Crook CountyOlin Sims Living Legacy- Honoring a Wyoming Rancher and Conservationist
The Olin Sims Living Legacy project encourages conservation districts around the country to plant trees in Olin’s memory. As a part of the project, a Curly Golden Willow has been planted in Water’s Park Pine Haven, and the District hopes to plant more trees around the county. If you think your community would like to be a part of this project, please contact the District!
Olin Sims was raised on a ranch in McFadden, Wyoming, where he his family put a high priority on caring for the land. He became involved in conservation efforts in Wyoming and stayed involved in many natural resource issues, especially those important to people living in the West. Olin’s leadership and charisma led him to serve as NACD (National Association of Conservation Districts) President from February to December 2007, when he lost his life in a tragic accident. According to NACD, “he was many things to many people, but to conservation districts, he was our President, our leader, our friend and a man who lived what he preached.”
The Olin Sims Living Legacy project is intended to memorialize this great man in a way that honors his passion for conservation- planting trees. All kinds of trees, from Georgia Pecans to Ponderosa Pines, have been planted across the U.S. and even in Guam. In the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., an American Chestnut was planted in Olin’s memory. For a complete list of plantings or to learn more about the project, you can go to http://www.nacdnet.org/news/living_legacy/ or call the District at 283-2501.
Pictured (left to right): Colleen & Maggie Geil, Chuck & Myrna Tesch, John Krebs, Al Kaldor, and Sarah Barton (CCNRD)