Wendy Corr:
Well, hey there, folks. Welcome to The Roundup! The Roundup is a Cowboy State Daily podcast that focuses on interesting people here in the Cowboy State, and we have one of the most interesting people on today's episode of The Roundup. Today we have - as quoted in Cowboy State Daily - “Noted Wyoming outdoorsman Paul Ulrich.”
But Paul Ulrich is much more than an outdoorsman. Paul has a rich history, and his family has a rich history here in Wyoming, from the fossil industry to the - and really it is an industry - and of course, the oil and gas industry, but just years and years and generations of people living the Wyoming life.
And that is Paul Ulrich, and so I'm gonna say good morning, Paul. Hello. How are you? It's good to see your face. We talk every once in a while on the phone for story stuff, but we don't get to talk face to face very often. How are you today?
Paul Ulrich:
Wendy, I'm doing great, and I can't tell you how pleased I am to be here with you this morning. I love what you do. I love what the Cowboy State Daily does. What an excellent team. And really looking forward to a fun conversation today.
Wendy Corr:
This is going to be a lot of fun. I have to give a disclaimer here. Paul and our editor, Jimmy Orr, go way back, and they have great friendship, but it gets interesting sometimes… and so I'm gonna, I know that Paul's got a few Jimmy Orr stories that we're going to talk about today. So
Paul Ulrich:
I certainly do. And despite his work, Cowboy State Daily has succeeded, and honestly, has, you know, done such a great job covering all of our issues in Wyoming that are so very important, and all that, despite Jimmy's best efforts.
Wendy Corr:
Despite Jimmy's best efforts, right? Well, Paul, I've got to say, I want to, on a serious note here, Paul, you have been so much a part of those exact efforts about all the things that are happening in Wyoming right now.
You are the Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs for Jonah energy, based out of Pinedale, but you didn't you haven't lived in Pinedale your whole life. You've kind of crisscrossed the state.
Tell me a little bit about growing up in Meeteetse and Cody. I think that that's really a grand thing, because, of course, I'm up here in northwest Wyoming, and you've got great roots up here. Tell us about growing up in small town Wyoming.
Paul Ulrich:
What a blessing. Honestly, growing up and going to elementary school in Meeteetse, and high school in Cody, looking back, I could not have been luckier. Meeteetse is a special little town. We all know how wonderful Cody is, you know.
And for me and for the rest of Wyoming, getting to experience a small town living and raised in that kind of a, well, raised in small town Wyoming is pretty special.
Wendy Corr:
It really is. And so you made lifelong friends here, of course, and you still have family up here - your sister, Betheny, your baby sister, Betheny is one of my friends, and I've gone to church with her forever. Our kids grew up together, so it's fun to have those things in common with people throughout the state.
And I think that that's something that you, I'm sure, have experienced, is those connections from just corner to corner to corner.
Paul Ulrich:
Well, no doubt, and most of us in Wyoming who've been here for a long time have those connections. And I'm really been pretty lucky. You know, my family has been here for generations, in the mining industry, in the oil and gas industry, in the ranching industry, the connections you build and the relationships we have throughout this state really are what makes Wyoming go around.
And I'll tell you whether it's from politics to outdoors activities or the oil and gas industry, it's those relationships that make Wyoming special, and we need to protect our way of life.
And that's so important today with divisive politics and, you know, the rhetoric on a national and global level, maintaining what makes Wyoming special is something I feel very strongly about. I know you do, and we all should.
Wendy Corr:
We all should, and you're, you're doing so much of that - because I want to dive into something that is your family business, which I just think is just so much fun. When you were a kid, yeah, you went to school up here in Meeteetse and in Cody, but your summers were spent in the fossil mines.
And I think that that's - it sounds like child labor, but that was how you spent your summers, is digging up fossils for your grandparents. Tell us about your grandparents' fossil business, because it really is a business.
Paul Ulrich:
Well, Wendy, it all started after my grandfather, Karl Ulrich, came back from World War Two, met my grandmother, Shirley, got married right after the war, and as is everybody in Kemmerer, Wyoming, after the war, you didn't have a lot of money. And so to keep yourself entertained and active, you know you had to enjoy what Wyoming is best known for, and that's our outdoor way of life.
