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December 2007 Alliance Action

1) Teton Meadows Ranch proposal to get first public hearing Jan. 28
2) Grand Targhee heads long list of county development matters
3) Condominiumization, Pine Glades and 5-Way on Town’s plate
4) Potential relocation of Bridger-Teton HQ leads public lands news
5) Protect Wildlife -- Don’t Poach the Powder!
6) Wyoming wolf management plan adopted
7) County bear conflict discussions continue
8) State Game and Fish sets Dec. 19 meeting on black bears and bison
9) Thinking about end-of-year giving?
10) Celebrate another year of keeping Jackson Hole wild and beautiful!
11) Valley Echoes

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1) Teton Meadows Ranch proposal to get first public hearing Jan. 28

In the first step of the public process to review the Teton Meadows Ranch proposal, the Teton County Planning Commission has scheduled a hearing for 6 p.m. on Jan. 28 at the County Commissioners’ Chambers, 200 S. Willow St., Jackson. Sequoia Development submitted an application for this 500-unit project on 288 acres of the Seherr-Thoss property in South Park on Aug. 22. The developer is seeking a zoning change from Rural to NC-2, under which development of vacant land can only occur if it’s considered to be “infill” between existing subdivisions. The developer’s stated primary goal is to “target all homes and lots to the Jackson workforce, to be sold at below-market prices to qualified buyers.”

While the Conservation Alliance is always open to reviewing modifications to development applications throughout the planning process, we do not support the Teton Meadows Ranch Sketch Plan (and associated amendments) as currently proposed, for the following principal reasons:
1) The proposed zone change from Rural to NC-2 appears to fail to comply with our land development regulations and the intent of the Comprehensive Plan.
2) The proposed density is incompatible with adjacent properties and not representative of responsible land use planning at the broader community level.
3) The applicant’s approach has minimized the development’s potential to help solve the community’s affordable housing problem.
4) An evaluation of a proposal of this scale is a big step to take before the current Comprehensive Plan update process is completed. As a community, in coming months, we will undoubtedly be looking at South Park planning as part of the update process. Smart development is guided by strategic planning, which can only be directed and designed by an entire community. In short, the community should decide within the Comp Plan update process if development of this scale is appropriate for this area of South Park.

For additional information on these broad concerns, please review the fact sheet posted on our website at www.jhalliance.org/Library/Alerts/TetonMeadowsQ&A.11-29-07.pdf.

You can get involved by voicing your questions, thoughts and concerns. Please contact the following planning staff, and planning and county commissioners:

Blair Leist, Staff Planner on Teton Meadows Ranch: (307) 733-3959 or bleist@tetonwyo.org

Teton County Planning Commission: planningcom@tetonwyo.org
Tony Wall, Susan Garlow, Larry Hamilton, Kasey Mateosky and Joseph Palmer

Teton Board of County Commissioners: (307) 733-8094 or commissioners@tetonwyo.org

Andy Schwartz, Leland Christensen, Ben Ellis, Bill Paddleford, Hank Phibbs

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2) Grand Targhee leads long list of county development matters

In addition to the above item, the Conservation Alliance continues to monitor a slew of other county private lands matters. Here's a brief roundup of meetings at which you may share your concerns; you may also email county comments to commissioners@tetonwyo.org. (All times and dates are subject to change -- please call Teton County at (307) 733-8094 for confirmation.) For more information on all community planning issues, please contact Kristy Bruner at kristy@jhalliance.org or (307) 733-9417.

GRAND TARGHEE -- Dec. 11, 9 a.m., County Commissioners’ Chambers, 200 S. Willow St., Jackson. The Teton Board of County Commissioners will consider Grand Targhee’s latest bid to gain resort zoning for what may be the last time. Visit www.tetonwyo.org/plan and click on the Targhee item in the Announcements box for the most recent version of owner Geordie Gillett’s proposal. THIS HEARING WAS CONTINUED TO DEC.19, AND RECONTINUED TO JAN. 8, SAME TIME & PLACE.

