FRIENDS OF THE BRIDGER-TETON Impact Report
C 0 N T
M E S
S A G E FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Friends of the Bridger-Teton (FBT), celebrated its fifth anniversary as a nonprofit in 2024. Even though we’re still a young organization, FBT has done amazing things to support the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF). We’ve tackled humancaused wildfire risk with the help of our dedicated volunteer ambassadors, kept busy recreation areas clean, and completed infrastructure projects like the rehabilitation of the Granite Falls day use area.
FBT’s work is important, especially with the uncertain future of public lands stewardship in the face of USFS budget cuts, staffing shortages, and other challenges. We at FBT are committed to our partnership with the BTNF, supporting the forest, its many uses and users, and everyone who depends on it.
What makes all our work happen is you. Without the generosity of supporters, volunteers, and community partners, Friends of the Bridger-Teton simply cannot accomplish all that we do. From myself and the FBT board and staff, thank you! Thanks for being a friend to FBT and, more importantly, thanks for being a friend to the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
SCOTT KOSIBA
ORGANIZATION Overview
The idea for a nonprofit organization that existed to support the 3.4 million-acre Bridger-Teton National Forest was talked about as early as the 1980s. Similar to many public lands, the Forest’s budget does not align with its needs nor is it commensurate with the vital importance of its wildlands, wildlife, and resources. Friends of the Bridger-Teton was finally founded in 2019 to work with and support the BTNF. With staff in Sublette and Teton Counties, Friends of the Bridger-Teton promotes and enables responsible recreation on and does work with all six of the BTNF’s districts, which span five Wyoming counties and six mountain ranges.
OUR MISSION
We bring community together to support the Bridger-Teton National Forest where it is most needed, ensuring it remains a land of many uses for us all.
Many people love the Bridger-Teton National Forest for many reasons. But too much of a good thing can strain resources. FBT nurtures that passion through education, collaboration, and action.
OUR VISION
A thriving Bridger-Teton National Forest that continues to be the cornerstone of our community’s way of life and local economy. Through collaborative stewardship, we aim to ensure the BTNF flourishes as a harmonious, sustainable land of many uses, cherished by all for future generations.
THE BTNF HAS: WYOMING’S TALLEST PEAK (13,810-FOOT TALL GANNETT PEAK)
2,807 MILES OF NATIVE SURFACE TRAILS
7 OF THE LARGEST GLACIERS IN THE LOWER 48 STATES HABITAT THAT SUPPORTS 467 SPECIES OF WILDLIFE AND FISH
668 MILES OF GROOMED WINTER TRAILS
94 ACTIVE GRAZING ALLOTMENTS
3 SKI AREAS
LAST YEAR, THREE NEW POPULATIONS OF TETON WIRELETTUCE (STEPHANOMERIA FLUMINEA), A SHRUB ENDEMIC TO NORTHWEST WYOMING AND LISTED AS A “SPECIES OF CONCERN” IN THE WYOMING NATURAL DIVERSITY DATABASE, WERE IDENTIFIED ON THE BTNF.
ACHIEVEMENTS & Highlights
DAMBASSADORS FOR RESPONSIBLE RECREATION
o you know how we know last summer’s 27 BTNF Ambassadors for Responsible Recreation did a great job? Nothing happened, with the exception of forest users getting face time with Ambassadors who answered questions about the forest, responsible recreation, and wildlife! In the designated dispersed camping areas where these Ambassadors were stationed, there wasn’t a single abandoned campfire that had escaped. Neither was there a single wildlife-human conflict.
2024’s Ambassadors educated BTNF users about best practices and responsible recreation on four of BTNF’s six districts.
“The hosts were truly amazing! Informative, kind, assertive, and caring. Truly enjoyed them and their approach to protecting the area.”
“Being
camping Ambassadors in the Bridger-Teton National Forest would not be possible without the guidance and support of the Friends of the BridgerTeton. It sets us up for the summer with needed supplies to educate campers and eradicate any ‘bad’ behavior concerning proper campfire extinguishment and bear/food storage safety. Our needs are always met promptly so that maximum efficiency is achievable.”