Some would fish, some would hunt, some would hike, and then a few would go out into the desert, up in the high bluffs outside of Kemmerer and collect fossils from the Green River Formation, which is world famous today as one of the most remarkably preserved fossil ecosystems on the planet.
You know, lots of fossil fish, palm fronds, gar fish, stingrays, you name it. And so my grandparents would collect them as a hobby, and it eventually turned into a cottage business, which has turned - outside of JCPenney - turned Kemmerer into a hotspot, without a doubt. It's been a pretty remarkable story. And growing up in that quarry in my summers, I couldn't have asked for anything better. It was very remarkable.
Wendy Corr:
What are some of the most amazing finds that you have personally put your hands on from the Green River Formation? Can you think of some?
Paul Ulrich:
We found a number of large palm fronds, which are spectacular, one of which is sitting in the Smithsonian today. Paddlefish, large gar fish, freshwater stingrays.
I tell you, from my perspective, the finds I loved the most weren't the big fish. They were the very small, remarkably preserved insects, flies and moths and dragonflies, and they're rare, and there's one certain layer that you have to dig to find them. But I always was fascinated with the really small insects and how beautifully preserved they were and are.
Wendy Corr:
I think that's great. The Smithsonian thing, I had no idea about that. That's phenomenal. So people come from all over the world to come dig in that Green River Formation. What's happening there now? And how is that being preserved? And how is that being opened up to the rest of the world?
Paul Ulrich:
Well, there's a couple ways you can go experience the Green River Formation. One, which my grandparents and many others helped with, was the establishment of what is now and has been since the early 70s, Fossil Butte National Monument just outside of Kemmerer. It's a great place to go. The Visitor Center is top notch.
And then if you want to go experience it yourself. You can come to Ulrich Fossil Gallery, and we're going to take you out, and we're going to let you dig your own fossils. We provide a guide and transportation, and, you know, dumb jokes, and we spend a day digging dead fish and having a blast.
Wendy Corr:
I don't know very many people who describe having a great day as going up and digging up dead fish, but it sounds like a lot of fun to me.
Paul Ulrich:
Sure it's good! You get dusty, you get dirty, and also you get to be the first human being on the planet to uncover a fossil. How fun is that? How remarkable is that?
Wendy Corr:
Absolutely, there is something to be said about having and again, that's the wonderful things about Wyoming, the things you can discover here.
Paul, you have made your living, not just with Ulrich's fossils, but when it comes to the land, you have found your purpose in so many ways in that oil and gas industry, and you found your career in that oil and gas industry. Once again, the riches that are under the surface of Wyoming.
Tell us about how you got involved in the oil and gas industry. You work for Jonah Energy, but you've got a really great story that kind of got you there because you are one of the people that we are so proud of. You went right after high school, and you enlisted in the Navy and served your country. Tell us about that.
Paul Ulrich:
You know, I wanted to experience the world. So clearly, you join the military. You know, I also wanted to serve. And, you know, spent a few years in the US Navy and the mountains and my family called me back.
So I came back to Wyoming, and like a lot of kids that come back to the state, it's hard to figure out what your path is going to be. And I bounced around a little bit. I dabbled in politics and worked for Governor Geringer, worked for Barbara Cubin. That's, you know, I worked somewhat for Jimmy. It was a horrible experience. I wouldn't recommend to anybody, but you can manage him much better than I can.
And that was a very long time ago. And you know, that eventually led to me doing some consulting work for the oil and gas industry as a young man. I loved it, and I loved the industry, I loved the people. And that led to what is now 25 years of me working, you know, the oil and gas industry, and most of my time working in the Jonah field over here in Western Wyoming.
And once again, I'm blessed. What the oil and gas industry does for the state of Wyoming cannot be understated. Most of our tax revenue is derived by oil and gas and coal, and based on our current tax code, that's not going to change.
And so even in a time of today when we see a lot of policy and an external willingness, or even in some cases, a demand to move away from hydrocarbons, which is our bread and butter in the state, Wyoming's well positioned to overcome that. We've got the right people, we've got the right resources, and what we can continue to do, Wendy, is reduce our overall impact.