The Conservation Alliance urges everyone to contact our county commissioners at commissioners@tetonwyo.org and ask them to hold the line on 450 units (including employee units). Ask them to place a density cap on the proposal and increase the amount of open space required to mitigate in part the impacts of a development capable of housing about 3,000 people at any one time. And please thank the commissioners for their diligence in wanting to protect the public wildlands surrounding the resort. Background information is available at:
www.jhalliance.org/Library/Perspectives/GrandTarghee.10-07.htm and
www.jhalliance.org/Library/PressReleases/GrandTarghee.6-07.htm.

WILSON MIXED-USE VILLAGE SUB-AREA PLAN -- Teton County Planning Commission Hearing, Dec. 10, 6 p.m. County Commissioners’ Chambers, 200 S. Willow. With the adoption of Chapter 8 of the Comprehensive Plan in 1999, Wilson was identified as an appropriate location for a “mixed-use village.” Typically, mixed-use villages are places where there’s a high-density mix of commercial and residential uses, often sharing the same property. Wilson was named because it already had commercial elements that could help reduce vehicular trips to Jackson for basic services, but just what constitutes a mixed-use village in Teton County has never been decided. In general, the goal of the draft plan is to take the work of previous planning efforts in 2001 and 2003 one step further with the development of proposed land development regulations and zoning changes. The sub-area is approximately 180 acres and includes properties on both sides of the Highway 22 corridor.

Based on public input received at an Oct. 4 open house, planning staff is proposing a density-neutral option (as opposed to an option of increasing density) as its preferred alternative. Visit www.tetonwyo.org/plan and click on the Wilson Mixed-Use item in the Announcements box for details. Of primary interest to the Conservation Alliance is the boundary definition of the mixed-use village and associated placement of increased density and/or development potential. Given the presence of lands in the area that provide important wildlife habitat, the distribution of development potential should be closely evaluated.

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE -- Clarion Associates, the Comp Plan consultant, will return to Jackson in January for a third round of meetings. We’ll post dates, times and locations on our website as soon as they’re available. During December, Clarion is compiling public comments on defining community character and a preliminary land use plan. It’s critical for you to comment as soon as possible, so that your interests and ideas are voiced in these early stages of the update. Please speak up! Visit www.jacksontetonplan.com for details and to submit comments on the website blog (click on Public Input, then on Get Involved, then on Join the Plan Blog). You may also email your comments to feedback@jacksontetonplan.com. For information on the Conservation Alliance’s involvement in the Comp Plan update, contact Community Planning Director Kristy Bruner at (307) 733-9417 or kristy@jhalliance.org.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING REQUIREMENTS -- Dec. 18, 9 a.m., County Commissioners’ Chambers, 200 S. Willow St., Jackson. To help alleviate Jackson Hole’s housing crunch, the Teton Board of County Commissioners will consider a permanent text amendment change (following its emergency resolution this past fall) to increase the amount of deed-restricted affordable housing developers are required to provide. To review the proposed text amendment changes, visit www.tetonwyo.org/plan and click on the Affordable Housing item in the Announcements box. Meanwhile, the Jackson Planning Commission is tentatively scheduled to continue its discussions about an ordinance to change the mitigation rates in the town’s land development regulations at its Dec. 19 meeting (5:30 p.m., Town Council, 150 E. Pearl). Concerns about the unintended consequences of such a change dominated the debate about the proposed changes during a town planning commission meeting in November.

The Conservation Alliance supports policies that demand sufficient mitigation from developers to offset one of the primary effects of rapid growth -- a lack of affordable housing. The 2007 Housing Needs Assessment, available from the Teton County Housing Authority, recommends increasing the mitigation rate to 40 percent. (For comparison, in Aspen, Colo., 60 percent of new housing units are required to be affordable.) The assessment also recommends increasing the fees developers would have to pay in lieu of providing affordable housing. Substandard mitigation rates have caused pressure to allow high-density spot zoning in inappropriate places, risking our community’s wildlife and rural character. For these reasons, the Alliance supports efforts to increase mitigation and will advocate for further commitment during the Comprehensive Plan revision process.

