A Fond Farewell to Jeff Kessler

by Nancy Debevoise

Conservation activist Jeff Kessler recently resigned from WOC's board of directors after a decade of service. Though only 39, Jeff was the "old man" of the board, whom the rest of us relied upon for his long-term perspective, his battle-tested conservation strategies and his passionate commitment to safeguarding Wyoming's landscapes, wildlife habitat and environmental quality. Though our quarterly meetings require members to give up their weekends and travel long distances, Jeff missed only one board meeting in 10 years.

A former materials-research engineer at the University of Wyoming, Jeff is the conservation director of Biodiversity Associates in Laramie, a nonprofit conservation group he co-founded in 1994 that works to protect native species and their habitats on public lands in the northern Rockies. He is also an activist with Friends of the Bow, a Laramie-based citizens' association he co-founded in 1988 that works to defend the wildlife and wildlands of the Medicine Bow National Forest from environmentally destructive development.

Jeff says he joined the WOC board so that he could "play a role in determining what the most influential conservation organization in the state worked on. Citizen oversight of natural resource policy is badly needed in Wyoming, and WOC is the key player in organizing successful citizen-participation campaigns that have helped reform the state's environmental policies."

In presenting Jeff with a plaque expressing our appreciation for his distinguished board service, president Joyce Evans noted that "Jeff has devoted a good portion of his life to defending Wyoming's environment from those who would exploit it for short-term profits. He has been one of the most energetic and tenacious members of WOC's board over the past decade, and we will miss his technical expertise, his ability to target our actions where they will do the most good and his moral authority on a range of environmental challenges."

"I've been honored to serve on WOC's board for the past ten years," says Jeff. "Our strength comes from the wide range of expertise and abilities represented on the board and the commitment of every board member to protecting Wyoming's environment." He adds, "In the future, I hope that WOC will be even more successful in conserving the wide-open spaces, remarkable scenery and wonderful wildlife that makes Wyoming different from everywhere else."

Jeff will be sorely missed. As Joyce Evans puts it, "Our only consolation in his departure from the board is knowing that Jeff will continue his passionate organizing and advocacy on behalf of the West's wild places and environmental quality for decades to come."