And we've done this in the Jonah field. We've done this in many areas across the state where we can reduce our impact, reduce our emissions, our surface disturbance, our impact to Wyoming, excuse me, to wildlife down to a minimum level, to the best we can. And that will continue to position us to be competitive in the market and hopefully keep natural gas and oil and coal around for a very long time.
Wendy Corr:
Paul tell me, I know that there've been so many stories and so much news centered around moving away from the fossil fuel industry. How do you see Wyoming being positioned to be a leader in that, as well as continuing the stability? I mean, that's the thing that people have been touting, is that fossil fuel is such a stable source of power, whereas we've got this other renewable energy that maybe isn't quite so reliable. How do you see Wyoming moving forward in the renewable energy as opposed to the fossil fuels?
Paul Ulrich:
Well, I think it's a balance, and we're going to need all the energy we can produce. If it's one thing we know, our energy consumption as a nation is going to continue to grow, so we're going to continue to need hydrocarbons and we're also going to need renewables. There's no question about it.
Wyoming has found a way in our history to balance both our energy development and our desperate need for continued conservation of all that we love in this state - our wildlife, our open spaces, Wyoming's been really smart because of our relationships, of developing some world Class programs and strategies to continue our hydrocarbon production, to continue our conservation measures.
You know, Wendy, Wyoming has always found solutions to our challenges, and we do that by working together.
We've done that on a myriad of issues since I've been involved the last 25 years, whether it's our sage grouse core area strategy, which ended up being the largest conservation measure in the nation at the time, and who led that? Who led the foundational structure and policy for sage grouse protections all over the West? Wyoming did. Wyoming people did.
Conservation groups, sportsman groups, oil and gas groups, our state agencies, we all got in a room thanks to Governor Freudenthal with a charter of “Fix this, and do it Wyoming's way.”
And we accomplished something remarkable and something very special. Now we have 80 plus percent of sage grouse habitat with enhanced protection, which is roughly 24% of the state, and we can still have development, reasonable, responsible development, in that acreage. Science driven and Wyoming people driven.
Wendy Corr:
I think that's fantastic. And I love how you say that science driven, Wyoming driven.
Paul, you're not just a representative, obviously, of the oil and gas industry here, because, as we say, you are noted Wyoming outdoorsman.
And so Paul, how do you balance, as an outdoorsman, what is your priority? When you are sitting there, you're a Wyoming guy, so you're looking at it from all of these sides. How do you balance and push and promote that conservation working for the oil and gas industry?
Paul Ulrich:
Well, it's easy, and I say that because every single individual in the Jonah field that I work with share the same values. Everybody across the state shares the same values. There's different ways we go about it, but I don't know anybody in Wyoming that's against, quote, conservation. We all hunt, we all fish, or we do something in the great outdoors that we love so much.
So, whether it's me focusing on waters or reducing our impact as an industry, or others focusing on other natural resource priorities in the state, it's because we love it, Wendy, and it's because we want to retain what makes our home special. It's not complicated. We're protecting what we love.
Wendy Corr:
Absolutely. Now, speaking of the outdoors, I hear you're a heck of a fly fisherman. Tell us. Tell us about what you love most. What is your favorite thing to do in the Wyoming outdoors, Paul, when it comes to fishing, hunting, what? Where do you go? What do you do?
Paul Ulrich:
Well, I love it all, but my passion is fly fishing. Now I'm not going to tell you I'm any good, and I'm a part time guide, and I can guarantee you there's a lot better guides out there, even here in Pinedale, but I do love it.
There's nothing I like more than being on a quiet stretch of river, whether it's the Green or the New Fork or this time of the year, high up in the mountains, you know, throwing a fly and and attempting to catch a few fish.
It's it's something I'm passionate about. It's something I'm passionate about protecting and making sure that my son and hopefully, eventually, my grandchildren have that same experience that I've been able to have in Wyoming and all of us have had, and that's the solitude and all that comes with that on Wyoming's waters.
