meaningful change. Most recently, in January of 2017, I worked on a global scale as a member of the national March for Science team. After a history-making march, I continued to serve as Director of Strategy, building lasting infrastructure to empower grassroots science advocacy and developing ongoing campaigns to connect supporters with their elected officials. The success we’ve seen from advocacy at multiple scales over the last year has helped further my dedication to empowering locally-driven engagement. It has shown me what can happen when a group of diverse stakeholders and communities come together to articulate a shared, transformative vision.

That’s why I’m so excited to join the Outdoor Council as a Conservation Advocate. I will be working directly with communities around the state on the conservation issues that unite us: protecting our public lands and the vibrant ecosystems that make Wyoming unique. I’ll also work to make sure we effectively communicate our conservation priorities to elected officials at all levels. I want the voices of Wyoming conservation advocates to be effective in decision-making that affects the quality of our environment and the future of our wild spaces.

Wyoming’s rugged beauty, vast public lands, and stunning array of habitats and ecosystems are unlike anything else in the world. Our communities live and work on these landscapes. They define our past, present, and future. I’m honored and excited to join a team committed solely to the enduring protection of Wyoming’s environment and quality of life.