SNAKE RIVER CANYON RANCH, ROUND TWO -- Teton Board of County Commissioners, Jan. 29, 9 a.m., County Commissioners’ Chambers, 200 S. Willow St. On Nov. 26, the Teton County Planning Commission voted 2-2 to hold a special meeting to continue discussion on this proposal at the Planning Commission level. Because the motion failed, commissioners then voted 4-0 that findings could not be made that the application was in compliance with Teton County’s land development regulations. (In general, this application proposes a shift from a lodge-based resort to a residential-scale development at the old Astoria Hot Springs near Hoback Junction.)

Teton County planning staff has done an excellent job of outlining reasons that the application does not comply with our land development regulations. Conservation Alliance concerns include the following: the increase in disturbance to Natural Resource Overlay lands, the overall change in the development pattern on the parcel (and the net increase of nearly 145,000 square feet of development), and the failure of the application to demonstrate criteria worthy of the resort designation and the associated density bonuses. During this second round of the review process, the applicant has done little to modify the application. As a result, concerns remain unresolved.

UPDATE ON OSPREY CREEK (OLD TETON VILLAGE ROAD KOA) DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL -- On Nov. 13, the Teton Board of County Commissioners, in a 4-1 vote, denied the Osprey Creek Sketch Plan and associated amendments. The developer had sought a rezone to a Planned Unit Development for Affordable Housing District -- a significant upzone for this 15-acre parcel in an area intended for low density. The Conservation Alliance commends the commissioners for their careful consideration of this proposal and their resulting decision to uphold both the intent of the Comprehensive Plan and the purpose of the Natural Resource Overlay, which is to protect the valley’s irreplaceable wildlife and other natural resources.

UPDATE ON NATURAL RESOURCE OVERLAY HABITAT MITIGATION -- On Nov. 20, County Commissioners approved an amendment to refine and clarify the habitat mitigation requirements in the Natural Resource Overlay. (If developers disturb private lands that the county has determined are critical wildlife habitat, they're required to improve habitat on other private land in the county on a basis of two acres of habitat enhancement for every one acre of disturbed NRO land.) One of the modifications under consideration was a questionable alternative for developers to provide mitigation on public lands, if "no reasonable options exist to complete the required mitigation on private land." Wisely, the commissioners voted 3-2 to remove this public lands option.

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3) Condominiumization, Pine Glades and 5-Way on Town’s plate

APARTMENT-TO-CONDO CONVERSIONS -- Jackson Planning Commission, Dec. 19, 5:30 p.m., Town Council Chambers, 150 E. Pearl. An item strongly linked to our affordable housing problem in Jackson Hole is an upcoming ordinance to streamline condominium conversions. If passed, condo conversion applications will not have to go through a final development plan process. Without this process, conversions won’t have to abide by affordable housing mitigation requirements that other development types must comply with. Also, many renters who are integral to our community, and part of the workforce, will likely be displaced as a consequence of the conversions.

Rental units that formerly functioned as workforce housing are lost and likely to remain out of reach for affordable occupation when converted to market rate ownership units. This ordinance will not only circumvent regulations meant to gain additional affordable housing units for our community, it will also contribute to the loss of rental units, further exacerbating our affordable housing problem. Please consider emailing Mayor Mark Barron at mbarron@ci.jackson.wy.us and the Town Council at electedofficials@ci.jackson.wy.us with your concerns.

PINE GLADES FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN -- Dec. 19, 5:30 p.m., Town Council Chambers, 150 E. Pearl.  On Aug. 20, the Jackson Town Council approved a sketch plan for the Pine Glades development on Snow King. The applicant will now go before the Planning Commission for final development plan approval. The Conservation Alliance recognizes that building a 39-unit development on a prominent hillside containing steep slopes (greater than 40 percent) is not optimal in terms of safety or visual impacts. That aside, owners of other parcels in the vicinity have been granted variances to enable use of their land. The key issue is not about whether it’s appropriate to develop this parcel given current zoning, but rather the degree of intensity of development that’s technologically feasible, safe and unobtrusive in this part of town, and in Jackson in general.

