As I’m handed the reins here at the Wyoming Outdoor Council, I think back on my experience more than a decade ago as a cocky, not yet thirty-year-old wrangler and snowmachine guide on Togwotee Pass. And how, back then, I took it for granted as we explored the land, drank from its springs and streams, marveled at the moose, grizzly and elk, that Wyoming’s untouched places would always be open to us, that this wealth of wildlife and beauty was for our enjoyment and would be here as long as we wanted it. I never considered that it would need to be protected; it seemed like common sense that it was being taken care of.

I’ve still got handwritten letters—some written in crayon with drawings—from children and their parents who I took out as guests in the late 1980s and early 90s on horseback and snowmachine to Brooks Lake, Austin Peak, head of the Yellowstone, Crater Lake, Muskrat Flats, Two Ocean Pass, Soda Springs. I remember the glow of their faces in front of the campfire or back at the lodge, sharing stories of the day’s adventure, all talking of extraordinary shared experience in the power of open country. We all knew how lucky we were to have seen the wildlife, the big spaces, the clean water and night sky, to have experienced first-hand the unique heritage that Wyoming retained.

I don’t know how to put a price on these stories and memories. Those experiences impacted all of us—the cabinet makers from Brooklyn, the family from Los Angeles, the farmer and his son from Ohio, and the guides, wranglers, mechanics, outfitters, cookies. I understand now the gifts we’d been given and how important they are, that they can’t be taken for granted.

More than ten years and some silver hair later, I’ve had the good fortune to return to this great state. I’ve learned Wyoming’s way of life is under threat on many fronts, including federal government mismanagement and out-of-state industries often only interested in making a profit and moving on. Now, too often it seems the people of Wyoming are spending their time fighting ill-advised development, instead of taking their families out fishing, hunting and exploring. My wife Kathryn and I are happy to be back home. And in the next several months, I look forward to visiting with you as together we continue to work to protect Wyoming’s quality of life for our families and for future generations.

I look forward to meeting you, and to getting your letters. And to hearing from you what you value about Wyoming’s natural heritage and way of life. And I will, along with you all, work hard to keep Wyoming’s water, lands and wildlife protected for years to come. Like you, I want my children to be able to know Wyoming’s wonderful natural heritage through their own experiences, not just through history books, stories and some old letters and photographs.

Happy Trails,

Mark