About the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Association

The National Bighorn Sheep Center is operated by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Association. (Our tax id# is 83-0301605). The Association is governed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors, and financial support from members, donors and foundations. Gift shop sales, admissions from visitors to the Center and our Annual Fundraiser, the “Bighorn Bash” are important fundraising efforts as well. Volunteers are critical to our success, and we depend on volunteer support for programs, outreach and more.

photo: Stephen Jay Lunsford

History

The citizens of Dubois have always felt great pride in the proximity, accessibility and successful endurance of “our” herd, the Whiskey Mountain herd of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. In the late 1980’s, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department was considering building some type of small-scale sheep observatory with interpretive signage in the Whiskey Basin Wildlife Habitat Management Area. At about the same time, the Louisiana-Pacific lumber mill, which had been the primary engine driving the Dubois economy for decades, was faltering.

The mill was forced to close in 1988, leaving the town to wonder if their economy was facing imminent failure. Dubois needed something to encourage tourists to stop and stay in Dubois. The Wyoming Game & Fish Department also wanted an avenue for public education. A suggestion was made to construct a bighorn sheep-themed visitor center directly in town rather than in the Whiskey Basin Wildlife Habitat Management Area. In a rather remarkable effort of co-operation, a partnership developed that included a broad spectrum of private- and public-sector groups.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the town of Dubois, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Wild Sheep Foundation (formerly the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep), the Nature Conservancy, the National Wildlife Federation and many other entities and individuals contributed dollars, resources, talents and guidance to construct the National Bighorn Sheep Center. The Center was opened to the public on July 3, 1993.

Partners

The National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Association is not alone in what we do. We are a part of a much larger “ecosystem” of organizations and agencies that we collaborate with locally, regionally and nationally to advance bighorn sheep conservation.

Destination Dubois

Dubois Chamber of Commerce

Dubois Historical Museum-Fremont County Museums

Town of Dubois

U.S. Bureau of Land Management-Lander Field Office

U.S. Forest Service-Shoshone National Forest, Wind River District

Wild Sheep Foundation

Wind River Visitors Council

Wyoming Community Foundation

Wyoming Department of Education

Wyoming Game and Fish Commission

Wyoming Game and Fish Department-Lander Region

Wyoming Office of Tourism

Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation

Meet our Board of Directors

Kathy Treanor

President

Growing up on a sixth generation family farm in Maryland, Kathy learned to love the outdoors, gardening, riding her horse, and hunting with her Dad. She earned her degree at Guilford College, a major in in Biology and a minor in Environmental Studies.
Lary and Kathy married in 1980, and seven years later they horse packed in Bridger-Teton National Forest. It was the best vacation, even with bears, run-away horses, clouds of dust and smoke. They continued to ride in Wyoming’s wilderness for the next 22 years. Favorite trips include Heart Lake to Meeteetse and waking up in a field of wildflowers looking at the full moon setting beside Gannet Peak.

Cheryl O’Brien

Vice President

Cheryl O’Brien was born and raised in the Hudson Valley in New York State. She worked in the environmental field for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for over 20 years. She held several positions associated with wildlife and fish management, environmental education, and environmental analysis. She served as supervisor of the Pollution Prevention Education and Outreach Team.
Cheryl and her husband, Bill, and daughter moved to Dubois, WY in 2002. Cheryl enjoyed working with students at the Dubois K-12 School until she retired in 2017.

Bill Sincavage

Treasurer

Bill was born in Southern New England, where he earned a Mechanical Engineering Degree in 2004. Bill was self-employed as a contract design engineer for several OEM Medical Device Manufacturers and has always had a knack for the mechanics as he started building racing engines at the age of eighteen. Among many other awards and recognitions for his talent and work, Bill won a gold medal at the U.S. Skills Olympics in 1979 in machine processes and an honorable mention at the International Skill Olympics in 1980. Bill retired in 2015 and moved permanently to Wyoming that year, and he continues to work part-time from his home here in Dubois. He has four children and in 2011, he married Lori and increased the child count to six.

