Andy Blair majored in philosophy at McGill University in Montreal because he was interested in the nature of “what is and why.” But when he asked his professor those very questions, he hit a wall of resistance.

“Philosophy lost a lot of its credibility for me at that point,” Andy says. “I thought I would be studying knowledge and that there was room for asking questions to gain understanding, but it seemed as if all we considered were a lot of dead white dudes.”

Andy’s interest in thinking about the bigger questions in life have led him in a number of different directions, most recently to the Wyoming Outdoor Council as our new outreach director. He comes to us from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) where he worked as a field instructor and later a program supervisor.

“I feel as if I’ve been an environmental advocate throughout my NOLS career,” Andy says. “I’ve just taken a different approach. My job was to educate people and to help them develop a relationship with the land. It seems like a natural progression for me to move into work where I am more actively trying to protect these places.”

Andy first got interested in the outdoors when he was 11 and went off to summer camp. The campers were required to take part in a number of camping excursions, some of which were life changing, if not life threatening according to Andy’s recollection.

“I had no idea how to pack a backpack, so mine was totally lopsided,” Andy remembers. “We hiked five miles, and I was miserable. Then it rained for five days. There were four of us crammed into one of those plastic K-mart tents with no rain fly. We had two inches of standing water in there. Hiking out, I tripped on a root and fell on my face. I never wanted to go camping again.”

But something must of stuck with Andy. He continued to participate in the camp’s trips and gradually they became less of an unwelcome burden. By the time he got to high school, he was active in the outdoor club and learning to climb. In 1985, he came to Wyoming to take a NOLS mountaineering course. “My love for Wyoming started back in ’85 when I first came out here on a NOLS course. I love the open spaces and the wildness of the land, the deserts and the mountains.” Andy says.

A mountaineer, rock climber, skier and all-around outdoor enthusiast, Andy hopes to continue the Outdoor Council’s efforts to reach out to new constituencies and build partnerships in unexpected places including in some of his own communities.

“Climbers, bikers and others could be more active protecting the places where they recreate, but we need to reach out to them and let them know they can make a difference,” Andy says.

Andy, his wife Jacki Klancher, and their brand new baby live in Lander. We welcome Andy and his family to the Wyoming Outdoor Council. Already his laugh can be heard echoing through the office, and his energy and enthusiasm are a great addition to the staff.