finn ryan
Director
Webmaster
One day while riding home from a whitewater kayaking trip, I began to wonder if my lifestyle was contributing to the destruction of the very places I cherished most. I wondered if driving 8 hours for a day of paddling was worth the environmental consequences? Or was there another way to enjoy the outdoors? Was there a way to enjoy doing the activities I love, like Nordic skiing, cycling, paddling, climbing, and hiking, without consuming our natural world? I imagined a different type of outdoor recreation, a different mindset, not about being the best, doing the most, or going the farthest. Instead of going somewhere else to recreate, why not use what is around us and tailor activities to the landscapes we call home? This is Conscious Outdoor Recreation.
I have a background in education, both in the classroom and outdoors. I have led extended canoe trips in the BWCAW and Quetico, whitewater paddling trips around Wisconsin, and I currently instruct for Rutabaga Paddlesport Shop. I tele ski and competed in and coached Nordic skiing for 10 years, both in high school and college. In my spare time I climb, hike, run, and bike, which I raced competitively for 3 years. Somehow I also find time to develop and co-direct Wisconsin Basecamp, an outdoor orientation program at UW-Madison. I am finishing a master’s in Curriculum and Instruction after teaching Special Education at the high school level in South Minneapolis.
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pete witucki
Director of Operations
Minister of Marketing
I came to theCORgroup through a synthesis of my academic work, outdoor pursuits, and socio-environmental ethics. My graduate work in geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison focused on human-wildlife conflict and participatory resource management in East Africa, and a broader critique on exclusionary models of conservation and wilderness. As a paddler, climber, and cyclist, I’ve traveled farther than I’d prefer to get to recreation areas - racing whitewater slalom and cyclocross is especially hard on the (carbon) budget.
I’m having difficulty reconciling my passion for outdoor recreation with the regional and global impacts of getting there. I am also concerned that the romanticism of ‘remote wildernesses’ like Yosemite undermine recognition and support of ‘urban wilderness’ - the microenvironments and natural places in our cities and suburban landscapes.
So... occasional travel for great whitewater or climbing is still important, but I’m increasingly searching for local opportunities to recreate: urban cyclocross, parkour, flatwater racing. And part of my vision for theCORgroup is to encourage other outdoor enthusiasts to think critically about their travel and consumption, and to spur the development of an urban wilderness recreation.
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paul erickson
Director of Sustainability
Secretary of Collaboration
Born and raised on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan, my formative years provided great opportunity to explore wild and natural places: hiking, hunting, fishing, biking, canoeing, sailing, camping, and climbing. I left Muskegon, MI for a stint at Michigan Technological University up der in da U.P. Numerous adventures and friendships at Tech solidified my passion for the great outdoors -- if you've never been to Pictured Rocks, the Porcupine Mountains, the Boundary Waters, or Isle Royale, cancel all other upcoming trips and explore these Midwestern gems. I eventually earned a degree in geology from Michigan State University. From there I was to follow the Westward journey that so many Michigan folk make -- chasing the hope for a Nature that's bigger and better. I found myself stuck as a ski bum at Alta, a salmon fisherman off of Kodiak, a wildland fire fighter in the Big Sky state, and an English teacher in Chile (it's still the Western hemisphere)...not bad for two years of adventure.
Thankfully I was fortunate enough to read an incredible book (Natural Capitalism) while living on the island in AK. It spurred me to begin thinking about how we live, design, and consume. I'd found a calling, both personal and professional. After this adventuring (of course as low-impact as possible...but before I'd realized we needed theCORgroup), I made my pilgrimage to the People's Republic of Boulder. A great master's program there is what led me to my role today. In the incredible place called Madison, I'm fortunate enough to be one of the sustainability experts at a national engineering firm (Affiliated Engineers, Inc). I work with my colleagues to analyze and design innovative, energy efficient, eco-responsible buildings. Albeit this can be a fascinating use of time, it just doesn't seem to fulfill all the desires of mind and body. Ultimate frisbee, biking, climbing, tele skiing, sailing, gardening, bocce ball, reading and margaritas all compete to fill up the rest of my days. And now there's theCORgroup...I knew something had been missing, but now it's found.
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