At the Wyoming Outdoor Council, we recognize that Native Americans’ enduring stewardship of Wyoming’s lands, waters, and wildlife is essential for lasting conservation. Each November, Native American Heritage Month provides extra cause to honor, celebrate, and amplify the contributions of Native Americans. Below, Sandy Whitehair, WOC’s Tribal conservation director, shares her perspective on this special month.
In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed a joint resolution designating November as “National American Indian Heritage Month.” As a person who is an enrolled member of the Hopi Tribe and affiliated with the Dakota/Lakota people, I celebrate my heritage every day by connecting with the land (hunting & gardening), cooking traditional meals, attending community events and gatherings, and supporting Native-owned businesses.
Working alongside WOC staff is meaningful work, because having a Tribal Conservation Program involves raising awareness about ongoing issues facing Native communities across the nation. Every day WOC staff recognize and honor the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho communities by providing space at the table for their voices to be heard, and allowing our Native staff to engage with their people on Tribal-led projects. The truest form of collaboration is allowing Tribal Council and Tribal Members to lead the conversation concerning their challenges, priorities, and concerns.
This month serves as a platform to educate the public about Indigenous history, breaking stereotypes, and sharing Indigenous perspectives or knowledge. During Native American Heritage Month, I encourage everyone to honor the cultural knowledge and contributions that Native Americans bring to science and conservation.
If you’d like to learn more about Native-led initiatives and organizations in Wyoming, visit the links below!
From sprawling desertscapes to vast, forested ranges, the public lands that cover more than half of Wyoming are incredibly varied — and wildly important. Public lands support thriving wildlife populations, host incredible opportunities for recreation and solitude, and are home to uncountable cultural resources.
Advocating conservation of the extensive and irreplaceable public lands in Wyoming is a core part of what we do here at WOC. That’s why we’re so excited to welcome Gabby Yates, our new public lands program manager, who will be largely focused on protecting Wyoming’s remarkable lands.
We sat down with Gabby to talk about cultivating a love for landscapes, her background, and what she’s most excited about as she moves into her new role.
Can you share a little about your background?
I grew up in central New York, outside of Syracuse. After high school, I attended Colgate University and earned a degree in Geography. I didn’t want to jump straight into a 9–5 job after graduating, so I applied to horsepacking jobs — and soon found myself stepping off a plane in Wyoming. From that first week, I knew I wanted to make the state home.
During that first week, what was it about Wyoming that drew you in?
I started to feel how the openness of the landscapes affects people, even if I couldn’t yet put that into words. By “openness,” I mean both the beauty and vastness of the Wyoming skyline as well as the access folks have to it. I remember leaving the Riverton airport that first day and driving south. My new colleague pointed to the snow-capped Winds River Range and said, “You’ll be living up there.” The more folks I met here, the more I saw how a relationship with the land carries over into all aspects of life, and how it was becoming intrinsic to my own life.
Was there a particular moment or experience that sparked your interest in public lands advocacy?
There wasn’t a specific moment, but rather the realization that public lands are the reason I love Wyoming. I’ve spent the better part of the last six years working on, living in, and exploring Wyoming public lands — from caring for cattle in the Red Desert to leading horsepacking trips in the Absarokas and Wind River Mountains. Public lands management here is a sea change from the way the landscape is managed where I grew up.
That’s interesting — can you elaborate on that? What makes public lands management in Wyoming so unique?
Half of Wyoming is public land. And that’s public land that is fairly well dispersed throughout the state, with large tracts of intact, wild ecosystems, and working landscapes, too. That doesn’t exist in most of the world, and it means that living here, people can and often do have a much closer, albeit nuanced, relationship to so much of their “backyard.” It also means that they have a voice in how that landscape is managed, and a responsibility to use that voice.
As a horsepacking guide, you had the chance to share wild lands with people who aren’t at all familiar with them. What was it like to watch them form their own relationships with the land?
It is easy for people to be awed by the beauty of Wyoming’s mountains and wildlife, and it never gets old to share something you love with other folks. What’s really fun, though, is just what you mentioned — people starting to form relationships with the land. You can see it in the conversations you have while riding, from discussing the nuances of wildlife management, land use, or local history, to simply learning to name wildflowers, to feeling more and more oriented to the landscape. I think having a taste for the complexity of these wild lands helps build a foundation so that when folks go home, they don’t just remember a pretty place, or how cold it was at night, for example.
What excites you most about joining WOC as the public lands program manager?
There are so many opinions out there about what happens on public lands, but that means that so many people care about public lands. I am most excited to have conversations and learn from folks that are passionate about these places, to hopefully inch toward common ground, so that future generations can experience the landscapes and wildlife that we enjoy today.
What are some of the things you’re bringing with you from previous roles, as you begin this one?
The time I’ve spent on the ground in public lands through ranching and outfitting has shaped my understanding of public lands and the relationship that folks have with these landscapes. I think that puts me in a place to better find common ground and solutions. Likewise, my background in human geography has trained me to look for ways to find and address nuance in human-environmental relationships. That’s a necessity in looking toward finding solutions for Wyoming’s public lands.
When you’re not in the office, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I enjoy exploring new places on horseback, hiking with my dog, hunting, reading, and trying out New York Times recipes. I am planning on planting a garden next year, and am very excited about that prospect.
Do you have a favorite outdoor activity or place to visit on public lands?
I’d say camping somewhere up high in the Shoshone National Forest, drinking coffee, ideally on a frosty morning in early fall.
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.
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 SMUDubois 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 Canyonand 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 CanyonTyler 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.
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!
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!
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
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
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.
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.”
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.
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.