—JULES BUTLER, 2024 SHADOW MOUNTAIN AMBASSADOR (AND AN AMBASSADOR AT CURTIS CANYON FROM 2021–2023)
“We are so grateful that our partnership gives us the ability to pivot to FBT when our funding for campground hosts and patrollers wasn’t available internally.”
—KATE OLSEN, DISTRICT RANGER, PINEDALE
12,778 TOTAL HOURS OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE
$427,935.22 ESTIMATED VALUE OF SERVICE
67 ABANDONED CAMPFIRES EXTINGUISHED BY AMBASSADORS
90 FOOD-STORAGE VIOLATIONS ISSUED BY AMBASSADORS
Between August and October 2024, FBT, thanks to grants from the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board and the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, was able to sponsor its first Ambassador Artist in Residence. “Our goal was to help the local community explore the connections between public lands, nature, our use of natural resources, and our emotional ties to natural beauty through self-expression,” says FBT Program Manager Margo Feingold. While here, artist Jess Moore led six free weekly watercolor/nature journaling workshops held at different locations around the Jackson and Blackrock Districts of the BTNF.
$1,500 GRANT AWARD FROM THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF JH TO SUPPORT THE FREE JOURNALING WORKSHOPS
$0 AMOUNT ATTENDEES HAD TO PAY FOR SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS AT THE JOURNALING WORKSHOPS
ACHIEVEMENTS & HIGHLIGHTS
BFFS OF THE BTNF CAMPAIGN
FBT continued its popular responsible recreation messaging campaign “BFFs of the BTNF” through 2024. Funded by the grant from the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board, the campaign featured 25 prominent users of the BTNF sharing how they recreate responsibly on it, and why responsible recreation is important, with readers of the Jackson Hole Daily.
“I’m a Best Friend of the BTNF through the conservation work I do at Trout Unlimited to restore and reconnect habitat for native cutthroat trout. Also, when I’m out fishing, I’m mindful of warm temperatures that are stressful to fish, avoiding the hottest part of the day, playing and landing fish quickly, and keeping fish wet. I also always clean, drain, and dry my waders, wading boots and raft after fishing to help keep aquatic invasive species out of our treasured waterways.”
LESLIE STEEN, WYOMING STATE DIRECTOR, TROUT UNLIMITED, AND A BFF OF THE BTNF SINCE 2007
0
PROSPECTIVE BFFS APPROACHED WHO SAID “NO” TO BEING A PART OF THE CAMPAIGN
10
NUMBER OF PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS FEATURED IN THE CAMPAIGN
“I’m a Best
Friend
of the
BTNF by hunting responsibly—I make sure my food and game are bear safe, put out all fires before sleeping or leaving, and make sure we don’t leave any trash or damage to the forest behind.”
SYMON CARPENTER, 12 YEARS OLD AND A BFF OF THE BTNF SINCE 2013
PARTNER ORGNIZATIONS WITH BFFS
US FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE
SNAKE RIVER FUND
TETON COUNTY WEED & PEST
WY GAME & FISH
JH KAYAK CLUB
TETON FREERIDERS
JH CONSERVATION ALLIANCE
TROUT UNLIMITED
KHOL
JHTTB
ACHIEVEMENTS & HIGHLIGHTS
BLACKROCK FIELD CAMP
May 15 and 16, the Blackrock District hosted more than 280 fourth and fifth graders from the Wind River Reservation, plus teachers, chaperones, and Elders. Students learned the basics of backcountry navigation, practiced deploying bear spray with a bear charger, constructed a teepee, and enjoyed storytelling from Elders, among other activities. “What began with Todd Stiles and others in 2016 has been a resounding win for seven years,” says Blackrock District Ranger Jason Wilmot. “We are thrilled to be able to continue providing outdoor education, landscape connection, natural science, traditional learning, and relationship building with the students, teachers, and Elders from the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe tribes.”
“This year, FBT was instrumental for the Blackrock Ranger District by supporting our Blackrock Field Camp through financial, purchasing, and logistical assistance and the Wildlife Ambassador programs and other maintenance and artist in residency volunteers through stipends, equipment, housing, and vehicle support, as well as covering costs and partnering for the costs of servicing public outhouses at trailheads.”
