About us

About Us

Protecting Wyoming’s Quality of Life Since 1973

OUR VISION AND GOALS

Powder River Basin Resource Council was founded by ranchers and townspeople concerned about the impacts of strip mining on landscapes, communities, and freshwater aquifers. For 50 years, we have advocated for the responsible development of Wyoming’s energy resources.

Using community organizing, connections with scientific, policy, and legal experts, and coalitions with other organizations, we wage effective campaigns to protect Wyoming’s air, land, and water quality and to promote sustainable agricultural practices and policies in the state.

OUR MISSION AND COMMITMENT

The preservation and enrichment of our agricultural heritage and rural lifestyle.
The conservation of our unique land, mineral, water, and clean air resources, consistent with responsible use of those resources to sustain the livelihood of present and future generations.

The education and empowerment of our citizens to raise a coherent voice in the decisions that will impact their environment and lifestyle.

OUR STAFF

Robin Englehart-Bagley, Executive Director

Robin joined Powder River in January 2018 as the Communications & Development Director and stepped into the Executive Director role in 2022. She is a graduate of Black Hills State University and received her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of South Dakota. Her professional background is in marketing and nonprofits; having spent several years organizing and writing grants for Dakota Rural Action in her native South Dakota. She also ran her own social media marketing and communications business for a number of years. An avid outdoorswoman, she spends as much time as possible in the mountains.


Pennie Vance, Organizer

Pennie was raised on the family cattle ranch north of Ranchester where she lives today with her grandson, Wes.  She returned to Powder River in January 2020 as the Ag & Local Foods Organizer, a position she held years ago before leaving in 2004 when she purchased The Book Shop in Sheridan. Prior to Powder River, she was a youth counselor at NSI, a program for at-risk youth, and then served as executive director for the NSI Montana program.  Pennie also co-owned and operated a wilderness hunting and fishing outfitting business in the Bridger Teton Wilderness.  She spent one summer in a wilderness camp, eight-hours on horseback from the nearest road , with her two teenage sons and two-year-old daughter.  Pennie has a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from University of Wyoming where she also studied art and public administration.  She says that working for Powder River on split estate legislation, COOL and other challenges still relevant today, was one of her most rewarding jobs years ago and that she’s very excited about having the chance to return to one of Wyoming’s finest organizations.


Katherine Stahl, Organizer

Katherine grew up in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, where she filled her days exploring the woods behind her house, catching lizards and frogs, and watching Steve Irwin on Animal Planet. Her family’s summer road trips brought her to Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park for the first time at 12 years old, where she became enamored of the rugged and vast beauty the state boasts. This love for the outdoors eventually led her to complete a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Management at Auburn University. While in college, she spent two summer seasons working in Grand Teton, taking visitors on guided horseback rides through the park. After college, her passion for the outdoors took her to Washington DC, where she completed an M.A. in Global Environmental Policy. This degree program allowed her to explore the deep interconnection of people and planet, and inspired her to pursue a career advancing policy and principles that benefit both people and the environment on which we depend. She joined Powder River in January of 2023 and is excited to call Wyoming home. In her free time, you can find her hiking with her dog, gardening, or testing out a new recipe.

 

Shannon Anderson, Organizing Director/Staff Attorney

Since joining the organization in 2007, Shannon has served as Powder River’s main staff working to address the impacts of coal mining and power plants and uranium mining on people and places in Wyoming. She also provides legal and organizing support on other energy issues, including oil and gas development. Shannon is a graduate of Grinnell College, and she received her J.D., cum laude, from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2005. She also has a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from Lewis & Clark, and she is a member of the Wyoming Bar. Prior to joining the Resource Council, Shannon worked as a Community Economic Development Staff Attorney at the Public Law Center in Orange County, California. Shannon has extensive volunteer and professional experience in environmental advocacy and community organizing. Shannon lives in her hometown of Sheridan with her dog Scooby, and she spends her free-time enjoying the beauty and solace of Wyoming’s public lands.


Claire Deuter, Organizer/Attorney

Claire joined Powder River in August 2022 and works in the Sheridan office as a renewable energy community organizer. She grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota and spent her childhood hiking and camping in the Black Hills. She graduated from South Dakota State University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Global Studies. She then attended Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon and graduated in May 2022 with a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law. Claire spends her free time exploring the mountains, being with family, and cuddling with her two cats.


Katherine Schrock - Office Manager/Member Relations Coordinator

Katherine moved to Sheridan from the Twin Cities in Minnesota several years ago and joined Powder River in 2023. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis in Parks and Recreation Administration, she served in an administrative capacity for both municipal and private recreational entities. The highlight of my career in Recreation was in the creation, ownership and operation of Minnesota’s first Swim School Organization alongside my husband Peter. Together we operated up to three locations teaching thousands of young ones to love swimming over a 28-year period of time. Our Family Swim School was unique in its time with very small classes, warm water, amazing curriculum and a dedicated mature staff. Recreation continues to be an important part of my life with lap swimming, yoga, biking, hiking, camping, fishing and gathering with friends and family. My husband Peter and I raised our son and daughter in Lakeville, MN. Unlike their parents who moved west, they both moved east into Wisconsin. Carrie the oldest resides in Milwaukee, and Frank in Eau Claire. We all take turns visiting each other in our respective new home towns.  

Wyoming is such an incredible state in our country. I stand 150% behind PRBRC’s motto of “Encouraging responsible development today…for tomorrow”  It is a privilege for me to support the strong and devoted staff at PRBRC and the passionate membership.

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board of Directors Image

Powder River Basin Resource Council believes that power comes from the people and that our voices are stronger when we stand together. Our Board Members provide critical expertise and experience to guide how our organization takes action. Members of the Board are elected for two-year terms by our members at our Annual Meeting. The Board meets six times a year, in various locations around Wyoming.

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

David Romtvedt, Chair – Buffalo
Dudley Case – Vice-Chair - Buffalo
Lynne Huskinson, Secretary – Gillette
Bob LeResche - Treasurer- Sheridan
Joyce Evans  – Fort Laramie
Liza Cuthbert-Millett – Laramie
Wayne Lax – Cheyenne
Barbara Chase – Sheridan
Mikel Scott - Gillette
Maria Katherman – Douglas
Tudor Marks – Big Horn