If we're not careful in Wyoming, we're going to end up like some of our neighboring states, where you're literally shoulder to shoulder with other anglers. We don't want that, and so finding ways to continue to protect the quality of the experience in Wyoming is something I'm very passionate about. That's going to take anglers working together with the legislature and with other conservation minded folks in the future.
Wendy Corr:
Well, I've got to say, you're talking the politics talk. I mean, I'm quite impressed with how well versed you are in all of these policy matters. I have it on good authority that your name has been tossed around, Paul as potentially, maybe you might make a great governor someday. Tell us. Tell us, Paul, what your thoughts are. If someone says, Paul, you should run for governor in a couple years. What are your thoughts on that?
Paul Ulrich:
Well, Wendy, I'm certainly not you know, committed to quote, running for governor in a couple years. I have a great job. I have a great part time job as a, you know, as a fly fishing guide.
I will tell you I have been approached. You know, we've got a couple years to go and maybe beyond that, who knows what my future brings. And it's remarkably humbling, remarkably humbling, to even be mentioned as potentially playing a public service role in the great state of Wyoming.
I look at some of the fantastic public servants we currently have, we've had in the past, and we're going to have in the future. And to be honest, even being mentioned in the same breath is is very humbling. We'll see what the future brings.
I will tell you this, everybody in Wyoming loves this state enough, you know, that they want to give back, and that can be in a small way, through your local charity, or a large way, you know, through a serious commitment for public service. All of it's wonderful, all of it's needed, and we need to continue to encourage people to participate.
Wendy, politics has kind of gotten a bad rap. For quite some time, and and I, I'm always reminded of the very simple fact that politics is simply the way we govern ourselves, and we need to get back to that, and we need to support each other and support our communities and everybody in our communities, that's important. So we'll see what the future brings.
Wendy Corr:
And you're, of course, you're not a stranger to it, because, as you mentioned, being on task forces for, for example, sage grouse and things like that, you've played a part. And I know that you have worked side by side with some really passionate people who feel the same way that you do. Paul, tell me about some of the other ways that you have kind of participated in these, these grassroots efforts to keep our state as great as it is.
Paul Ulrich:
Wendy, I believe participating locally, it always reaps the greatest reward, both for me and the community I serve. And here in Sublette County, we've got one charity I'm directly involved with, which is Fishing for the Fight. It is an annual fly fishing walkway tournament that we host here in Sublette County, and it's a pretty special event.
We utilize private water that rarely gets fished. When we started this program, and I have to give credit where credit is due, Chauncey and Angela Goodrich started this charity eight years ago, based on, to be quite honest, Chauncey watching his wife go through a very serious battle with cancer, and realizing that there is a need in small communities for gap funding, for travel expenses, for things insurance don't cover, and other general support for individuals with chronic illness, etc.
And so he and Angela started Fishing for the Fight. Year one, we had a whopping eight teams and raised about $90,000 year eight, we had 23 teams and raised over $500,000.
Wendy Corr:
Holy dang. That's fantastic! Wow!
Paul Ulrich:
We, Wendy, it chokes me up, and I did get a little emotional there, because what we do outside of policy and politics is this - and that we directly impact for the better people's lives every time we have somebody that needs us, that's what it's all about.
You know, you can talk about political races and this and that, but at the end of the day, what matters the most is helping your neighbor. Sorry, it's, it's emotional.
Wendy Corr:
I think it's, I think it's awesome, absolutely awesome.
Paul Ulrich:
We've raised over $2 million in little old Sublette County, you know, by most of the board, who are a bunch of literally 12 year old juvenile boys with, you know, 50 year old jobs and bodies. You know, most of us are a bunch of idiots that just love to fly fish and have been very deeply impacted by chronic illness or cancer.
And so there's a passion for what we do and a passion to help people. And it's helping our neighbors, it's helping our friends. To me, that's the most rewarding, rewarding part of what I do is, helping my friends and family and my neighbors here in Sublette County.
Wendy Corr:
I think that's awesome. You know, speaking of your family, I have had the honor to get to know just a little bit your 100 year old grandmother, Irene up here in Cody. Irene is a Spitfire, and she's just the the neatest, classiest lady. You are so proud of your family. And I just, I wanted to give you a chance to kind of give them a shout out, because they are obviously very proud of you.
