About Us
OUR VISION AND GOALS
Powder River Basin Resource Council was founded by ranchers and townspeople concerned about the impacts of strip mining on landscapes, communities, and freshwater aquifers. For 50 years, we have advocated for the responsible development of Wyoming’s energy resources.
Using community organizing, connections with scientific, policy, and legal experts, and coalitions with other organizations, we wage effective campaigns to protect Wyoming’s air, land, and water quality and to promote sustainable agricultural practices and policies in the state.
OUR MISSION AND COMMITMENT
The preservation and enrichment of our agricultural heritage and rural lifestyle.
The conservation of our unique land, mineral, water, and clean air resources, consistent with responsible use of those resources to sustain the livelihood of present and future generations.
The education and empowerment of our citizens to raise a coherent voice in the decisions that will impact their environment and lifestyle.
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OUR STAFF
Donna Birkholz
Executive Director
Donna is the product of a Montana ranch family - the two Montana ranches are raising the sixth and fifth generation on those properties, and her Wyoming cousins are raising second, third, and sixth generations on their ranches.
Donna graduated from Marquette University and the University of Kansas, returning to the West with a Master's in Cultural Anthropology and a husband, Paul, who was born and raised in Sheridan. They brought up their two children in Sheridan while operating their family business. Donna is an avid downhill skier and enjoys time in the mountains and traveling around our beautiful state.
Before joining us at Powder River Basin Resource Council, Donna worked in collegiate student affairs, with UW Cooperative Extension, with the Daniels Fund, at the family business, and as a volunteer leader with 4-H. She is the current board chair for the Wyoming chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), in addition to being an AFSP Advocacy Ambassador.
Community, stewardship, and caring for the land for the benefit of subsequent generations is in Donna’s DNA, and she is excited to continue Powder River Basin Resource Council's proven, member-driven efforts to ensure that Wyoming's land, air, and water are healthy and responsibly managed.
Claire Deuter
Community Organizer and Communications Specialist
Claire is an organizer based in Sheridan. She focuses on a variety of issues to empower individuals and protect Wyoming’s air, water, land, and communities.
Claire joined the Powder River team in 2022 as a renewable energy organizer and attorney where she focused largely on protecting rooftop solar policies. She later worked as a campaign coordinator for the Western Organization of Resource Councils with a focus on oil and gas and carbon capture issues. She returned to Powder River in 2025 to continue fighting for Wyoming.
Claire grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota. She studied Political Science and Global Studies at South Dakota State University and received a Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from Lewis & Clark Law School.
In her free time she likes to explore the outdoors and volunteer at a local cat rescue. She lives in Sheridan with her partner, dog, and three cats.
Katherine Schrock
Assistant Director
A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. in Parks and Recreation Administration, she served in an administrative capacity for both municipal and private recreational entities. The highlight of her career in Recreation was in the creation, ownership and operation of Minnesota’s first Swim School Organization alongside her husband Peter. Together they operated three locations teaching thousands of young ones to love swimming over a 28 year period of time. They share with pride how Regan Smith, 2024 Olympic Silver Medalist, developed her early swimming skills at their Lakeville pool. Their Family Swim School was unique in its time with an amazing curriculum, very small classes, warm water, and a dedicated mature staff. Recreation continues to be an important part of her life with swimming, yoga, biking, camping, fishing and gathering with friends and family.
She and her husband Peter raised their son and daughter in Lakeville, Minnesota. Carrie works for Salesforce and resides in Milwaukee, WI with her husband and Frank is the Director of BSA Camp Parsons in the beautiful Olympic Peninsula, WA. They all take turns visiting each other in their respective unique areas of America.
Employment with the Powder River Basin Resource Council allows her to meet and work with the people of Wyoming who are passionate about this land, protecting it now and for generations to come.
Natalie Johansen
Renewable Energy Community Organizer
Natalie Johansen has been hired as Powder River Basin Resource Council’s Renewable Energy Community Organizer where she will focus on promoting sustainable energy solutions and protecting Wyoming's natural spaces. She brings a diverse background in environmental studies and outdoor leadership to her role. In 2020, she graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a degree in Geoscience. Her background includes experience on an all-women's trail crew in Montana, fieldwork in Alaska, and three years as a ski instructor and outdoor leader in Wyoming. She recently graduated from the University of Wyoming with a master’s in science in Natural Science Education with a concurrent degree in Environment and Natural Resources. Natalie will be based in Laramie, WY. where she calls home and is excited to put her education and experience towards protecting the land she loves.
