Jackson Hole Land Trust

Jackson Hole Land Trust
Name	Jackson Hole Land Trust
Caption	Headquarters in Jackson, Wyoming
Formation	1976
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	Jackson, Wyoming
Region served	Teton County, Wyoming and surrounding valleys
Leader title	Executive Director

Jackson Hole Land Trust is a nonprofit conservation organization based in Jackson, Wyoming, focused on protecting working farms, wildlife habitat, scenic open space, and cultural landscapes in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Founded in 1976, it operates within a network of conservation entities, landowners, and government agencies to secure permanent land protection through easements, acquisitions, and stewardship. The organization engages with national and regional partners to balance private property rights with public interests in landscape-scale conservation.

History

The Land Trust emerged during the 1970s conservation movement alongside institutions such as the National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, World Wildlife Fund, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, responding to development pressures near Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Teton County, Wyoming, and the town of Jackson, Wyoming. Early collaborations involved local ranch families, managers of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, staff from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and conservation scientists from the University of Wyoming. Over subsequent decades the organization partnered with federal programs like the Natural Resources Conservation Service and state initiatives such as the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust to craft conservation easements, acquire inholdings adjacent to Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, and defend migration corridors used by elk, bison, grizzly bear, and sage grouse. Influential national donors and philanthropic foundations including the Gates Foundation, Packard Foundation, and Carnegie Institution for Science have intersected with regional benefactors to support projects that preserved historic ranches, irrigated hay meadows, and riparian corridors.

Mission and Programs

The organization's stated mission aligns with broader conservation goals championed by entities such as the National Audubon Society, Conservation International, Land Trust Alliance, and the North American Wetlands Conservation Council: to conserve working lands, wildlife habitat, and scenic open space. Programs include conservation easement negotiation modeled after standards from the Land Trust Alliance Standards and Practices, stewardship monitoring akin to protocols used by the Trust for Public Land, and voluntary incentive programs similar to those of the Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Reserve Program. Education and outreach efforts collaborate with institutions like the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, Teton Science Schools, University of Wyoming Extension, and the National Park Foundation to promote sustainable ranching, water stewardship, and wildlife-friendly fencing practices.

Land Conservation and Protected Properties

Protected properties include historic ranchlands, hay meadows, riparian corridors along tributaries feeding the Snake River, and crucial winter range and migration routes for species studied by researchers at the Yellowstone Ecosystem Studies and documented by the Intermountain West Joint Venture. The trust has secured conservation easements and fee acquisitions adjacent to landscapes managed by the Bureau of Land Management, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Teton Regional Land Trust network. Conservation strategies align with landscape-scale planning efforts such as the Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee initiatives, the Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Strategy, and regional habitat conservation plans used by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

Partnerships and Community Engagement

Partnerships span governmental agencies, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations, including the National Park Service, United States Forest Service, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, The Nature Conservancy, Land Trust Alliance, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Teton County Board of County Commissioners, Teton County Historical Preservation Board, Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, Teton Science Schools, University of Wyoming, Snake River Fund, and private ranching families. Community engagement includes public forums, workshops co-hosted with the University of Wyoming Extension and Teton County Library, and volunteer stewardship events that engage members of local organizations such as the Jackson Hole Rotary Club and Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation. The trust has worked with regional transportation planners and the Wyoming Department of Transportation on projects to maintain wildlife crossings and reduce vehicle collisions on highways near US Route 26 and US Route 89.

Governance and Funding

Governance follows nonprofit board structures similar to those recommended by the Land Trust Alliance, with boards often including local ranchers, conservation scientists from the University of Wyoming, legal counsel experienced with the Internal Revenue Service rules governing 501(c)(3) charities, and business leaders connected to the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce. Funding streams combine private philanthropy from individuals and foundations, grants from federal sources such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act', state grants through the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust, and partnerships with national funders like the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Packard Foundation, and corporate donors. Stewardship endowments, transaction-specific fundraising, and in-kind services are used to ensure perpetual monitoring and legal defense of easements.

Impact and Recognition

The trust's work contributes to regional conservation outcomes recognized by collaborations with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, citations in planning documents from the Teton County Planning Department, and integration into science assessments produced by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service. Recognition has included awards and acknowledgments from organizations like the Land Trust Alliance, the Wyoming Wildlife Federation, and local civic bodies such as the Teton County Commissioners, reflecting measurable outcomes in protecting migration corridors, sustaining working ranches, and preserving scenic vistas visible from Grand Teton National Park and the Town of Jackson. The trust's conservation easements and protected parcels play a documented role in regional biodiversity conservation efforts highlighted in reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, and peer-reviewed studies in journals associated with the American Fisheries Society and the Ecological Society of America.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Wyoming Category:Conservation organizations based in the United States Category:Teton County, Wyoming