JACKSON, Wyo. — Join History Jackson Hole at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14 for Beers & Banter: A Legacy of Community Action, Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free. The evening will begin with the unveiling of the permanent exhibition of Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free artifacts and the premier of a short film featuring interviews with Berte Hirschfield and Mary Woollen.
Following the screening, guest panelists Mark Sullivan, Angus Thuermer Jr. and Mary Woollen will participate in a moderated conversation about the original Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free (KYNF) achievement in the early 2000s. The panel will also discuss the legacy of community action in Jackson Hole.
Beers & Banter is free and open to the public with many thanks to event sponsors Jackson Hole Winery, KHOL 89.1 FM and Roadhouse Brewing Co.! Beverages, including NA, are available for suggested donation. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with limited seating.
Three guest panelists, who were on the scene either as part of KYNF or reporting on it, will talk about their personal experiences with the project.
MARK SULLIVAN
Mark is a practicing attorney based in Wilson, Wyo. Mark has nearly 30 years of experience in land use and conservation related work, and has started, represented or served on the board of numerous conservation advocacy organizations, including Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free, the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, the Hudson Riverkeeper, Astoria Park Conservancy and Friends of Munger Mountain. Mark cares deeply about Jackson Hole, where he raised his family along with his wife, Architect and Vertical Harvest founder Nona Yehia.
ANGUS THUERMER JR.
Angus Thuermer has ink in his blood; his parents met when they worked for the Associated Press in Chicago. He began his career in journalism in 1978 as a printer’s devil at the weekly Jackson Hole News after moving to Wyoming from the East Coast. He became a reporter and then editor of that paper and then for the combined Jackson Hole News&Guide. The publications won national recognition as the top weekly papers among their peers. He joined the online news nonprofit WyoFile as a reporter in 2015. He has written and edited extensively about public land issues, including wolf reintroduction, grizzly bears and the Endangered Species Act. He lives in Jackson where he enjoys access to public lands and wildlife.
MARY WOOLLEN
Mary Woollen has been a transformative figure in the nuclear sector since co-founding the environmental group Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free (KYNF) in Jackson Hole, Wyo. in 1999. The group’s grassroots and legal efforts successfully halted the construction of a nuclear waste incinerator proposed in Idaho, ultimately setting a national precedent banning incineration as a method for treating nuclear waste at Department of Energy sites. Following this early success, Mary was named Executive Director of KYNF, where she worked to shift the organization’s strategy — moving beyond litigation toward building processes for dialogue and engagement with diverse stakeholders, including former opponents.
Mary has served on the staff of the Presidentially appointed Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future (2010–2012). In 2013, Mary was named Advisor for External Engagement to the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Washington D.C., solidifying her influence in national energy policy and regulatory discussions. From 2015 to 2018, she played a pivotal role in the Department of Energy’s “Consent-Based Siting” initiative, helping design a more inclusive, participatory approach to nuclear waste management.
Most recently, Mary spent four years leading stakeholder engagement and business development for Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation. Throughout her career, Mary’s visionary approach to collaboration and sustainability has reinforced her dedication to environmental stewardship and the advancement of innovative nuclear energy solutions.
