Keynote Speakers
Sara Dant
Sara Dant is Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor and Chair of History at Weber State University whose work focuses on environmental politics in the United States with a particular emphasis on the creation and development of consensus and bipartisanism. Dr. Dant’s latest book is Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West (Wiley, 2017), a “thought-provoking, well-written work” about the interaction between people and nature over time. She is currently working on the Second Edition, which will be published by University of Nebraska Press. Dr. Dant is also an advisor and interviewee for Ken Burns’ forthcoming The American Buffalo documentary film, the author of several prize-winning articles on western environmental politics, a precedent-setting Expert Witness Report and Testimony on Stream Navigability upheld by the Utah Supreme Court (2017), co-author of the two-volume Encyclopedia of American National Parks (2004), and she has written chapters for three books on Utah. Dr. Dant was the 2019-2020 John S. Hinckley Fellow at Weber State for excellence in scholarship, teaching, and service and was recognized as a Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor in 2020.
Daniel L. Stone, Policy Analyst
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, Fish and Wildlife Department
Daniel is an enrolled member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, located on the Fort Hall Reservation in Southeast Idaho, and a lifelong advocate for natural resources. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Idaho State University in 2004, Daniel continued his education in law with the University of New Mexico and University of Idaho, College of Law; graduating in 2007. He has served a special term from 2017-2018 on the Fort Hall Business Council, the governing body of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. However, his primary passion is the conservation of Idaho’s wild places and with the exception of that single year of public service, Daniel has worked exclusively with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes as a Policy Analyst to advocate for the conservation, protection, and, recovery of Idaho’s listed anadromous fish stocks and wildlife resources for the past 15 years.
The pressing challenges of climate change and rapid development are starting to change the landscapes in the traditional homelands of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes; as well as their permanent home on the Fort Hall Reservation. While the magnitude of these changes is still undetermined, it is clear that Idaho will need advocates for conservation, policy makers who will have the courage to protect our natural resources for future generations, and, individuals who are willing to dedicate their talents to protecting the resources we rely upon.
Sen. Ron Wyden
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden is the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee and a senior member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Throughout his time in the Senate, he has been a committed champion for climate action, in addition to protecting and expanding equitable access to public lands.
Senator Wyden has worked to expand wilderness protections for some of Oregon’s most treasured areas, including Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge, Copper Salmon, the Oregon Badlands, Spring Basin, and the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The addition of 1,986 miles of Oregon rivers to the Wild and Scenic Rivers system means Oregon now has the most wild-and-scenic river designations in the contiguous United States.
His work to ensure pristine areas are protected for generations to come has boosted recreation opportunities in Oregon and nationwide. Additionally, his bipartisan Recreation Not Red-Tape Act would remove barriers to outdoor recreation, increasing equitable access to public lands and supporting rural economies and jobs.