Pilot Hill was born 3 years ago out of southeastern Wyoming citizens’ historic love for the land between Laramie and the Pole Mountain Unit of the Medicine Bow National Forest. Inspired by the land’s beauty and wildlife habitat, its critical position over the aquifer, and its potential for recreational use for locals and visitors, a grassroots community movement secured the 7100-acre open-space area. Pilot Hill now enhances community health and quality of life for the community, and spurs much needed economic development in Albany County and the region.

Over the past three years, tremendous progress has been made toward implementing the community vision outlined in the Pilot Hill Land Use Plan. They have removed miles of old wildlife hazard fencing and tons of trash. They have also constructed over 20 new miles of trail on Pilot Hill to connect Laramie backyards to the adjoining Medicine Bow National Forest. They have hosted over a dozen events and races, welcomed school groups and researchers, and have logged over 150,000 visits from individuals utilizing Pilot Hill for a hike, run, bike or horseback ride.

In the next year, Pilot Hill would like to see completion of the Pilot Hill Trailhead at Willett Drive. This will provide parking for cars, school buses and horse trailers, a shelter and group gathering space, bathrooms and other user amenities. There is also a goal of construction of an additional 10 miles of trails in the recreation corridor, and installation of wildlife habitat enhancement features within the Wildlife Habitat Management Area.

In the foothills of the Wind River Mountains near Lander, just outside of Sinks Canyon State Park, is the Central Wyoming College's Alpine Science Institute. This multi-use educational and recreational center features a 5-mile trail lab, model farm, classrooms and student cabins.

The Institute serves as a model for environmental stewardship featuring solar-paneled buildings and a composting facility. It's a living, learning field school for Professional Trail Construction, Outdoor Education, Outdoor Recreation, Geospatial Science, Expedition Science, Mountain Bike Guiding and Regenerative Small Scale Farming. The trail system and bike park are open to the community year-round.

The area also features a 130-acre trail network with professionally designed one-way downhill mountain bike trails, a pump track and bike skills area and residential cabins for student housing.

The primary goal of the Alpine Science Institute is to train tomorrow's leaders in outdoor recreation. They teach students to become professional guides of all kinds--hunting, fishing, climbing, mountaineering, skiing, snowboarding, natural and cultural interpretation, and mountain biking. They also recently launched a 4-year Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Outdoor Program Leadership for students interested in recreation program administration. They offer both trail building and mountain bike skills clinics on nearby BLM and USFS trails. They run clinics and private classes for students of all ages and maintain a fleet of rental bikes with an in-house bike shop. In the summer, their college students assist with overnight summer camps for K-12 students from around the state. Summer camps feature science, art, backpacking, and a variety of skills for the outdoors.

Alumni of the program are are working throughout Wyoming in State Parks, USFS, NOLS, ski resorts and guiding hunting, fishing and wilderness expeditions.

Casey McQuiston,

PCORC

Who is your employer, and what is your official job title? U.S. Forest Service, Shoshone National Forest. District Ranger

Why do you love your job? The opportunity to be a part of managing public lands for multiple uses and working with a number of partners in managing those lands.

What are 3 ways you support outdoor recreation through your work? Providing opportunities for the public to recreate in a number of different ways. Providing opportunities for those in the outdoor recreation industry to operate on public lands and support local rural economies and communities. Working with various partners to increase or improve outdoor recreation opportunities.

What are some projects are you currently working on? To name just a few, the Shoshone is working with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department on additional semi-primitive boat launches on the North Fork. The Forest is working through deferred maintenance in campgrounds, specifically replacing picnic tables and fire rings, that has been accomplished through Great American Outdoors Act Funding. The North Zone is also working with Wyoming State Trails, Cody Country Snowmobile Association and Park County on some improvements and maintenance of the Pilot Creek parking area.

How and with whom do you like to spend your free time? My wife and I have three daughters. In my free time, I like to spend with family either on the activities they are involved in, such as figure skating, archery, softball, or anything outdoors like hunting, hiking, fishing and rock hounding.