5-WAY INTERSECTION RECONSTRUCTION WORKSHOP -- Dec. 17, 3 p.m., Town Council Chambers, 150 E. Pearl. After eight years, a plan to improve the intersection of Broadway, Pearl Ave. and Flat Creek Drive is nearing the home stretch, but not without complaints that it doesn't include bike lanes. On Dec. 17, the Town Council will discuss proceeding with easement agreements needed for the proposed reconstruction, which Town staff and the Wyoming Department of Transportation reportedly designed around a "complete streets" model. This model calls for considering pedestrians and cyclists in transportation planning, but so far no lanes or pathways specifically designed for bicyclists are included. (Planners have said that expanded road shoulders should suffice to accommodate cyclists.) Details on the plan are available at www.townofjackson.com (click on "Jackson Government," then "Meeting Agendas," then "Town Council Meeting Agendas," then "Special Town Meeting Agenda & Workshop, Monday, December 17," then "5-Way Intersection"). You may wish to email Mayor Mark Barron at mbarron@ci.jackson.wy.us and the Town Council at electedofficials@ci.jackson.wy.us with your concerns.

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4) Potential relocation of Bridger-Teton HQ leads public lands news

BAD MOVE? -- A front-page story in the Aug. 30 Jackson Hole Daily broke the news that the Forest Service was considering moving the Bridger-Teton National Forest supervisor’s office out of Jackson. Now, after weeks of crying foul by locals, regional Forest Service officials say they’ll hold a meeting in Jackson to let the public enter the discussion regarding the future of the office.

The regional director’s proposal to sell some or all of the 15 acres in Jackson where the supervisor’s office now stands, and then move the headquarters to a less expensive setting (Pinedale, Afton or Alpine), has raised many concerns and questions. How would this relocation affect the Bridger-Teton’s working relationships with its partners -- Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, the National Elk Refuge, the Game and Fish Department and local governments? What would this move mean to the effectiveness of the numerous commercial and environmental interests -- including the Conservation Alliance -- that work regularly with the forest? How would this impact the 50-some local forest employees and their families? How would losing these community members affect Jackson Hole? What could happen to the valuable land sold in Jackson? Would all the money generated from the land sale actually end up building a new headquarters and employee housing, or would it be siphoned off to some other forest and its projects?

We’ll keep you posted as to when and where you’ll have the opportunity to ask these and more questions. Meanwhile, please write the following people with your concerns:

Ms. Gail Kimbell, Chief
USDA-Forest Service
1400 Independent Ave., SW, Washington, D.C.  20250-8333

Mr. Harv Forsgren, Regional Forester
Intermountain Forester
324 25th St., Ogden, UT  84401

Please also consider asking Wyoming’s congressional delegation to continue their efforts to help in this matter:

U.S. Sen. Barrasso
senator_jbarrasso@barrasso.senate.gov or
307 Dirkson Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510, (202) 224-6441;

U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi
379 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510, (202) 224-3424,
Email via: http://enzi.senate.gov/email.htm

U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin
1114 Longworth, HOB, Washington, D.C. 20515, (202) 225-2311,
Email via: http://www.house.gov/cubin/zip_auth.html

HOBACK WELLS -- On Dec. 10, the Forest Service published a "notice of intent" to study plans by Plains Exploration and Production Company [PXP] to build 136 or more gas wells on 17 pads in an environmentally sensitive area leased by the company at the north end of the Wyoming Range of the Bridger-Teton. (This scoping notice is required under the National Environmental Policy Act, which compels the Forest Service to analyze potential environmental impacts of projects proposed on the forest.)

The new EIS replaces one that was to analyze only the drilling of three exploratory wells. About 19,000 people commented on the original EIS this past spring -- almost all were opposed to drilling in the forest. In June, PXP asked Forest Service officials to expand their environmental analysis and let the company develop all the leases it owns in the Upper Hoback area instead. The CEO of PXP has said that he hopes to find natural gas reserves there on par with the highly industrialized Jonah Field south of Pinedale.

