Anne Young
There is hesitation when Anne Young first begins to talk about her life and accomplishments. Like so many women, Young claims she “hasn’t done much.” But as the conversation moves forward, you soon realize this is anything but true.
Young grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and says she has always been interested in environmental issues. In high school, Young recalls having concerns about population growth and the environment. She claims she was a pretty typical teenager, but there is no denying the uniqueness of a teen in the 50s & 60s thinking “often” about sprawl, lack of planning and ecological consequences.
She’ll also tell you she became active as an environmentalist in 1966. She had worked for a variety of magazines in New York City, but in 1966 she started working for Audubon Magazine, which gave her the chance to begin to understand the issues. She found she could be a voice for the environment during a time when political activity surrounding the issue really got moving. And this voice has never quieted.
In 1971 Young moved to Wyoming where she and her former husband eventually bought a ranch on the North Fork of the Shoshone River. Here their children, Bobby and Faith, put on their hiking boots and never took them off. With no TV, and no rushing to hockey, soccer or other events that seem to be a prerequisite of being a kid these days, Young’s children could enjoy long hikes on the land. Eventually Young and her husband divorced and she bought another ranch east of Cody on Sage Creek, overlooking the Absaroka Mountains. In 1994 she married Jim Nielson.
Young is still on the beautiful ranch outside of Cody where she advocates for the land she loves. She advocates even in the face of loss and hardship. Young’s son, Bobby, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2007, passed away in 2009 following complications. But she has not let the loss stop her from being a champion for issues she feels are important. An advisory board member of The Draper Museum of Natural History, a board member of The Yellowstone Association, and board member emeritus of the Wyoming chapter of the Nature Conservancy, she tirelessly works to improve the land.
In the center of Cody, Young purchased a former gravel pit and adjacent lands, and led the effort to transform the acres into an amphitheater and park with native plantings, walking trails and educational displays about the surrounding geology. Benches spark thoughtfulness with literary quotes and old photographs tell about local history. On the ranch she garnered an award from the Cody Conservation District for restoring a marshland. Currently she is working with the Wyoming Nature Conservancy on an educational project for their Heart Mountain Preserve. Her enthusiasm is palpable as she tells the story of saving a French, vertical log cabin from demolition in a beet field by transferring it to the Heart Mountain site. And her description of the area leaves you wanting to explore the mountain that is so dear to her.
A member of the Nature Conservancy, Young is inspired by the practical and science-based work of the Conservancy and all of the people involved in making projects come to fruition. She knows she hasn’t done all of these projects alone. “It takes a lot of people following through to make it happen.” She is inspired by and respects people who have the ability to listen, to be patient, and who are determined in their belief of what they are doing. And she is not shy in telling you the importance of making a difference: “Don’t sit around and wait to do something!”
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