MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS: Land Access Education and Political Action for Outdoor Recreational Causes.

Best known in snowmobiling for her many years of work as the Public Lands Director for the BlueRibbon Coalition, a group dedicated to keeping public lands available for public use, Cook worked with land managers and BlueRibbon member organizations to maintain and expand opportunity for motorized recreation. Her energetic one-on-one efforts with organizations needing assistance with land use issues in their local areas made the difference in countless battles to maintain snowmobiler’s and other off-highway user rights and privileges to enjoy their public lands heritage.

Although Adena’s responsibilities required a national perspective, she brought her experience to bear countless times across the country to deal with local land access problems. In all these efforts Cook was known for always seeking to improve opportunity for recreationalists through close cooperation with other land users. Her efforts to improve local and national land managers perception of motorized recreation were very effective, but Cook never flinched from demanding fair treatment and demonstrating political clout when it was necessary.

Born and raised in Montana, Cook graduated from high school and college (Hamline University, 1962) in Minnesota with majors in history and political science. Cook’s many careers included working as an efficiency expert, a full-time mother, community service volunteer and a computer store manager before accepting the responsibilities as Public Land Director for the BlueRibbon Coalition in 1988. Her untiring work with resource industries, resource users and recreationalists across the country made a major difference for snowmobiling.