Wilson has been my full-time home since 1994, and my son grew up here. We’ve had the good fortune to enjoy all that this amazing community has to offer and have done our best to give back to this special place. Most of my time on water is spent on the solid form of it, working and recreating on backcountry, alpine, and Nordic skis. Snow is nature’s reservoir, and I often wonder where it will end up and how it will be used once it melts.
When I was in my early teens, my family moved near a lake that was known to be polluted. Thanks to the Clean Water Act and community efforts, sewers were being installed to replace the septic systems around the lake. Once that work was done, the lake quickly recovered. I’m hoping for similar outcomes in our valley, where rapid growth, a cold climate, and a high water table may make septic systems particularly ill-suited for protecting water quality.
This is the time for our community to address our water quality issues both current and future. As many have pointed out, on water issues we’ve kicked the can down the road for over 40 years. Our valley’s nonprofits have made an incredible impact on many aspects of our community and now is the time for them to take the lead on water. I’m gratified to serve on the board of Protect Our Water Jackson Hole to help get the hard work done.