In many ways, Jackson Hole is just another Rocky Mountain ski town. What really separates Jackson from Vail, Taos, Telluride and Aspen is the abundant and diverse wildlife found here.

The southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is teeming with elk (one of the largest herds in North America), moose, bison, pronghorn antelope, mule deer and bighorn sheep. Many rare and endangered carnivores thrive in this country: Grizzly bears still roam the high meadows of the valley. Wolves stalk their prey in the mountains east of town. The Snake River provides some of the best bald eagle nesting habitat in the entire ecosystem. And extremely rare animals such as wolverines and lynx can be found in the area.

Given that our wildlife depend on a healthy landscape irrespective of jurisdictional boundaries, both public lands and private lands staff address wildlife issues. We evaluate our Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations’ capacity to protect critical areas for wildlife, and we work with state and federal wildlife and land management agencies (Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Grand Teton National Park and the National Elk Refuge) to ensure that their management plans have adequate protections for wildlife. We also work directly with the community to increase awareness of wildlife issues and to encourage their participation in any public process that affects wildlife protection and habitat enhancement.

Our current work on wildlife and habitat issues includes:
• Working in collaboration with other conservation organizations to protect grizzly bears in the state and allow them to occupy all available habitat.
• Working toward a more natural management regime for bison and elk that relies less on supplemental winter feeding and more on habitat improvements.
• Ensuring that the Wyoming wolf management plan has adequate protections for a healthy, wide-ranging population of wolves.
• Leading a public education campaign, “Don’t Poach the Powder” on the winter wildlife habitat closures on the public lands surrounding Jackson Hole.
• Working collaboratively with agencies and other conservation organizations on sage grouse and cougar management and protection.
• Providing detailed maps to the public and Bridger-Teton National Forest officials that show potential oil and gas development on critical wildlife lands for the current Bridger-Teton Forest management plan revision. Participation in this process will help determine the direction of wildlife and habitat management for the next 10 to 15 years.
• Participating in the EIS for Off-Highway Vehicle Motorized Travel Plan for 255,000 acres on the Bridger-Teton, including compiling research on the effects of non-motorized and motorized recreational corridors on different wildlife species.