What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know? Prior to living in Wyoming, I worked for the Superior National Forest in northeast Minnesota and before a recent trip to Washington D.C., the only aircraft I had ever flown in were Forest Service owned de Havilland Beavers (float planes).

What are your 3 favorite places in Wyoming to visit, and why? That's really tough because there are so many. The Beartooth Mountains, Pathfinder Reservoir and surrounding area, and Wind River Mountain Range around Dubois because of the impressive landscapes and expansive public lands to recreate in.

Caleb Carter,

NEWORC



Who is your employer, and what is your official job title? Weston County Natural Resource District, District Manager

Why is outdoor recreation important to you? Enjoying the outdoors is an opportunity for me to escape the hectic world and acts as kind of a reset for me emotionally. I have always enjoyed being outside as well as sharing the outdoors with others, both family, friends, or new acquaintances. I think that having locations close by that provide opportunities for recreating in the outdoors is important for our health as human beings in general. I have developed many friendships while out for a run or hike, while backpacking or climbing, or just hanging out around a campfire. There is also the benefit gained from pushing ourselves to new heights or new accomplishments that provides an increased self-confidence and self-worth that is hard to get anywhere else.

What organizations and clubs do you participate in? I am a part of the Bent Sprockets club in Weston County. We are a nonprofit and help maintain and develop many of the local trails in the county. We also host events including trail races, bike rodeos, and an annual bike obstacle course, among others.

How do you spend your time outdoors? I enjoy about any activity that gets me outside and active, especially with my family. But my main hobby is trail running. I love the variety of trails available right here in Weston County as well as across the Black Hills. As our kids have gotten older, my wife and I have had the opportunity to share this with them and that has been even more fun! My wife and I have five children ranging from 5 to 16 and as a family we enjoy camping, hiking, running, backpacking, rock climbing, kayaking, or just going for a walk. As you can see we are up for about anything and I am grateful that we live in a place where we do all of these things and more.

What are your 3 favorite outdoor recreation areas/trails in Wyoming? That is not easy to limit it to three places, as there are so many great opportunities in Wyoming! But I would have to list the Flying V Trails as my first choice, mainly because it is less than 10 minutes from town and boasts over 17 miles of trails and counting. There is something for everyone there with challenging climbs, great views, and nice walking trails too. I’ve run a lot miles on these trails. And, as many of my memories are with my family, I would have to say the Bighorn Mountains. We have spent a lot of time there hiking, fishing, backpacking, and much more and there are endless opportunities and views for days whenever we make it over there. Lastly would be Glendo and Guernsey State Parks. Our state parks are wonderful in Wyoming and when we lived in Torrington, we spent many days at both Glendo and Guernsey camping, hiking, running, paddling, and roasting marshmallows over a campfire. While the trails at Glendo get a lot of use, the trails at Guernsey State Park are a well-kept secret. I almost always had them all to myself whenever I was there and hope more people get out there and explore them!

Why did you choose to join the Outdoor Recreation Collaborative? As you can tell I have a passion for the outdoors. And when I found out that the state was making an effort to increase outdoor recreation in Wyoming, I was very excited. Wyoming has so much to offer, both to visitors as well as those of us who live here. I knew that I wanted to be a part of the effort and I am so glad that I joined. In my day job I work with landowners and agencies to conserve the natural resources of Weston County. So that they are around for future generations to enjoy and utilize. I look at outdoor recreation in the same way. And the best way to conserve our great outdoors is to get people outside to experience them. And while I am excited to bring people to Wyoming to enjoy our outdoors and spend money and support the state’s economy, I would argue that the most important part of this effort is increasing the quality of life for the residents of Wyoming.



Do you have any project advice for other Collaborative members in the state? My best advice is in the title. Collaborate. Work together. Just as the acronym for TEAM says: “Together Everyone Achieves More”. Involve local government, stakeholders, clubs, and others interested in the project. You will get more buy-in, support, and new and fresh ideas that can help make a project appeal to a wider audience. And collaboration is about relationships. Build relationships early and often with those stakeholders, agencies and government officials that can help get your projects off the ground. Then when you are ready to begin a project you are ready to work together to make it happen.