Lander resident and small-business owner, Scott Kane joined the WOC board of directors at our September board meeting. Scott has been a volunteer for WOC for a decade, playing an active role in a variety of activities, especially WOC’s annual Ride the Red and Ski the Loop bike and ski outings.

"In 1980, the summer I turned seventeen, I rode a Greyhound bus from my native New Jersey out to Wyoming to take a NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) course in the Wind River Range. My view of the world has never been the same," Scott says.

"Once I knew that places like this existed I couldn’t live anywhere else. Years later though, I learned there is no guarantee that landscapes like the Wind Rivers and the Red Desert will remain the pristine wild country that I love. That is why I am committed to WOC’s work."

After ten years of leading wilderness expeditions for NOLS in Wyoming, Alaska and Latin America, Scott redirected his environmental commitment to the advancement of renewable energy in Wyoming. He and a partner founded Creative Energies, a Lander-based company which designs and installs solar and wind power systems for homes, ranches and businesses around the state. Creative Energies is the most active full-service renewable energy business in Wyoming and directs five percent of its profits to public education on renewable energy.

Scott says he believes that Wyoming’s energy economy can and must feature renewable energy as prominently as it does oil, natural gas and coal. He hopes that through his work as a trustee he can help WOC guide our state toward a sustainable energy economy.

"In its transition from conventional fuels to renewable energy, Wyoming needs to set goals and create incentives to move us from our extractive status quo. I think WOC can play a key role in this process. When the rush to extract fossil fuels subsides because of a shift to renewables, we will find that WOC’s work in a host of different areas will suddenly become easier," Scott says.

Scott finds time beyond his duties as father, husband and business owner to travel many miles of Wyoming’s trails each year. An avid cross-country skier and trail runner, he competes in long-distance races including 50 mile ultra-marathons.

"Skiing and trail running are great ways to immerse yourself in the backcountry where there is not another soul to be seen and only the cadence of your feet to be heard," he says.

WOC welcomes Scott to the board.