Paul Ulrich:
Wendy, I appreciate it. I have a remarkable family. You know, my 100 year old grandmother, a shout out to grandma, to you. I love you. You are an inspiration to me and everybody else. I had you fly fishing just two years ago. You like to get stuck in the mud looking for wild horses, and beyond that, what a special family I have, all in Wyoming
Wendy Corr:
Well, your family is, of course, again, you've made such an impact down there in Kemmerer. You've made an impact at all the different places that you've been, and the different things that you've done. I want to just kind of wrap up here, Paul, because you've got such a phenomenal story to tell.
What excites you right now? We've talked about the charity work that you've done, we've talked about the issues, the wildlife issues and things like that. But what are the things that you do that just light you up right now?
Paul Ulrich:
Wendy, I love that question. Wendy, I see opportunity. You know, Wyoming has led the way with, you know, science driven solutions for a very long time, and I expect that to continue. We're providing some of the nation's cleanest natural gas. We're providing, you know, conservation measures and strategies you know, that are spread well beyond Wyoming borders. I expect that to continue.
I expect the opportunity we have to solve major challenges to continue as well. And that's what makes me proud to be part of, you know, honestly, a lot of the great solutions that Wyoming's put forward and hopefully continue to be.
Wendy Corr:
Absolutely. There's so much here that's yet to explore. What are your thoughts? I'm going to kind of go backwards a little bit. What are your thoughts about all the uranium mining and the rare earths and things like that? Do you think that there is something here, where Wyoming can build on that, with the closure, the coming closure, according to the administration, of the coal mining that's happening in northeast Wyoming and Powder River Basin.
What are your thoughts on rare earths and uranium? Because that seems to be something that's really becoming more and more prominent here in Wyoming.
Paul Ulrich:
Wendy, it is. And once again, it's an opportunity. It's an opportunity for Wyoming to continue to lead. I see that with uranium. I see that with the nuclear power plant that's going up right outside of Kemmerer, and I certainly see that in the natural gas and oil industry, with the innovations in the tech, in the solutions that Wyoming continues to bring forward.
We've got a bright future in Wyoming. I've got no doubt about that. We work together well, and we'll see where the future takes us,
Wendy Corr:
Paul, we so appreciate your conversation with us today. You're an expert, not only with what's below the ground, with the oil and gas industry, with the fossils, but also you are so invested with your family and with your own future, with what's above the ground and our beautiful, beautiful state.
In fact, you just had the opportunity, what, a week ago or so? You got to go up to Teton County, and you got to be kind of toured around the Kelly Parcel that has been such a high profile bit of conservation. Tell us, tell us your thoughts on that and what have you discovered about that for yourself.
Paul Ulrich:
Wendy, it was, it was a great trip. I learned a lot about the Kelly Parcel and Wendy, bottom line is, it's a special piece of property up there. It's worth protecting, it's worth protecting effectively, and I hope we get some resolution soon.
Wendy Corr:
Yeah, it certainly has been a high profile issue, so I'm glad you got the opportunity to visit there and to kind of see what a special place it was. Paul, thank you so much for being a part of our conversation today, for being such an advocate for Wyoming, for our energy industry, for our wildlife, for our conservation and for our way of life. We're so glad we got a chance to talk to you today. Thanks for taking time with us.
Paul Ulrich:
Wendy, thank you so much. I really enjoyed it, and take care.
Wendy Corr:
You as well. And folks, thank you for tuning in to this great conversation we've had with noted Wyoming outdoorsman Paul Ulrich, who has been a friend of Cowboy State Daily and friend to a lot of people in a lot of different industries and in different ways across the state of Wyoming.
So thanks for tuning in. And remember, folks, if you have missed any of our podcasts, you can go to our website, you can go to our YouTube channel, and you can go back and revisit all of these great conversations we've had with amazing people here in the Cowboy State. And if you've got an idea for someone we should talk to, just let us know!
Until next week, take care. Thanks for tuning in. Thanks, Paul!
Paul Ulrich:
Thanks, Wendy, appreciate you.
