The WCC is pleased to announce the AmeriCorps Crew Leaders for the 2022 season! The leaders began work this Spring by participating in a Wilderness First Responder(WFR) course and taking part in our Leadership in Natural Resource Conservation class that runs all Spring. Alongside the course, the leaders will prepare for the summer work season by working to get their S-212 Chainsaw Certification and by participating in various hands-on field training opportunities. Stay posted to see what the leaders are up to this Spring with their various volunteer opportunities in the Laramie community!
2022 AmeriCorps Crew Leaders
Kate McNicholas– All-Women’s Trail Crew Leader
My name’s Kate McNicholas. I grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. I got into a conversation work through with the USFWS in Sasabe, Arizona, and the Sonoran Desert Research Network for the National Park Service in Tucson, Arizona. I graduated with a degree in Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management with Environmental and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming. This will be my third summer with the Wyoming Conservation Corps. I started off as a crew member in 2020, in 2021 I came back as a crew leader. At the end of the season, I approached the WCC staff about creating an All-women’s crew to inspire more diversity in the field of conservation. I am very excited to spend another season with the WCC and look forward to meeting the members of WCC’s first female crew!
Jami Oyster– All-Women’s Trail Crew Leader
My name is Jami Oyster, and I am from Malvern, Iowa. I moved to Wyoming 3 years ago for school, but have been coming to Wyoming most of my life. I am majoring in Geology & Earth Science and Environment and Natural Resources and minoring in Forest Resources. After I graduate, I plan to work for the park service, hopefully as a park ranger. I’ve always enjoyed being outside, especially in the mountains or the forest. Last summer I worked as a crew member for WCC and I loved it, so I decided to come back and be a crew leader this year!
Roger Sporre– Veterans Trail Crew Leader
My name is Roger Sporre and I am from Little Meadows, PA. I graduated from Penn State in 2013, then worked in industrial sales for four years before joining the United States Marine Corps in 2017. After serving for four years as an Officer, my family and I moved from Okinawa, Japan to Laramie, Wyoming so I could pursue a second degree in Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management. In my free time, I enjoy hiking with my family, horse training, playing rugby, shooting sports, and blacksmithing. I am still continuing my service in the Marine Corps Reserve while pursuing a career in conservation.
Paul Stuckey– Veterans Trail Crew Leader
My name is Paul Stuckey, I am a University of Wyoming graduate with a B.S. in Outdoor Recreation and Tourism management. I am originally from South Miami, Florida but have stayed in Laramie, Wyoming to pursue my love and appreciation for the outdoors and the wide-open spaces of the great state of Wyoming. This is my 3rd season with the Wyoming Conservation Corps serving on the Veterans Trail Crew. In the past two seasons, I served as a crew member, but this year I have the honor of serving as one of the Veterans Trail Crew Leaders for the 2022 Season. I’m very excited for the upcoming projects this year and I’m looking forward to work with my fellow veteran crew members in keeping Wyoming’s trails and parks beautiful and pristine for future generations.
Ashlyn Ewen
My name is Ashlyn Ewen and I sprouted from Greybull, WY and was basically raised in the Bighorn Mountains. I’m studying Environmental Systems Science with a minor in Physics at the University of Wyoming. My soul belongs in the wild and my mind belongs to science! Working for WCC will provide me not only with opportunities to further my experience with the outdoors, but also strengthen my relationship with the Wyoming wilderness.
Jackson Clough
My name is Jackson Clough I am from Palo Alto California. I was able to escape to Wyoming to get my education and explore the outdoors. I love to hike, paint miniatures and play video games. I have 6 years of trail management experience and 2 of them have been in leadership roles. I started working on trails when I was 16; I did two hitches in the Hundred-Mile Wilderness in Maine with the Appalachian Mountain Club and I have been hooked on the idea ever since. Trail management and conservation work is what I want my career to be and the WCC is a great place to gain experience in those areas. This will be my third year with the WCC and I hope to make it the best one yet. My first year was cut short by covid and my second was hampered by a major back injury. I had to have two rods and eight screws installed in my lower back to stabilize it. I was still able to participate in a support and logistics capacity. My job then and now is to make everyone else’s job a little easier. This summer I want to forge a crew that can get things done and have a good amount of fun while they are at it.
Josie Whitman
My name is Josie Whitman, I am a University of Wyoming student graduating in the Spring of 2022. I will be graduating with majors in Environmental Systems Science and Natural Resources, with a minor in Outdoor Leadership. I chose my college path because of my passion for conservation of the outdoors, after growing up in the mountains near Laramie, Wyoming. I chose to be a Crew Leader for the WCC because I want to help build the Wyoming community that has always been a part of my life.
Phillip Crane
My name is Phillip Crane and I’m studying Environment and Natural Resources as well as Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wyoming. I enjoy being outside in any capacity and appreciate the opportunity to be part of an organization centered around conservation. In my free time I enjoy climbing, backpacking, camping, and skiing. I chose to come here for school from Texas to have more access to the mountains where I can carry out these activities. I’m excited for another season with the WCC!
Renae Hageman
My name is Renae Hageman, I was raised in Goodland Kansas, and moved to Wyoming for college in 2018. I am graduating from the University of Wyoming this spring as a concurrent major in Environmental System Science and Environment and Natural Resources with minors in Biology and Zoology. I joined WCC in 2019 as a crew member because it sounded like a lot of fun and I had never done any type of fieldwork before. I haven’t decided what I want to do as a career quite yet but because of my experiences with WCC, I hope it’s outside doing some kind of fieldwork. My favorite outdoor activity would be stargazing or playing with my dog, Ragnar, in the snow.
Blake Stevens
My name is Blake Stevens, I am from Rock Springs, Wy and moved to Laramie in the fall of 2016. I graduated from the University of Wyoming in the fall of 2021 with degrees in Environmental and Natural Resources and Environmental Systems Science. This is my second season serving with the WCC as a Crew Leader. I chose to come back to WCC because it was a great experience and provides opportunities to make contacts with conservation agencies. After the summer I hope to continue to volunteer near the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Wyoming Conservation Corps 