Your comments concerning this proposal are critical. As outlined, the project would disturb at least 400 acres in a location that includes crucial habitat for threatened species, as well as summer ranges and birthing areas for big game, plus important migration corridors for mule deer, elk, moose, lynx and pronghorn. PXP's plan also calls for building and/or upgrading more than 29 miles of roads in one of the largest backcountry areas of the Bridger-Teton, the 315,647-acre Grayback Ridge roadless area. (Visit www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html and type "PXP" into the search field for links to details about the company's proposal. For background information, visit www.jhalliance.org/Library/Alerts/HobackWells.8-07.pdf.)

Please email your comments by Feb. 7, 2008, to: comments-intermtn-bridger-teton@fs.fed.us with "PXP Master Development Plan" in the subject line. Or mail them to Greg Clark, District Ranger, Big Piney Ranger District, P.O. Box 218, Big Piney, WY 83113.

HELP PROTECT THE FOREST AND SNAKE HEADWATERS -- Of all the threats facing the forest that surrounds Jackson Hole, none could cause greater harm to wildlife, the environment and our tourism-based economy than energy development. This past fall, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso introduced federal legislation that, if passed, would prohibit future oil and gas leasing on the Wyoming Range of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Based on work begun by the late U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas, the Wyoming Range Legacy Act of 2007 would also allow buybacks of exploration and development rights already sold to energy companies, which could be an option to avert the proposed PXP development described above.

A diverse coalition that includes conservationists, sportsmen and many others who believe this 1.2-million-acre area southeast of Jackson is too special to drill helped craft this bill, but your help is needed to make sure it progresses through Congress, which reconvened on Dec. 3. What’s the next step? It’s up to Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to schedule a hearing. However, the bill may well end up mired in the committee’s end-of-the-year backlog of land and energy legislation. (This backlog includes the Snake Headwaters Legacy Act -- visit www.jhalliance.org/Library/Alerts/SnakeRiver.8-07.pdf for more information about it.)

Please help by sending a note of support to the members of Wyoming’s congressional delegation. (Their contact information is given above.)

GOLD MINING ON THE B-T? – Bridger-Teton officials say they will likely approve a request from the owners of a mining claim in the Gros Ventre River drainage to spend 75 days next year digging exploratory pits to look for gold, silver and platinum. In November, Jackson District Ranger Dale Deiter said the claim owners have sought permission to dig 15 to 20 12-foot-deep test holes on a 5-acre parcel on Cottonwood Creek. Should the site prove commercially profitable, the owners could then seek to expand the mining operation to more than 340 adjacent acres. Dieter said an 1872 mining law would make it difficult for the Forest Service to deny the test project, which could be allowed under a categorical exclusion, a project considered too small for environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act. Stay tuned for more on this as it progresses.

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5) Protect Wildlife -- Don’t Poach the Powder!

The sun is out. There’s a new layer of pristine snow covering the hillsides. Wow! You’ve got just enough time to get one or two runs down that slope right in back of the house. What a temptation! So easy, so close -- yet so harmful to the wildlife that depends on those slopes for their winter habitat.

Don’t Poach the Powder is a campaign to help people recognize areas in the valley that are closed to human activity during the winter to protect wildlife. The long, cold winters in Jackson Hole are great for recreation, but difficult for wildlife. Deep snow covers the vegetation needed for food, hinders movement when animals need to seek shelter, and depletes the energy reserves they need to make it through till spring.

In 2000, the Conservation Alliance asked several partners to help fund a project to inform locals and visitors alike of the need to stay out of areas closed to protect wildlife. Now in its seventh year, Don’t Poach the Powder has reached hundreds of community members and garnered the support of an ever-increasing number of organizations, businesses and agencies. Please grab a Don’t Poach the Powder brochure at local ski shops or visit www.jhalliance.org/dontpoach.pdf for the closure maps, share them with your friends and neighbors, and DON’T POACH THE POWDER!

