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Lisa McGee

After graduating from Miami University in Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, Lisa worked as a ranger naturalist in both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. In 2004, she graduated with honors from the University of Wyoming College of Law, where she focused on public lands and natural resource law. She served as a law clerk for a superior court judge in Anchorage, Alaska before returning to Wyoming in June 2005 to direct the Outdoor Council’s national parks and forests program. The majority of Lisa’s work has focused on oil and gas leasing and development proposals on the Bridger-Teton National Forest’s Wyoming Range. Lisa became the Outdoor Council’s program director in 2013, a position she held for nearly four years before becoming Executive Director in late 2017. She lives in Jackson with her husband and son.

Come work with us! The Wyoming Outdoor Council is hiring a summer intern.

Posted on by Lisa McGee

We are pleased to offer a unique summer internship in 2015. The internship is designed to provide a future conservation leader the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of environmental and natural resource issues and protection in Wyoming. The Conservation Intern will also learn about environmental advocacy, and the ways in which the Outdoor Council seeks to effect change and achieve its mission of protecting Wyoming’s environment and quality of life for future generations.

We are accepting proposals for projects that would be relevant to our work and meaningful to the applicant. These research projects could culminate in GIS mapping, a short video documentary, a legal or policy research paper, or other work products. We encourage creativity. Applicants should review the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s scope of work, which can be found on our website.

In addition to this focused work, the Conservation Intern will work alongside multiple staff members who engage in a variety of issues such as oil and gas leasing and development, federal land-use planning, policies for sagebrush ecosystems and sensitive species such as sage-grouse, air and water quality protection, and initiatives to address climate change. The intern will become knowledgeable about substantive environmental issues in Wyoming and will also gain insight into the workings of a nonprofit conservation organization.

Download a PDF of the full job description, or read more here.

 

 

Good news for Francs Peak, Wood River, and the Dunoir

Posted on by Lisa McGee

We have great news on the Shoshone National Forest! As a result of a national-level review, the United States Forest Service has issued instructions that the Shoshone manage Francs Peak, Wood River, and the Dunoir areas to retain their wild, backcountry characteristics.

Earlier this year we objected to last-minute changes to the Shoshone’s new revised forest plan, which would have allowed motorized use in Francs Peak and Wood River and would have weakened protections for the Dunoir. The Forest Service itself identified these three areas as having the very highest wilderness potential on the forest, and while none has yet been recommended for wilderness, all will now be managed to safeguard their values, which include some of the finest wildlife habitat and recreational landscapes in Wyoming.

Francs peak is considered one of the highest ranked potential wilderness areas by the Shoshone National Forest.
Francs peak and the surrounding land is considered one of the highest ranked potential wilderness areas by the Shoshone National Forest. Photo: Brian Sybert

As many of you know, the existing forest plan was finalized in 1986 and the process to revise it has been a long one. The Wyoming Outdoor Council has been at the table from the start and with the support of our members we have worked hard to ensure that the Shoshone’s backcountry character is protected.

Much of our focus during this plan revision has been to ensure strong safeguards are in place to avoid impacts from oil and gas surface development. We were extremely pleased that in the final draft plan the vast majority of the Shoshone has been deemed “unsuitable” for this use. We anticipate these good revisions will remain.

We are grateful the Forest Service listened to our concerns about Francs Peak, Wood River and the Dunoir and are excited that these protections will be incorporated into the final forest plan. We will be sure to update you when we know more.

Happy holidays,

Lisa McGee, program director