National Bighorn Sheep Center in Dubois, Wyoming

About
The National Bighorn Sheep Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
We provide education and outreach for the national conservation of wild sheep, wildlife, and wildlands.

History

The citizens of Dubois have always felt great pride for the proximity, accessibility, and successful endurance of “our” herd, the Whiskey Mountain herd of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. In the late 1980s, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department was considering building a small-scale sheep observatory with interpretive signage in the Whiskey Basin Wildlife Habitat Management Area. Around 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 townspeople to wonder if their economy was facing imminent failure. Dubois needed something to encourage tourists to stop and stay in Dubois. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department also wanted an avenue for public education. One citizen suggested the construction of 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 cooperation, a partnership developed that included a broad spectrum of private-sector 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.

Board of Directors

Carolyn Gillette
President

Carolyn grew up across the street from Central Park in New York City; this was her first wilderness area. The family camping and canoe trips of her childhood helped her to find a trail to Wyoming, where she encountered the Fitzpatrick wilderness area.

Steve Kilpatrick
Vice President

Steve lives in Dubois, Wyoming prior to living in Jackson for over 27 years. He grew up in Nebraska and earned a BS and MS in Wildlife Management from the University of Nebraska. His passion for wildlife and the backcountry come from working as a habitat biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for the past 33 years in the Torrington and Jackson areas.

Kate Falco
Treasurer

Kate grew up in Scotland, attended Middlebury College in Vermont, completed an MBA at Emory University, GA, and ended up working as a bank examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank in Philadelphia. She first came to Wyoming in 1972 when the family came to the CM Ranch here in Dubois.

Al Gehrt
Secretary

Al spent much time in Wyoming growing up and significantly more following retirement. He and his wife, Sue, moved to Dubois in 2020. He graduated from Kansas State University in 1979 with a degree in wildlife biology.

Ryan Brock, PhD

Ryan grew up in the Colorado outdoors, but now lives in Reno, Nevada. Working as the youth education coordinator for the Wild Sheep Foundation part time, while also teaching 5th grade full time, his passion for connecting youth with the outdoors is evident.

Arthur (Art) Lawson

Arthur (Art) Lawson is the director of the Shoshone & Arapaho Tribal Fish and Game which is located in Fort Washakie, Wyoming on the Wind River Reservation. He joined the Tribal Fish and Game Department in 2015 as a game warden. Prior to joining the department, Arthur was a police officer with the BIA Police Department-Wind River Agency, he became a police officer to eventually become a game warden.

Robert Rogan

Rob was born and raised in New York and resides in Westchester County, a short distance from New York City. While New York is where Rob call’s home with his Wife Erica and their three daughters Katelyn, Abigail and Nora, his love for the west has grown since he first stepped foot in the mountains over 3 decades ago! Since that first climb, Rob heard the calling to remote places with fresh air, crisp water and dramatic views.

Bryan Sage

Bryan grew up in northern Illinois. He left Illinois and moved to Colorado in 1976 to be with family. He spent 21 years as a Systems Engineer for the MITRE Corporation located in Colorado Springs. Bryan earned his BS degree in EE from Chapman University. He concluded his education with classes in Space Systems and their Environment (Astrophysics) through the MITRE Institute.

Staff

Amanda Verheul
Executive Director
[email protected]

Amanda joined the Center in 2023 after spending 15 years living and working as the business manager at Ring Lake Ranch. The Torrey Valley and its wilderness are what she considers her back yard. Before moving to Dubois in 2008, Amanda was an executive for Target Corporation managing different retail stores in Saint Louis, MO. Amanda grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin EauClaire with a bachelor of science studying communications and business management. In 2004 she spent 6 months in Scotland studying ecology and fell in love with the outdoors and wild lands. Amanda along with her husband Ben are working with the Sheep Center to create local, ethical, and memorable outdoor experiences. She is currently the President of the Dubois Chamber of Commerce and the leader of our local Girl Scouts Troop 1204.

Anna Miller
Museum Coordinator
[email protected]

Anna joined the Center in 2023 after moving to Dubois from Casper, Wyoming. Anna has lived in Wyoming her entire life, growing up in Cheyenne and moving to Casper in 2018 to attend Casper College where she earned her degree in Agriculture Communications. While in Casper, Anna worked for the City of Casper’s Recreation Division where she was the Adult Recreation Coordinator for the Casper Ice Arena.

Anna enjoys the outdoors, specifically hiking, fishing, golfing, and trail riding with her horse, Foxy. Although in the winter you will find her on the ice playing hockey.

Jenny Bautz
Summer Intern

Jenny is going into her senior year at the University of Wyoming where she is majoring in Environment & Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation & Tourism Management, with a focus on Outdoor Leadership. While at UW, Jenny has researched large ungulate migration, studied and analyzed different conservation strategies for both land and wildlife, and deepened her understanding of the social dynamics between human and wildlife interactions.

In her free time, Jenny likes to fish, hike, camp, and spend time with friends. Growing up in Lander, Jenny has grown to love the scenery and wildlife Wyoming lands have to offer, especially the moose and bighorn sheep.

Anna Mabie
Marketing and Brand Manager
[email protected]

Anna Mabie joined the Center in June 2024. This is her 3rd year living in Dubois. She lived in Montana for 15 years where she studied Philosophy at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana and graduated from the Rocky Mountain School of Photography in Missoula, Montana. With a strong background in marketing, Anna worked for the outdoor industry photographing and marketing professional athletes and outdoor companies such as REI, North Face, and Mountain Hardware to name a few. When she wasn’t working as a freelance photographer, Anna has acquired over 10 years of experience working in hospitality for luxury guest ranches in Southwest Montana.

When she isn’t working at the Center, Anna likes to travel, mountain bike, fish, and spend time with her sweet little dog, Mr. Roman. Anna is a creative individual with a true passion for art and the outdoors.

Partners

The National Bighorn Sheep Center 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.

Bowhunters of Wyoming

Boys and Girls Club of Dubois

Destination Dubois

Dubois Chamber of Commerce

Dubois Historical Museum-Fremont County Museums

Eastern Chapter Wild Sheep Foundation

Joey’s Fly Fishing Foundation

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