September 22-23, 2017
Lander, Wyoming
Join us for a weekend celebrating 50 years of conservation!
We'll kick things off with a free community concert on Friday night.
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Saturday will be full of engaging workshops, tasty local meals, and opportunities to connect with Wyoming's conservation community—and we'll enjoy a keynote address from Gina McCarthy, EPA Administrator under President Obama.
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We can't wait to celebrate this milestone with our supporters, members,
and friends from across the state. Scroll down to see all the weekend has in store!
We’re kicking off our anniversary weekend on September 22 with a free community concert at the Lander Community and Convention Center featuring Jalan Crossland.
All are welcome! Low Water String Band will open the show at 5:45 p.m.
In addition to great music, the evening will feature a community mural project sponsored by the Lander Art Center and facilitated by local artist Virginia Moore.
 During our morning workshops, you'll have a chance to build your skills as citizen conservationists. Reserve your tickets for these workshops soon, as space is limited!
Looking for a block schedule? Click here.
Join Bethann Merkle of CommNatural for an introduction to field journal sketching. Learn how to translate your observations into visual illustrations—novices and skilled artists welcome! This workshop includes a field-ready, professional quality sketching kit ($30 value).
Storytelling: The Science and Psychology of Constructing a Conservation Narrative through Videography
Join Jeremy Roberts of Conservation Media for a discussion of conservation storytelling. We'll take a look at a variety of case studies designed to increase understanding of a conservation topic and lead to change. What works? What doesn't?
Join a diverse panel of 5 policy experts and state legislators to explore how to be effective as a citizen advocate. This panel will focus on making a difference in the legislative process. Panelist include WOC’s lobbyist, Steff Kessler, community activist Paige Smith, Phoebe Stoner from Equality State Policy Center, and Wyoming legislators Senator Cale Case from Lander and Representative Eric Barlow from Gillette. We’ll learn tips from past successes, examine some creative citizen engagement tactics, query elected officials about what gets through to them and highlight a range of opportunities to make a difference with the time you have.
Join Wyoming writers, reporters and media professionals as they discuss current environmental issues and the media’s role in Wyoming conservation. Participants include Matthew Copeland and Dustin Bleizeffer from WyoFile, Christine Peterson from the Casper Star-Tribune, Brian Calvert from High Country News, and Mike Koshmrl from the Jackson Hole News and Guide.
Jeremy Roberts of Conservation Media will walk you through the gadgets and apps that can be added to your smartphone to increase quality and range of video capabilities. We’ll go over the step-by step process in making a short film and get to share tips and tricks. Make sure to bring your smartphone and any equipment you have!
 A career public servant in both Democratic and Republican administrations, Gina McCarthy has been a leading advocate for common sense strategies to protect public health and the environment for more than thirty years. As the head of Environmental Protection Agency under President Obama, she led historic progress to achieve the administration’s public health and environmental protection goals and Climate Action Plan.
Known for her pragmatic approaches and disarming, plain-speaking style, McCarthy has earned the respect of the environmental, public health and business communities with her thorough understanding of all sides of climate, air quality, chemical safety, environmental justice and health equity, and water, land and natural resource protection and restoration discussions. A gifted communicator and strategist with a talent for making environmental issues nonpartisan, highly personal, and solidly backed by science and the law, McCarthy is consistently credited with finding common ground and forging sustainable, common sense solutions.
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