Inspired by William D. Ruckelshaus's legacy of collaboration, the Ruckelshaus Institute supports community-driven approaches to environmental challenges by advancing collaborative decision-making, convening discussions around emergent policy and management questions, and communicating insights and practical approaches to critical natural resource issues. The Ruckelshaus Institute is a division of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming.
Ruckelshaus Institute Programs
Collaborative Solutions
Our collaborative solutions work supports natural resource stakeholders, policy makers, and managers in making decisions about the future through trainings, forums, and decision-making support services.
Communication and Publications
Ruckelshaus Institute outreach bridges science and policy to the people using it on the ground. Briefs, primers, and more support decisions and management for complex natural resource issues.
Conferences and Forums
We convene conferences and forums that bring together stakeholders and decision-makers around natural resource issues that are important to the future of Wyoming and the West.
Private Lands Stewardship
This program addresses the needs of landowners by drawing on expertise and interdisciplinary collaborations across natural resource management, rangeland ecology, business and finance, law, decision-making, collaborative processes, and other fields.
Current and Recent Projects
State Trust Land: An Emerging Issue Forum
April 22-23, 2025 in Laramie, Wyoming
Join us in exploring the role of state trust lands in Wyoming's present and future.
Over two days, we will build a shared understanding of state trust land's unique responsibility to benefit public institutions and consider the potential of new and emerging uses to provide additional revenue streams while generating value for Wyoming's citizens.
Western Confluence Issue 14
Available in print and online
In every corner of the world, large ecosystems fostering diverse wildlife and complex species interactions sprawl over jurisdictional boundaries. They provide ecological wonders and societal benefits, but also present considerable management challenges and potential for conflict. Issue 14 of Western Confluence explores both these challenges and opportunities through stories told by professional journalists, as well as students, staff, and faculty at the University of Wyoming.
Managing Wildlife in Large Landscapes
Oct 1-2, 2025 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Join us for a global dialogue on the challenges, opportunities, and solutions for conserving and managing wildlife in large, complex landscapes around the world. The conference will bring managers, researchers, and conservationists from iconic landscapes across the planet to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in search of reciprocal learning both from and for this place.
