Southwest Wyoming and the northern Red Desert are known for iconic geologic features and breathtaking landscapes that look much the same today as they did millennia ago: Adobe Town, the Killpecker Sand Dunes, Boars Tusk, White Mountain.
FIELD NOTES

Nuclear waste storage: STILL wrong for Wyoming
The idea of storing high-level radioactive waste in Wyoming has been fully vetted and roundly rejected several times over the years. Yet the Wyoming Legislature resurrected this bad idea last month when it formed a subcommittee — behind closed doors — to study the issue. The Wyoming Outdoor Council, our members, and our partners have stood together with neighbors from all over the state and across the political spectrum to oppose such proposals. And we will do so again.
New to the Team: John Burrows
This month the Wyoming Outdoor Council welcomed its newest member of the team, John Burrows, who serves as conservation advocate. John joins our robust program team and will work closely on air and water quality and other natural resource issues.
Member Profile: Kathy Jenkins
For Kathy, doing all she can to protect Wyoming means donating not only her time, energy, and experience to the Outdoor Council, but giving her financial support as well.
At What Cost? Wyoming Doesn’t Have to Risk Clean Water for Energy Development
Upstream in the watershed is the Moneta Divide oil and gas field, where Texas-based Aethon Energy proposes to drill 4,100 new wells over the next 15 years — an economic boost for many communities in a part of the state that desperately needs jobs and revenue. But the company’s plan includes dumping up to 8.27 million gallons per day of “produced” oilfield wastewater — groundwater mixed in the oil- and gas-bearing formations — into tributaries of Boysen Reservoir.
Story behind the photo: “Cattle Drive” by Cheryl Elliott
One day last summer, Larry Hanft, owner of Little Tongue Ranch south of Dayton, Wyoming, needed help. So he turned to his summer neighbors and new friends Cheryl Elliott and her husband Matt. Cheryl and Matt spend their summers on land owned by the Hanft family just south of Burgess Junction. “It’s one of my […]
We’re on the move to support our migratory mule deer
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 […]
Launching the 2020 Calendar Photo Contest!
Ten years ago, we launched what would become an annual Wyoming Outdoor Council tradition — the calendar photo contest. Although the political, social, and environmental landscape has changed in the decade since its inception, the purpose and impact of the calendar has remained the same: to showcase the place that so many of us choose […]
WOC intern Jacob Pries; creating opportunities
Jacob, 24, is working as an intern at the Wyoming Outdoor Council this summer, digging deep into National Environmental Policy Act matters related to water quality issues in Wyoming, among other things.
Help tell the DEQ: No need to sacrifice clean water for energy development
Wyoming relies on clean water. From our world-class fishing and recreation, to irrigation and municipal use, clean water is a cornerstone of Wyoming’s economy and our way of life.