Three new inductees will join the ranks of 67 other honorees in the Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame: Doug Crowe, Steve Kilpatrick and Jim Zumbo.
The Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame was created in 2004 by Governor Dave Freudenthal to honor those individuals, both living and posthumously, who have made significant, lasting, lifetime contributions to the conservation of Wyoming’s outdoor heritage.
Recognition is given to people who have worked consistently over many years to conserve Wyoming’s natural resources through volunteer service, environmental restoration, educational activities, audio/visual and written media, the arts and political and individual leadership. The Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame is designed to educate the public about and promote the significance of our state's rich outdoor heritage.
This year, the three inductees will be honored at the annual induction ceremony on March 19, 2025, at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody. Tickets are on sale now, and space at the event is limited.
Doug Crowe of Casper was respected and admired by wildlife professionals throughout the state, across the nation and around the world. Crowe was an assistant director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and served as the Department’s liaison to the state legislature. Crowe became the Special Assistant to the Director of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington, D.C., where he became a critical consultant with state wildlife agencies, and then served as a representative of the United States at International Convention on Threatened and Endangered Species (CITES) gatherings. Crowe earned his Ph.D. in Zoology at the University of Wyoming, focusing on bobcats, and his thesis research remains classic in the field. After his work at the state and federal levels, he taught biology at Casper College and eventually served as chairman of its biology department.
Steve Kilpatrick of Dubois is a retired Game and Fish habitat biologist. Kilpatrick began his career with Game and Fish in 1978, eventually becoming the habitat area supervisor for the Jackson, Pinedale and Green River regions. During his time with Game and Fish, he spearheaded mutually beneficial projects for agricultural producers and wildlife, improving more than 530,000 acres of habitat in northwest Wyoming. Following his retirement from Game and Fish, Kilpatrick took a teaching, research and stewardship position with the Teton Science School. He became the executive director of the Wyoming Wildlife Federation in 2011 and later worked as the executive director for the Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation before serving on the board of the National Bighorn Sheep Center. Kilpatrick has been recognized by a number of groups with many awards over the years, including the first-ever Craighead Wildlife Conservation Award, the Wyoming Wildlife Federation Habitat Conservationist of the Year, the Wyoming Chapter Wildlife Society Lifetime Achievement Award and more.
Jim Zumbo of Cody is one of America's best-known outdoor writers and host of his own television show. He has written 23 books on hunting and fishing, nearly 3,000 magazine articles and has given more than a thousand seminars on hunting and fishing in more than 100 cities across the country. Zumbo received a number of awards, including the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's highest honor, the Wallace Fennell Pate Wildlife Conservation Award, which honors special contributions of lasting significance for the benefit of elk, other wildlife and their habitat across North America. Other awards honoring Zumbo include the Outdoor Channel Golden Moose Award – Lifetime Achievement Award, the Professional Outdoor Media Association/National Shooting Sports Foundation Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator Award, induction into the Legends of the Outdoors National Hall of Fame and more. Zumbo enjoys taking combat-injured veterans on hunting and fishing trips and has organized trips for more than 200 veterans.
The Game and Fish Youth Conservationist of the Year will also be recognized at the Hall of Fame banquet. The recipient of the 2025 award is Colton Schick of Cheyenne. A current high school senior, Schick has addressed the Wyoming State Legislature concerning land conservation and participated in the Wyoming Wildlife Federation Camp, the Wyoming Resource Education Days, 4H and FFA. Schick was awarded the 2024 Wyoming FFA Reserve State Champion in Environment and Natural Resources, won the National FFA Silver Emblem in Agricultural Issues and came in first place in the Wyoming 4H Shooting Sports Competition for shotgun.
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