—JASON WILMOT, DISTRICT RANGER, BLACKROCK
COMMUNICATIONS AND SIGNAGE
Winter Responsibly
FBT partnered with the nonprofit JH Nordic to create a series of six short videos to educate forest users about how they can “Winter Responsibly” by planning ahead, respecting wildlife, knowing trail etiquette, keeping dog(s) under control, and leaving no trace.
Watch the videos here: btfriends.org/guides/winterresponsibly-videos
“ The new signs on Teton Pass look great. Huge thanks to everyone who helped with this endeavor—it’s a BIG improvement over the old faded laminated signage!”
—MICHAEL PENTERSON, DEVELOPED
Signage
FBT helped districts write, design, and produce new and clearer signage including at the Supervisor’s Office, Elkhart Park Trailhead, and at the top of Teton Pass. The Teton Pass signs are estimated to be seen by several hundred backcountry skiers daily in winter and early spring.
1710 AM
Our 1710 AM radio broadcast system was deployed to: 1. Help the Big Piney Ranger District during its prescribed burn of 3,500 acres on Monument Ridge 2. Warn motorists of the unexpected and weeks-long closure of Wyoming Highway 22 over Teton Pass in the Jackson Ranger District after the highway suffered a catastrophic failure. When not broadcasting detailed information, 1710AM repeats PSAs that change with the season and range from messages about campfire safety to proper food storage, how to respectfully watch wildlife, winter trail etiquette, and responsible recreation.
RESEARCH
Thanks to a grant from the Ricketts Conservation Foundation, last year we were able to hire Jared Lucian to begin work on an ongoing research project: Conduct an objective assessment of riparian area conditions throughout the GYE and develop a protocol for prioritizing unit-level conservation and restoration work. Lucian has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Lehigh University and an M.S. in Water Resources Management (with a focus on GIS and remote sensing applications for natural resources) from the University of WisconsinMadison. He is working with Katey Driscoll at the Rocky Mountain Research Station. “Objective tools are needed to help land managers identify priority riparian areas for conservation action, and to determine how best to use beavers and other tools to accomplish conservation and restoration goals,” Lucian says.
“ The Big Piney [Ranger District] is in the process of working with FBT to delineate how we can work together to move the needle in a positive direction with public land management. Jennifer [Ricupero, FBT’s partnerships manager] has been great with helping the Forest Service bridge the gap with local community engagement and helping spread important information through communication channels.”
—CARY SWAIN, DISTRICT RANGER, BIG PINEY
“ We’re here to make sure your wedding venue is as perfect as your vows.”
—RANGER RICK IN OUR WEDDING TREE Q&A VIDEO
“ We do a handful of work with nonprofits and this project was cool because its scope was ‘let’s think outside the box.’ We were able to make a video about the Wedding Tree funny instead of it being a standard PSA. I think that anything that is not your normal PSA gets more engagement.”
CHRIS KITCHEN, PRINCIPAL AT JACKSON-BASED KGB PRODUCTIONS, WHICH PRODUCED OUR WEDDING TREE Q&A
WEDDING TREE Q&A
Due to the popularity of, special rules, and significance of the Wedding Tree site on the Jackson Ranger District, we released a short video about dos and don’ts for anyone considering getting married there so that we can continue to protect and preserve this beautiful spot.
INFRASTRUCTURE SUCCESSES
Granite Falls Upgrade
A long overdue upgrade to the Granite Canyon area was paid for by FBT through a combination of USFS agreements and a Teton Conservation District grant and also funding available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act. The project included repairing resource damage associated with the user-created parking area; creating a separate trailer parking area; restoring eroded trails; constructing a bypass trail to prevent conflicts between horses and hot springs visitors; and adding interpretive signage. “With this work and the regrading of the Granite Creek road, this area is looking fantastic with great access,” says FBT Executive Director Scott Kosiba.
“ Granite Falls is a truly integrated project involving the entire [Jackson District] staff and our community of public land stewards.”
—BTNF 2024 YEAR IN REVIEW
We Give a S*^!
