I’ve been on the road lately, in Wilson, Casper, Rock Springs, and to Seattle and the Northwest, visiting with our members and supporters, and participating in the Dimensions of Regional Leadership Yellowstone Business Partnership and Greater Yellowstone Power of Place joint conference.

Through these conversations—across borders and disciplines—it is clear that folks are beginning to engage to develop new solutions to the issues facing Wyoming, the environment, and the Greater Yellowstone area. The time is right to create new alliances that build bridges across political allegiances and integrate economics, social and environmental concerns.

This convergence of common values is evidenced in my conversations with respected leaders in the foundation community, in discussions with state leaders, and most recently in my conversations at the Dimensions of Regional Leadership conference. The Wyoming Outdoor Council’s new three-year strategic plan anticipated this opportunity, and firmly articulates our determination to play a leading role in developing and fostering its powerful vision. The future sustainability of Wyoming and the region depends on innovative partnerships, and it also depends on our ability to help facilitate and build the capacity of this emerging coalition of voices.

Our air quality campaign, my participation in the Leadership Wyoming program beginning in August, our renewables efforts working with Western Resource Advocates, our participation as committee members on the Western Governors’ Association Energy Task Force, and our work helping convene a meeting of the Wyoming conservation community in order to increase our own effectiveness and capacity building are but a few examples of this emerging transformative and dynamic thinking.

My face-to-face conversations continue to leave me optimistic that together we can build a “stewardship of wildness,” as John Turner discussed during his keynote speech at the Dimensions of Regional Leadership conference, that understands and empowers a blending and binding together of the common values of economic, social and environmental health. I want to share an excerpt from the opening session of the conference.

“There is a false dissonance between social and environmental. Nonprofit, for profit, no difference. Nonprofits under-perform economically, for-profits under-perform socially, environmentally. Our focus moving ahead must be upon leveraged relationships that maximize total value. We need new leaders to develop new ways of doing business.” Keynote speech — “Leading Toward Sustainable Capitalism,” Jed Emerson, senior fellow with the Generation Foundation

What I find encouraging as we move forward is the confluence of trends, the interest and energy around new ways of thinking, of getting back to our roots, from many disciplines and perspectives. We call it common sense, but sometimes it takes time to regain our senses. In the current national dynamics, I believe we’ve been given the wake-up call, and an opportunity to build strong and lasting relationships to do it right locally, knowing our efforts will have far broader implications. Back in 1967, the Wyoming Outdoor Coordinating Council, as we were once called, was established for that very purpose. It’s good to be home, back to our roots.

I’ll keep you posted and engaged.

Happy Trails,
Mark