Michele Irwin, Conservation District Rural Supervisor Candidate

08/24/2019

Some upcoming legislative committee meetings that may be of interest:

Aug 27 Select Federal Natural Resource Management Committee, Casper
https://www.wyoleg.gov/Calendar/20190801/Meeting

August 28-30 Minerals, Business & Economic Development, Casper
https://www.wyoleg.gov/Committees/2019/J09

Sept 5 & 6 Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources, Laramie
https://www.wyoleg.gov/Calendar/20190901/Meeting

Click on the audio/video tab within each link to attend meetings via live stream. The links provide information about the interim work of the committee and the agenda for the meeting.

Daily Meeting Schedule

11/14/2018

Thank you!

11/07/2018

Thank you to all who supported my campaign. We can feel good about bringing some attention to the Conservation District and natural resource issues, as well as the need to include the public in the process.

Congratulations to Josh Joshua Coursey, the one challenger who won, as well as to the incumbents, Mary Thoman and Jean Dickinson.

I intend to stay engaged with these issues, and the need for increased public involvement, especially on behalf of wildlife.

11/06/2018

It's election day!

It has been a privilege to visit with so many voters about natural resources issues and the role of the conservation district during the campaign.

I've attended meetings of various groups, gone door to door, attended meet and greets and participated in public forums.

Campaigns are about communication - it's a two way street. I've learned along the way.

Win, lose, or draw, tomorrow will show us the results of the election. I'm certainly not going anywhere, regardless of the outcome. Thank you to all who have helped not only my campaign, but the broader electoral process.

Please exercise your right to vote today. I'm glad to be part of the choices you have on the ballot this year. Competition is good! I would appreciate your consideration for the position of Rural Supervisor, Sweetwater County Conservation District. Thank you!

11/05/2018

Multiple Use Monday

Many of us have come to appreciate the hard working BLM lands in our county. They provide jobs and valuable minerals and energy, while also serving as grazing lands for livestock, lands we use for recreation, and lands wildlife call home.

The truth is that some use preclude others. The Sweetwater Solar project took multiple use land and made it a single use.

Wilderness Study Areas, on the other hand, while they may indeed have some restrictions, are still multiple use in nature, including uses for humans, livestock and wildlife.

Balancing the demands of so many uses isn't easy. That's why the PROCESS matters so much. When all stakeholders can be at the table, we can work towards win-win solutions.

We need to be able to share this landscape with mountain bikers, trail runners, ATV operators, grazing, industry, and wildlife.

But we also need ecosystems that function properly to enhance watersheds, provide clean air and water, and healthy habitats. That's the one use of multiple use that all the others rests upon.

By being proactively inclusive the district can do a better job of representing the public and the greater good. I would appreciate your vote on Tuesday for Rural Supervisor, Sweetwater County Conservation District.

Thank you!

11/04/2018

Today is Sun Day.

I would love to be a proponent of renewable energy, but the industrial wind and solar "farms" we've been exposed to aren't as environmentally friendly as they could be.

We need alternative energy sources for a number of reasons, and it can be a way to diversify our economy.

But what matters most at the local level is that we also maintain our quality of life.

Environmental regulations that the energy industry has complied with for years have led to innovative approaches, but those regulations are being dismantlement and ignored in various ways by the current federal administration.

We at the local level need to hold all development to the standards that matter to us, including protecting migration routes and critical habitat for wildlife.

As we go forward, we all need to recognize Sweetwater County's vital role in the global energy market, even as we work locally to conserve what we love and need for a a sustainable future.

The Conservation District is the most grassroots government entity on natural resources in our often messy and confusing system of federalism. Citizens can't always count on all levels of government doing what they want. Thank goodness for the opportunities to engage in federal, state and local processes.

I am running for a seat on the district, (Rural Supervisor position) because I believe that all levels of government can do better at informing and engaging the citizens.

The Sweetwater Solar project (pictured here) is apparently being built in the "best" possible site - despite the fact that it impacts a migration route, and fences out crucial winter habitat. If we hold the solar industry to high standards, they will have to innovate a better way.

I would appreciate your vote this Tuesday!

11/03/2018

Thank YOU RSHS FLLA for putting on the meet and greet for all candidates and the public! What a well planned and productive event!

11/03/2018

Happy National Bison Day! The first Saturday in November has been designated as National Bison Day since 2016 when the National Bison Legacy Act was signed into law. The day is meant to commemorate their cultural, economic, and environmental role in the history of the country.

Not only are bison a healthy food source, but they are an important "tool" for restoration, especially of large landscapes.

Even the best range management practices cannot replicate the healthy range that existed before bison and beavers were both removed from the landscape.

Bringing back native species can feel like a threat to the status quo. But a healthy ecosystem can also benefit both wild and domestic grazers.

Bringing bison "to the table" both literally and figuratively just makes sense.

I would appreciate your vote for Rural Supervisor on the Sweetwater County Conservation District this Tuesday!

11/02/2018

Flashback Friday - That's me on the left, a "few" years ago. :)

I was lucky to grow up as the child of stream ecologists, and still enjoy the outdoors.

But it was the study of politics and government that really got my interest. Today, I am thrilled to be teaching American and Wyoming Government at WWCC.

What I bring to my students is a love and curiosity for our Constitutional system of government. I also bring years of experience as an active and engaged citizen.

Politics and our governmental processes get a bad reputation, sometimes for good reason. We citizens just want things to hum along, and our representatives to do their jobs.

The thing is, the public needs to be informed and involved, not only as a check on government, but as a source of ideas. Good government invites that relationship, but too often those in positions of power do the minimum to comply with public inclusion laws.

The greater good is what is good for all of us. That's just basic ecology.

I would appreciate your vote for Sweetwater County Conservation District, Rural Supervisor.

11/01/2018

Throwback Thrusday

The Halloween costume I work to work in the Assessor's office at the courthouse in 1988.

A lot has changed in 30 years. This would no longer be an appropriate costume choice, to say the least.

Some things have stayed the same, like the institutions of government housed within the building.

Part of the broad mission of the Conservation District is to protect the county's tax base.

I bring education, experience and understanding about how our government is supposed to work. I also bring the open mindedness and creativity to seek new ways of doing things - within the Constitutional framework of our government.

I would appreciate your vote for Rural Supervisor for the Sweetwater County Conservation District. Thank you!