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FRIENDS OF THE BRIDGER-TETON Ambassador Report
mbassadors for Responsible Recreation is our flagship program, and this summer we had more Ambassadors (42) at more locations (23) on more districts (5) than ever before. On the Pinedale District alone, the number of FBT Ambassadors doubled—from six in 2024 to 12 this year. And we had our first-ever Ambassadors on the Greys River District.
“This past summer was BUSY—it felt like Covid years again,” said recently retired BTNF North Zone Recreation Programs Manager Linda Merigliano. “With reduced staffing, the ambassadors provided extra helpful capacity.”
Scott Kosiba, Friends of the Bridger-Teton Executive Director, said, “Each ambassador is absolutely indispensable in supporting the Bridger-Teton National Forest. They are our eyes and ears out in the field, the front line in educating Forest users about stewardship and responsible recreation, the people who extinguish abandoned campfires before they can become wildfires and help keep wildlife wild by checking for proper food storage at campsites, and are on-theground resources for the many different users of the Forest.” FBT Programs Manager Margo Feingold said, “every year I say we have the best group of ambassadors yet and this year was no different.”
MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE
“The wildlife ambassadors on Togwotee have been a tremendous help. Without them, most bear jams would be unattended, which can often lead to conflicts like people feeding the bears and getting too close or bears getting hit by cars. Before there were wildlife ambassadors, Togwotee Pass was viewed as a free-for-all where you could do whatever you wanted with the bears. Now everyone knows we have a roadside bear program and don’t tolerate inappropriate behavior.”
Improper food storage at campsites, which can draw bears to an area and even lead to their relocation or euthanization, was the most common problem addressed by FBT Ambassadors last summer.
“In the role of camp hosts alone, Ambassadors keeping [BTNF Pinedale District] campgrounds running smoothly was important this year. Fremont Lake alone usually sees between 18,000 and 20,000 people per summer. Having real boots-onthe-ground to answer questions from and help campers, visitors, and hikers at these places was crucial to the experience these people have when they come here to recreate on public lands. And it was helpful for us to know that Ambassadors were out there keeping an eye on things.”
PETER PAULIN, SUBLETTE COUNTY
DIRECTOR
www.btfriends.org/ ambassador-program
If you’re interested in becoming an ambassador, you can also read about some of the different positions and locations in past ambassadors’ own words on this page, too.
“MARK WHITON HAS PROVIDED AN INVALUABLE SERVICE TO THE PINEDALE RANGER DISTRICT BY VOLUNTEERING AT BIG SANDY TRAILHEAD AND CAMPGROUND. MARK GREETS WILDERNESS USERS AND PROVIDES RECOMMENDATIONS ON TRIPS BEST SUITED TO THEIR DESIRED WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE AND ALSO PROVIDES A GREAT DEAL OF EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH REGARDING WILDERNESS AND CAMPING ETHICS AND FOREST SERVICE REGULATIONS. IN ADDITION TO HIS DUTIES GREETING AND EDUCATING VISITORS AND CAMPERS, HE MAINTAINS FACILITIES AT THE TRAILHEAD AND CAMPGROUND. THIS INCLUDES DAILY CLEANING OF THE VAULT TOILET, PAINTING PICNIC TABLES, AND MANAGING THE PARKING LOT, WHICH IS ONE OF THE BUSIEST ON THE DISTRICT AND WHERE CAPACITY CAN BE A REAL CHALLENGE DURING PEAK SEASON. MARK’S WELCOMING AND APPROACHABLE DEMEANOR HAS MADE HIM AN INDISPENSABLE RESOURCE TO WILDERNESS USERS OF ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS.”
STEVEN SAGE, FORESTRY TECHNICIAN,
COOKIES BAKED AND SHARED WITH VISITORS BY GOOSEWING GUARD STATION AMBASSADORS 2025 FBT AMBASSADORS BY THE NUMBERS
FUNDING
The Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board remains the single largest funder of FBT Ambassadors. It granted FBT $520,000 for the 2025 Ambassador Program; this was used to support the 26 Ambassadors on the two BTNF districts in Teton County (where state law requires JHTTB money be spent).
For Ambassadors elsewhere on the forest, funding was provided by Alpine Travel & Tourism Board (Greys River Ambassador), Star Valley Ranch Natural Resource Board (Grover Park/Star Valley Ranch Ambassador), Star Valley Ranch Travel & Tourism Board (Grover Park/Star Valley Ranch Ambassador), and Sublette County Visitor Center (Pinedale Ambassadors).
IN 2025, FBT HAD AMBASSADORS ON FIVE OF THE SIX DISTRICTS OF THE BTNF. AMBASSADORS WERE AT THESE LOCATIONS:
* new Ambassador location
Pinedale District
Fremont Campground
Green River Lakes Campground and Trailhead
Elkhart Park Trailhead/Trails End Campground
Big Sandy Trailhead and Campground*
Dutch Joe Guard Station*
Kendall Guard Station*
Greys River District
Grover Park*
Moose Flat Campground
Jackson District
Curtis Canyon Designated Dispersed Camping Area
Shadow Mountain Designated Dispersed Camping Area
Goosewing Guard Station
Gros Ventre Road (Upper and Lower)
Teton Pass trailheads
Cache Creek Day Use Area*
Game Creek Day Use Area*
Mosquito Creek Dispersed Camping Area*
Munger Mountain Day Use Area
Supervisor’s Office Front Desk
Blackrock District
District Office Front Desk
Togwotee Pass (Wildlife Ambassadors)
Spread Creek/Toppings Lake Designated Dispersed
Camping Area
Kemmerer District
Hams Fork Campground
21 ambassadors
5,200+ visitor contacts
64 unattended campfires extinguished
109 food storage violations
100 campers removed from non-designated areas
