From Johnson County Fair to Global Conservation, UW Student Champions Rural Communities

Bailey Yeager’s path to conservation began at the Johnson County Fair, where showing sheep taught her responsibility, animal care and the value of community support. Now in her second year studying rangeland ecology and watershed management at the University of Wyoming, she’s preparing to give back to the rural communities that shaped her.

 

“Buffalo has a really big appreciation for agriculture, and that was such a big deal for me,” Yeager says. “The Johnson County Fair was the highlight of my summer every year.”

 

Those early experiences in 4-H and FFA, combined with supportive teachers, set Yeager on her current path in UW’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, where she has a concurrent major in environment and natural resources.

 

“I was allowed to start taking college courses my sophomore year of high school,” she says. “I took a range and environmental science course, and knew this is what I want to do with my life.”

 

Selected to be a UW Tomé Scholar, Yeager received a full-ride scholarship and funding for experiential learning opportunities that opened doors she never imagined. That scholarship led to the highlight of her college experience: traveling to Mongolia last summer as part of the Haub School’s Wild and Working Lands course, led by Haub School Dean John Koprowski.

 

“I’d never been abroad before,” Yeager says. “It took a lot of planning and courage, but I got to experience a different environment and culture. It’s an experience I’m going to remember forever.”

 

The Haub School’s interdisciplinary approach has transformed Yeager’s professional development.

 

“There are so many different perspectives on one issue. You have to do a multifaceted approach,” she says. “The Haub School has made me a better critical thinker, a better communicator and better at research.”

 

After graduation, Yeager plans to pursue a master’s degree and work in rangeland monitoring, environmental surveying or agricultural research to support the rural communities she grew up in.

 

“I really want to encourage sustainable land management and support the people who rely on these lands,” she says. “I hope to help rural communities, because I grew up in one. I will always hold love for them, and it’s something we see so often ignored.”

 

Three Decades of Impact

 

UW’s Haub School prepares the next generation of natural resource professionals while serving Wyoming’s wild and working lands and communities. With 1,275 alumni (1996-2025), many working across the state in government, private industry, nonprofits and education, the school offers six undergraduate and seven graduate programs integrating science, policy, law, economics and community engagement.

 

The school brings about $2 million annually in research funding to Wyoming while supporting communities through four dedicated centers and institutes. Recent milestones include a $5 million gift from Jay and Karen Kemmerer in 2025 to establish the Wyoming Outdoor Recreation, Tourism and Hospitality (WORTH) Institute, supporting the state’s second-largest industry.

Haub School programs, including the Wyoming Conservation Corps, have trained more than 150 young adults and veterans since 2021, while the Biodiversity Institute connects people of all ages to Wyoming’s wildlife through 40-plus annual programs reaching over 3,500 participants statewide. The school’s Ruckelshaus Institute facilitates collaborative, long-term solutions to natural resource challenges, offers professional workforce development, and publishes the award-winning Western Confluence magazine, reaching nearly 4,000 readers across the state. Learn more at www.uwyo.edu/haub.

 

Additionally, the Haub School’s Tomé Scholars to Fellows Program -- established in 2021 through a major gift from UW alumni Carol and Ramon Tomé -- provides exceptional students with full-ride, four-year scholarships and experiential learning opportunities to address complex environmental challenges. Recent expanded support from the Tomé Foundation has doubled the number of scholars on campus. Learn more at www.bit.ly/tomescholars.