2024 was the third year we helped the Pinedale, Greys River, Jackson, Blackrock, and Kemmerer Districts with funding and logistics to get vault toilets and porta-potties pumped, saving them about $100,000. “Pumping toilets isn’t sexy, but it’s something that is very important to the user experience on the BTNF and also important to the health of the BTNF,” says Scott Kosiba.
In November, the American Public Media economic show Marketplace picked up the Wyoming Public Radio story about FBT stepping in to help keep 62 outhouses on the BTNF open by contracting with someone to get them pumped and how FBT’s partnership with the BTNF will be even more important in the future with the possible upcoming budget cuts to the USFS.
Listen to this story at marketplace.org/2024/ 11/11/national-forest-service-budget-cuts
“ 2024 continued to build on the success of the last several years, with camping, trail, and wildlife ambassadors providing critical education capacity to help manage our most heavily used and loved areas including Shadow Mountain, Curtis Canyon, and Phillips Ridge, in a manner that maintains and enhances our natural and wildlife resources in the face of this heavy public use. In addition, critical work at Granite Falls happened in partnership with FBT to protect water quality and Wild and Scenic River values while greatly improving the recreation facility, its sustainability and access, and experience for all public land visitors.”
—TODD STILES, DISTRICT RANGER, JACKSON
Atherton Boat Ramp
To be installed this spring—but funded in 2024—is a new seasonal boat ramp at the Atherton Campground/Boat Launch. This will provide local residents and visitors continued access to Lower Slide Lake and is the only dock infrastructure on the BTNF in Teton County. “The availability of a boat dock at Atherton has been a valued asset for decades,” says Linda Merigliano, the BTNF’s Engagement and Recreation Specialist. “As part of the Forest’s continuing efforts to offer more accessible facilities, we are thrilled that the non-repairable old dock will be replaced with one that will not only allow visitors better access to the lake but will also be much easier to maintain.”
$22,000 AMOUNT OF COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF JH GRANT FOR A NEW BOAT RAMP AT ATHERTON
FINANCIAL Support
JH TRAVEL & TOURISM BOARD GRANT
n May 2024, the Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board (JHTTB) approved FBT’s $600,000 funding request. Showing the board’s ongoing belief in and support of our work, this funding will enable us to continue to educate visitors and manage visitor impact— primarily through our flagship Ambassadors for Responsible Recreation Program—on the areas of the BTNF in Teton County, the Jackson and Blackrock Ranger Districts.
“Our partnership with the JH Travel and Tourism Board over the last three years has provided much-needed and timely support that has allowed us to dramatically expand our Ambassador program in Teton County to meet the immediate and ongoing need of ensuring our BTNF users recreate responsibly and have a great time in the process,” says FBT Executive Director Scott Kosiba. “The tangible impact of this JHTTB funding and our Ambassador program is that we have had zero human-caused wildfires where ambassadors are present and zero humanwildlife conflicts resulting in the death of a beloved animal or injury to a human visitor. We would not have our Ambassador program in Teton County at the level that we do without the support of the JHTTB.”
$1,295,000
TOTAL REVENUE
“ In 2024, FBT helped plan and host the 3rd Annual Kemmerer Outdoor Discovery Day. This is a large event sponsored by the USFS and FBT that we put on late fall of each year. FBT was instrumental in helping us get funding and market the event. Because of their help, we were able to grow the event from 150 visitors in 2023 to over 300 visitors in 2024.”
—ADAM CALKINS, DISTRICT RANGER, KEMMERER
JACKSON HOLE TRAVEL AND TOURISM BOARD GRANT (AMBASSADORS FOR RESPONSIBLE RECREATION IN
It’s up to us.
Private philanthropy is vital to sustaining FBT’s mission. While the USFS faces capacity constraints and bureaucratic hurdles, FBT can efficiently tackle essential but often invisible tasks—from fixing fences and clearing trails to maintaining roads and facilities. Our nonprofit structure allows us to move quickly and respond to immediate needs, complementing and enhancing the Forest Service's work. As one of only three “Friends” organizations supporting entire national forests nationwide (and there are 154 national forests and grasslands in the U.S.) we envision a model where every forest has a dedicated philanthropic partner. Through private support, we ensure our forest remains healthy and accessible for all users, setting an example for forest stewardship across America.
