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1) Alliance
Summer Rendezvous Series in full swing • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1) Alliance Summer Rendezvous Series in full swing Please click here for our summertime lineup of fun, educational gatherings for visitors, neighbors and friends of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance! (See Coming Events below for a list of the Alliance’s July events, as well as several other events this month of interest to conservationists.) Also, please note that our annual Picnic Supper under the Tetons fundraiser (originally scheduled for June 25) has been postponed to Saturday, July 16, due to a scheduling conflict with another community event. Click here for details, or see the July 16 listing under Coming Events below.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 2) Volunteer for Conservation! The Alliance is pleased to announce our new Volunteer for Conservation project! In partnership with other conservation-oriented organizations and agencies in the greater Jackson Hole area, we’ve begun maintaining a comprehensive list and calendar of conservation-based volunteer opportunities. With this, we can help anyone who wants to volunteer for conservation find something to do! Tasks range from helping care for birds of prey at the Teton Raptor Center to conducting research for the Western Watersheds Project to everything in between. Click here for more information, or contact Claire Fuller at (307) 733-9417 or intern@jhalliance.org. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 3) Electeds approve Comp Plan vision and policies; character districts next On June 29, the Jackson Town Council and Teton Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to approve the vision and policies segment of the draft Jackson/Teton County Comprehensive Plan, available via www.jacksontetonplan.com. This is a milestone, however, it is not the end of the Comp Plan process. Next, the elected officials will tackle the character district maps, which will be the test of how the Comp Plan’s policies will affect the future of every neighborhood in Jackson Hole. (See below for an outline of the proposed character district mapping process.) With their vote to approve the vision and policies, the elected officials concluded their official review of that section of the plan. However, in response to the Alliance’s and others’ public comments, they left the door open to adjusting the document as additional information becomes available throughout the remaining revision process. Encouragingly, the electeds also agreed that a multi-year action plan is necessary to accomplish goals included in the plan. They directed the planning staff to compile a report outlining the various studies and taskforces called for in the Comp Plan, after which the electeds will decide which actions will be done, and in what order. What’s next? Planning staff from the town
and county, along with AECOM, the planning consultant,
have proposed the process below for creating
and reviewing the character district maps. The
elected officials are expected to further discuss
this process during their July 11 joint information
meeting at 3 p.m., County chambers, 200 S. Willow.
(UPDATE:
Click
here for the July 5 staff report on the character
district mapping process that was prepared for
the July 11 JIM, and click
here for links to comments that
the Alliance submitted for this meeting.) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 4) Other community planning news In addition to the Comp Plan, the Alliance is monitoring a number of other community planning matters. Here’s a partial roundup, but please keep in mind that all meetings are subject to change. Call the Town of Jackson at (307) 733-3932, Teton County at (307) 733-8094, or reach Becky Tillson at Rebecca@jhalliance.org or (307) 733-9417 for confirmation. Also, this list isn’t exhaustive, since many meeting agendas aren’t finalized until shortly before the meetings take place. Check back or visit www.ci.jackson.wy.us and www.tetonwyo.org for updates. If you’d like to comment on any of these items, contact information for all local public officials is available at www.jhalliance.org/takeactioncontacts.htm. July 1: Last day to make donations to the 1% for the Tetons grant finalists at http://onepercentforthetetons.org. The Alliance’s proposal to contract with the Craighead Environmental Research Institute to initiate an assessment of the habitat and population needs of Jackson Hole’s key native fauna is one of the finalists. This research should dovetail with studies identified in the draft Jackson/Teton County Comprehensive Plan as necessary for protecting wildlife. Visit 1% for the Teton’s website for links to details about our proposed project, and for proposals by the other grant finalists. July 5: Teton Board of County Commissioners regular meeting, 9 a.m., County chambers, 200 S. Willow. Among other items, the board is scheduled to hear the results of the first season of monitoring