Carolyn Gillette

Lora Engleman

Lora was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, but at the age of 8 moved to Casper, WY where she attended grade school, graduated from KWHS, and then earned her Bachelors Degree in Wildlife Biology and Fisheries Management from the University of Wyoming in 2000. She grew up training racehorses (primarily Arabians) with her family for 13 years all over the US. Some of her other accomplishments are competing in the Bighorn 100 endurance race, teaching Centershot-an archery program through Mountain Grace Church, and starting the Christ for Community here in Dubois, where she serves as President. Her and husband, Joe, have worked in the powersports business for over 25 years. They moved to Dubois in 2000, where they helped start and manage Dubois Honda ATV, and eventually purchased it in 2001. They have a daughter, Mona. They have a undeniable passion for the outdoors all year long. Lora loves the outdoors and can be found horseback in the mountains whenever possible. Some of her passions are archery, hunting, fishing, exploring, hiking, horseback riding, and of course atv’ing. She is excited to serve on the board and being a part of this great organization!

Julia Royall

Julia grew up on the gentle coastline of Charleston, SC. From a very early age, she enjoyed venturing out through the creeks and marsh in a small rowboat, shrimping and fishing with her father, and “bogging” for crabs. She and her friends played with fiddlers and watched the snails climb up and down the marsh grass with the change in tide. Their games outside took place against the backdrop of trawlers, sailboats, government vessels, cruise ships, and commercial craft moving in and out of Charleston harbor. They also witnessed hurricanes up close and the occasional water spout. They could tell the time by the boatyard whistle.

Jessica Shuler

Jessica was born and raised in Powell, Wyoming, where she developed a love for hunting and the outdoors as part of a family devoted to conservation, including supporting Ducks Unlimited and multiple trips to the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center with her father. After college, her professional careers have included retail banking and real estate. Jessica is married to Tucker Shuler and together they have continued to explore and cherish the outdoors through hiking, horse-back riding, and pack trips, including time living in Southern Oregon as part of Tucker’s job with the U.S. Forest Service. After the birth of their son, Cameron, in 2015, the rugged mountains of Wyoming called them home and they now live in Dubois. In addition to the outdoors, Jessica enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and spending time with her family and two yellow dogs. Jessica began volunteering with the Center in 2016 and looks forward to the opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors.

Meet our Staff

Sara Domek

Executive Director
[email protected]

Sara was born in Kemmerer, Wyoming, where she grew up in the high sagebrush sea exploring the mountains and plains of this unique corner of the state. From Kemmerer, her family moved north to the beautiful Upper Green River Valley north of Cora, where Sara’s passion for wild country and wildlife grew even stronger. While a love for horses was a primary obsession for much of her childhood, Sara loves outdoor adventures of all type with her family and in particular, her sister Callie and husband Nick. Sara loves to spend time outside, whether hunting, angling, skiing or backpacking. She also loves to cook, play music and every now and then, you may find her messing around with block art prints.

Karen Sullivan

Education Manager
[email protected]

Karen was born in Texas, but she spent most of her life living in Louisiana. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Nicholls State University and a PhD in Microbiology from Louisiana State University. She spent almost twenty years teaching biology and microbiology at LSU. She married Troy in 1993 and raised two sons in Baton Rouge. Collectively, she and Troy have four adult children and three grandchildren. One son and two grandchildren live in Dubois and she is hoping to lure the rest of the family to the area.
After coming to CM ranch to visit Troy’s son, Karen and Troy fell in love with Dubois and the surrounding area and decided to make the big move from Louisiana to Wyoming.

Trudy Trevarthen

Development Manager
[email protected]

As an Alabama native, Trudy finished high school in Tennessee and continued her education at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where she graduated with a double major in Economics and German. Following graduation she moved to Germany, where she married and raised her two children, taught English, and served as a German-English translator on city and county levels for 24 years. One of her favorite jobs while in Germany was working as a bilingual castle tour guide in Bavaria.

Returning to Alabama in 1998, Trudy worked for a decade at the Mercedes Benz U.S. International Production Plant where her German language skills served her well, helping her advance from Administrative Assistant to Engineering Specialist, Trainer and Systems Administrator.