Powder River Basin Resource Council
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
- THE PRESERVATION AND ENRICHMENT OF WYOMING'S AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE AND RURAL LIFESTYLE. - THE CONSERVATION OF WYOMING'S 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 WYOMING'S CITIZENS TO RAISE A COHERENT VOICE IN THE DECISIONS THAT WILL IMPACT THEIR ENVIRONMENT AND LIFESTYLE.
- Income
- $463,151
- Spending
- $432,506
- Spent on programs
- 92%
- Reserves
- 33.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 90%
- Employees
- 8
- Volunteers
- 71
- Highest pay
- $41,543, executive di
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 85% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 33.2 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 7% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 19% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1592% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 91 out of 100. Higher than 71% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 2511 of 11 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $398,083 spent. POWDER RIVER BASIN RESOURCE COUNCIL'S (POWDER RIVER) MISSION STATEMENT REMAINS THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE FOR OUR WORK: THE PRESERVATION AND ENRICHMENT OF WYOMING'S AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE AND RURAL LIFESTYLE. THE CONSERVATION OF WYOMING'S 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 WYOMING'S CITIZENS TO RAISE A COHERENT VOICE IN THE DECISIONS THAT WILL IMPACT THEIR ENVIRONMENT AND LIFESTYLE. POWDER RIVER WAS FOUNDED IN 1973 BY RURAL LANDOWNERS OF NORTHEAST WYOMING WORKING TO PROTECT THEIR LAND, WATER, AND AIR FROM THE RAVAGES OF COAL STRIP MINING. POWDER RIVER CURRENTLY HAS MEMBERS THROUGHOUT WYOMING AND SEVERAL OTHER STATES. IN 2023 THERE WERE FIVE LOCAL COMMUNITY GROUPS THROUGHOUT WYOMING AFFILIATED WITH POWDER RIVER. POWDER RIVER BASIN RESOURCE COUNCIL IS THE ONLY GROUP IN WYOMING THAT ACTIVELY ADDRESSES AGRICULTURAL AS WELL AS ENERGY AND CONSERVATION ISSUES. THE GROUP UNITES BOTH INDIVIDUALS WITH STRONG CONSERVATION CONVICTIONS AND RANCHERS AND FARMERS WITH A STRONG LAND STEWARDSHIP ETHIC AROUND A SHARED VISION TO PROTECT AND IMPROVE WYOMING'S QUALITY OF LIFE. ALSO, POWDER RIVER IS THE ONLY GROUP THAT ADDRESSES SPLIT ESTATE AND PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS IN ADDITION TO PUBLIC LAND ISSUES. POWDER RIVER MEMBERS WRITE EDITORIALS AND LETTERS-TO-THE-EDITOR REGARDING THE ISSUES WE ADDRESS, WHICH ARE THEN PUBLISHED IN LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWSPAPERS AS WELL AS ONLINE NEWS SITES. POWDER RIVER PUBLISHES THE POWDER RIVER BREAKS ON A BIMONTHLY BASIS FROM JANUARY/FEBRUARY TO NOVEMBER/DECEMBER EACH YEAR. THIS NEWSLETTER CONTAINS INFORMATION ON THE ISSUES AND PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN BY POWDER RIVER. IT IS PROVIDED TO MEMBERS AND IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AT LIBRARIES ACROSS THE STATE AND OTHER DESIGNATED DROP SITES. POWDER RIVER MAINTAINS A WEBSITE AT WWW.POWDERRIVERBASIN.ORG THAT INFORMS AND EDUCATES THE PUBLIC ON ISSUES THE ORGANIZATION ADDRESSES. POWDER RIVER ALSO HAS A YOUTUBE CHANNEL WHERE OUR EDUCATIONAL EVENTS AND VIDEOS ARE AVAILABLE. WE ALSO MAINTAIN A LIBRARY IN OUR OFFICE CONTAINING HISTORICAL AND CURRENT DOCUMENTS RELATED TO WATER, LAND, SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE, AND RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT ISSUES AT OUR OFFICE BASED IN SHERIDAN. POWDER RIVER'S WORK IS OVERSEEN BY A 14-MEMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS. BOARD MEMBERS ARE ELECTED FROM AND BY THE POWDER RIVER MEMBERSHIP FOR A TWO-YEAR TERM. AS A GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION, MEMBERS DECIDE THE DIRECTION AND FOCUS OF POWDER RIVER'S WORK. MEMBERS BRING RESOLUTIONS FOR A VOTE OF MEMBERSHIP APPROVAL AT THE ANNUAL MEETING HELD IN NOVEMBER, WHICH IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. EVERY YEAR A KEYNOTE SPEAKER OR PANEL PROVIDES INSIGHTS AND INFORMATION ON SELECTED ISSUES AND IS OPEN TO QUESTIONS FROM AN AUDIENCE THAT NORMALLY RANGES FROM 85 TO 150 PEOPLE. IN 2024, WE CELEBRATED OUR 52ST ANNUAL MEETING: ONE BIG SMALL TOWN OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER WAS DAVID ROMTVEDT SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF WYOMING POET BARABARA SMITH. EVERY YEAR POWDER RIVER ALSO SPONSORS AWARDS AT THE WYOMING STATE SCIENCE FAIR FOR PROJECTS THAT PROMOTE CONSERVATION AND EDUCATION ON THE PRAIRIE ECOSYSTEMS OF WYOMING. THE YOUTH IN CONSERVATION AWARDS ARE CASH AWARDS TO SELECTED PARTICIPANTS IN THE SCIENCE FAIR WHOSE PROJECTS MEET THE CRITERIA FOR THE AWARD. THESE AWARDS HONOR STUDENTS WHOSE SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS STUDY WYOMING ECOSYSTEMS, CONSIDER IMPACTS OF DEVELOPMENT ON THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT OR OUR AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE, OR EXPLORE INNOVATIVE ENERGY ALTERNATIVES. THE WINNERS IN 2024, SELECTED BY POWDER RIVER BOARD MEMBERS, WERE: GREYBULL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT TYLER SEARFOSS FOR HIS SENIOR PROJECT IN ANIMAL SCIENCE "A CONTINUING ANALYSIS OF NEMATODE VIABILITY: MITIGATION OF AGROCHEMICAL IMPACTS ACROSS DIFFERENT SOIL PROFILES UTILIZING ORGANIC CARBON AND NITRATE". THE WINNER FROM TECH TREP ACADEMY IN LANDER IN THE JUNIOR DIVISION WAS MICAH SMEDTS "LIVING WITH BEAVERS: AN EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION TO CHANGE PERCEPTIONS AND OPINIONS THROUGH LEARNING ABOUT CASTOR CANADENSIS" SHELBY HOOBLER OF CHEYENNE EAST HIGH SCHOOL RETURNED WITH HER PROJECT "VARIABILITY OF SOIL RRNA PATTERNS OF BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA IN A DISTURBED RIPARIAN AREA" TO PRODUCE A UNIQUE BUILDING MATERIAL. IN 2024, POWDER RIVER CONTINUED EFFORTS TO INCREASE CONSUMER ACCESS TO LOCAL FOODS BY PROMOTING LOCAL FOODS AVAILABILITY AND REGULARLY MEETING WITH AREA FOOD PRODUCERS. IN APRIL WE HOSTED LEANN MILLER "THE VEGGIE LADY" OF CASPER WHO EXPLAINED HOW HER BUSINESS OF CONNECTING WYOMING-GROWN FOOD TO CONSUMERS AROUND THE STATE HAS GROWN AND HOW LOCAL FOOD PRODUCERS CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE OPERATION. WE ALSO MAINTAINED THE SHERIDAN SEED LIBRARY AT THE SHERIDAN COUNTY FULMER LIBRARY, WHICH CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE HIGH DEMAND. WE CONTINUED SUPPORTING THE SHERIDAN FOOD FOREST, WHICH IS A PUBLIC SOURCE OF FOOD AND AN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE, AS WELL AS HABITAT FOR NATIVE POLLINATORS. THIS YEAR WE HELD AN EVENT IN AUGUST TO CELEBRATE THE GROWTH OF THE NORTHERN CHEYENNE MEDICINAL GARDEN AT THE FOOD FOREST. OVER 80 COMMUNITY MEMBERS ATTENDED TO LEARN FROM TWO NORTHERN CHEYENNE EDUCATORS AND ETHNOBOTANISTS ABOUT THE TRADITIONAL USES AND LORE OF THESE NATIVE PLANTS. WE REMAINED ACTIVE IN THE WYOMING FOOD COALITION, WHICH IS WORKING TO UNITE THE LOCAL FOODS COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT THE STATE. POWDER RIVER HELPED FARMERS AND RANCHERS INTERESTED IN REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE BY PARTICIPATING IN THE SHERIDAN COUNTY WORKING LANDS DAY AND THE WYOMING COLLABORATIVE FOR HEALTHY SOILS. THE COAL INDUSTRY'S DOWNWARD SPIRAL THAT STARTED IN 2009 CONTINUED IN 2023 WITH MINE PRODUCTION AND EMPLOYMENT REMAINING LOW. POWDER RIVER CONTINUES TO BE A VOICE OF PUBLIC INTEREST TO ENSURE THE BEST POSSIBLE PROTECTION FOR OUR LAND AND PEOPLE AS THE INDUSTRY WINDS DOWN, HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF TIMELY RECLAMATION. INFLUENCED BY OUR PRESSURE, ALL MINES HAVE REPLACED SELF-BONDING WITH THIRD-PARTY SURETY BONDS, WHICH NOW GIVES COMPANIES AN ECONOMIC INCENTIVE TO RE
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 1981.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
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