the mule deer herd near the new Teton County Search and Rescue helicopter and training facility at the “Y” intersection. Monitoring the impacts of the facility on the herd was a condition of its approval. Brian Remlinger of Alder Environmental is expected to present his conclusion that there was negligible impact on the herd and that no continued monitoring is recommended. Click here for the full agenda. July 5: Jackson Town Council meeting, 6 p.m., Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl. Councilors are expected to consider requesting a direct sale of a portion of the U.S. Forest Service administration site on North Cache to the Town of Jackson, and to hear the second reading of land development regulation changes regarding “Cottage House” developments. (On June 20, the council voted 3-2 to approve these changes allowing multiple owners of residential units on single lots in a large area of town; the new ordinances must be approved three times to take effect. See last month’s Alliance Action for background information, and click here for a link to comments the Alliance submitted regarding the changes on June 17.) Click here for the full agenda for this meeting and links to staff reports. (UPDATE: The third and final reading of the Cottage House regulations is scheduled to be heard on July 18, 6 p.m., Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl.) July 11: Jackson Town Council and Teton Board of County Commissioners joint information meeting, 3 to 5 p.m., County chambers, 200 S. Willow. The joint electeds are expected to further discuss the process for creating and reviewing the Comp Plan character district maps noted in Alliance Action Item #3 above. The complete agenda for the July 11 JIM should be available soon by clicking here. (UPDATE: Click here for the July 5 staff report on the character district mapping process that was prepared for the July 11 JIM.) July 14: Natural Resources Technical Advisory Board meeting, 5 p.m., basement of the Teton Conservation District office, 420 W. Pearl. The public is invited to attend this informational meeting, during which the NRTAB plans to discuss and outline a series of workshop seminars to be held with the town and county elected officials later this summer. (UPDATE: The NRTAB has also scheduled meetings for July 22 and July 29, both at 4 p.m. at the Teton Conservation District office, 420 W. Pearl.) RECREATIONAL PARK TRAILERS UPDATE: This past spring, applications for permits allowing year-round recreational park trailers (RPTs) in two existing private campgrounds -- Jackson Hole Campground and Buffalo Valley Campground -- were filed. Since then, the review of these applications by the Teton Board of County Commissioners has come to a halt given citizen appeals to various aspects of both applications. In June, the owner of Jackson Hole Campground moved to bypass county review and place RPTs on the site without county approvals. In response, on July 5, the commissioners are expected to schedule an abatement hearing. Meanwhile, a contested case hearing for the Buffalo Valley Campground is now scheduled for July 28 and 29. Because of the potential impacts of allowing such changes from what has primarily been seasonal campground use, the Alliance is monitoring the RPT issue closely; links to our comments are available by clicking here. We’ll keep you posted as this plays out.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 5) Alliance field trip to highlight proposed sale of public land at base of Teton Pass This past spring, U.S. Forest Service officials announced that they’re considering selling 40 acres of public land near the base of Teton Pass to help pay for rebuilding the Bridger-Teton’s headquarters, which now occupy a 15-acre site on North Cache in Jackson. On Thursday, July 14, from 2 to 5 p.m., you’re invited to join B-T representatives and Louise Lasley, Alliance public lands director, in exploring areas of the Lee Administrative Site near Trail Creek that the Forest Service is proposing to sell. For a map and background information on this issue, please click here. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 6) Comments due on Yellowstone winter-use plan by July 18 Yellowstone National Park officials are asking the public to comment by July 18 on a new winter-use plan for the park. The preferred alternative in the proposed plan would vary the number of snowmobiles allowed from 110 to 330 per day, and the number of snowcoaches from 30 to 80 per day during the course of Yellowstone’s winter season. Visit http://parkplanning.nps.gov/yell and click on “Winter Use Plan/EIS” for details and information about how to comment. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 7) Wildlife Updates GRIZZLY RESEARCH PROJECT IN TETON PARK TO CONTINUE THROUGH JULY: On July 5, a spokesperson for the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST), confirmed that, by the end of July, biologists with the team are expected to wrap up a project begun in June to capture and radio collar grizzly bears in Grand Teton National Park for research purposes. Such trapping operations are a part of ongoing efforts required under the Endangered Species Act to monitor the population of grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone. Some local conservationists had questioned the project, due to possible risks to the well-known Grizzlies 399 and 610 and their cubs. (A June 29 Jackson Hole News&Guide Guest Shot by wildlife photographer Thomas Mangelsen outlines these concerns. To read it, click here; Mangelsen's letter is at the bottom.) IGBST leader Chuck Schwartz told the Alliance that the method the team uses to trap bears protects female grizzlies with cubs. First, he said, the trap is baited and locked open, and cameras are set to see what is attracted to the trap. If it’s a female with cubs, the team moves the trap to another location and follows the same procedure. The team sets the trap to close only if there’s photographic evidence that a single bear has been attracted. “There are a limited number of locations within Grand Teton National Park where we can trap due to concerns of public safety, accessibility and other factors,” Schwartz said. “As a result, our traps are within the home ranges of [Grizzlies 399 and 610], but are locked open. We do not set traps until we have a photo of a bear coming to a trap and are sure it's not either of these females. We are not targeting these bears and have no interest or intent of capturing either.” Schwartz added that radio-collar monitoring of grizzly bears is vital to the recovery of the species in the Greater Yellowstone, and that “two-thirds of what we know about bears is the direct product of monitoring individuals with telemetry.” For additional information about IGBST activites in the region, call (406) 994-6675. WHY ARE WESTERN WYOMING MOOSE POPULATIONS DECLINING? Poor habitat, disease, parasites, predation and more are all playing a role. For the full story by biologist Steve Kilpatrick, click here. JACKSON HOLE WILDLIFE FOUNDATION SEEKS HELP WITH ROADKILL REPORTS: Vehicle collisions result in a large number of wildlife deaths every year in Teton County. Please help the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation record data on where and when wildlife-vehicle collisions happen by reporting roadkill incidents either in the Nature Mapping database (if you’re a trained volunteer; see the July 12 listing under Coming Events below) or by calling the Foundation’s Roadkill Hotline at (307) 734-9454. They’re interested in the species involved and the date, time and location of each incident since this data helps community leaders make informed wildlife management decisions. For information on efforts underway to get safe wildlife crossings included in upcoming valley highway reconstruction projects, please click here.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 8) Buy some shoes, give the Alliance a leg up! Need a new pair of shoes for the summer? The Alliance is partnering with Skinny Skis and Patagonia, Inc., for Patagonia’s Footwear Advocacy Weeks program. From July 16 through July 31, the Alliance will receive a $20 donation for every pair of Patagonia shoes sold at Skinny Skis in downtown Jackson! In conjunction with this promotion, we’ll be hosting two informational events at Skinny Skis, 65 W. Deloney, on Wednesday, July 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 30, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Alliance will have staff and volunteers available at these events to answer your questions, as well as provide light refreshments. For more information, please contact Claire Fuller at (307) 733-9417 or intern@jhalliance.org. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 9) Coming Events Please note: For details and to RSVP for all Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance events, please contact Heather Mathews at Heather@jhalliance.org or call (307) 733-9417. Thanks! Tuesday, July 5 Wednesday, July 6 Saturday, July 9 Tuesday, July 12 Thursday, July 14 Saturday, July 16 Saturday, July 16 Tuesday, July 19 Wednesday, July 20 Thursday, July 21 Sunday, July 24 Tuesday, July 26 Friday, July 29 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 10) Valley Voices “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” - Anon. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Alliance Action is a publication of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance. The Conservation Alliance is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to responsible land stewardship in Jackson Hole to ensure that human activities are in harmony with the area’s irreplaceable wildlife, scenic, and other natural resources. We’re located at 685 South Cache Street in Jackson, Wyoming. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 2728, Jackson, WY 83001-2728 and our phone number is (307) 733-9417. If you'd like to sign up to receive our monthly Alliance Action via email, please click here. |
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