WILDLIFE & NATURAL RESOURCES INITIATIVE
Changing visitation, land use and development patterns, climate change, and invasive species all threaten to disrupt the sensitive ecological relationships that characterize Grand Teton today. Activities supported by this initiative will supplement the park’s finite operating resources and make significant strides toward ensuring the long-term ecological integrity of Grand Teton National Park, as well as its ability to adapt as needs evolve.
WHY? A FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE OF WILDLIFE IN GRAND TETON
Grand Teton National Park anchors the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
One of the last remaining large and nearly intact northern temperate ecosystems on Earth. The park’s renowned wildlife persists because of a landscape that has changed relatively little in 10,000 years. Careful attention to stewardship has enabled Grand Teton to become a world-class destination to view iconic wildlife and a place of science and discovery.
Yet, a variety of pressures mean that the once self-sustaining landscape needs vigilance and active participation from those who value all that it represents. Changing visitor and land use, land development patterns, climate change, and invasive plants and animals all threaten to disrupt the sensitive ecological system that characterizes Grand Teton today.
A CALL TO ACTION AND STEWARDSHIP
Our Wildlife and Natural Resources Initiative supports the park’s highest priority research, conservation, and education program needs.
By investing in sustained action, we will advance impactful work, helping to ensure the vibrancy and relevance of Grand Teton’s wildlife as a central feature of the park experience for generations to come.
Protecting moments that matter—a first bear sighting, a chorus of wolves howling in the wind, or the spectacle of a hundred elk migrating along an ancient path in the morning mist—requires a solid program to conserve and protect park wildlife in the midst of modern pressures and challenges.