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6) Wyoming wolf management plan adopted

On Nov.16 in Thermopolis, the state’s Game and Fish Commission unanimously adopted Wyoming’s wolf plan. Although the Conservation Alliance strongly opposed the plan, it now appears that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will accept it and move forward with removing Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolves from the protection of the Endangered Species Act, turning their management over to Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Our state still has several hurdles it has to go through before delisting is complete. The Conservation Alliance has been told that public meetings will be held in Jackson and other communities where various rule-making and hunting season-setting discussions will occur. We’ll keep you posted as to the locations and dates, which will likely be in early January. Please visit www.jhalliance.org/issueswolves.htm for more information on this issue.

In related news, the Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public comment on a petition to ban two kinds of poison commonly used by government agents to kill livestock predators. Please visit www.sinapu.org and click on “Help Ban the Two Deadliest Predator Poisons” for details.

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7) County bear conflict discussions continue

To deal with an increase in bear-human conflicts, Teton County commissioners are in the process of evaluating an amendment that would require homeowners in certain areas of the county to use bear-proof trash containers and reduce other bear attractants on private land. A workshop on the Bear Conflict Mitigation and Prevention Amendment (AMD 07-0007) will take place Dec. 3, 10:45 a.m., at the County Commissioners' Chambers, 200 S. Willow. Depending on the workshop’s outcome, county commissioners are tentatively scheduled to review and discuss the proposed amendment again on Dec. 18 at 9 a.m. (same location).

The Conservation Alliance strongly supports and commends proactive efforts to minimize conflicts with bears, and will continue to work with all parties to establish the most effective policies.

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8) State Game and Fish sets Dec. 19 meeting on black bears and bison

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will present its plans to permit more female black bears to be killed here, plus discuss its Brucellosis Management Action Plan for the Jackson bison herd at a public meeting scheduled for Dec. 19, 7 p.m. at the Antler Motel conference room, 50 W. Pearl Ave. Details on changes to black bear hunting seasons, harvest quotas and baiting regulations are available at http://gf.state.wy.us/downloads/pdf/BlackBearMgtPlan-Final.pdf. The bison portion of the meeting will allow the public to ask questions about a plan to reduce brucellosis transmission among wildlife and livestock. A draft of the bison plan and instructions for commenting should be available by Dec. 14 at http://gf.state.wy.us/wildlife/brucellosis/index.asp. Basically the plan proposes reducing the Jackson herd from about 1,200 to 500 bison, improving habitat, vaccinating bison against brucellosis, and minimizing the risk of disease transmission by keeping bison and cattle separated. Game and Fish will accept written comments on the bison plan through Jan. 18, 2008.

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9) Thinking about end-of-year giving?

The approach of year-end prompts us to check our giving -- as well as other financial affairs -- to make certain we have accomplished what we intended. The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance is blessed by many donors whose generosity is expressed at this time of year.

You can designate your gift to benefit any program of the Alliance, such as Public Lands, the Endowment Fund, Community Planning, Building Fund, Community Outreach, General Fund or to address any specific issue of special interest to you. Undesignated gifts are used by the Alliance for strategic initiatives in programs or equipment and supplies.

Many friends give in gratitude for some benefit that they or their family have received, while others give in honor of or in memory of a loved one.

As you consider giving to the Alliance, keep the following principles in mind:
- To be deductible on your 2007 tax return, your gift must be received or postmarked by Dec. 31.
- All gifts to the Alliance are deductible to the full extent allowed by law.  The Alliance promptly issues a receipt to document your gift.
- Gifts of cash or cash equivalents (checks, etc.) are deductible up to 50% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), and gifts of securities and other valuables up to 30% of your AGI.
- Gifts of appreciated securities often offer the most benefit because your deduction is based on the market value the date of the gift and you avoid capital gains tax.  But to gain this advantage, the securities must be transferred to the Alliance prior to sale.
- Giving depreciated securities is most advantageous to you if you sell them first (to take a deduction on the loss), and then make your gift.
- The newly enacted Pension Protection Act allows people over age 70-1/2 to make gifts up to $100,000 in 2007 from their traditional IRAs tax free.  To complete a gift of this nature in time for a 2007 deduction, please start the process with your IRA custodian early in December.
- The Alliance also accepts gifts of real estate, life insurance policies, certificate of deposit and other valuables.  Because the valuation processes vary with the gift and often take time, these gifts should be started prior to year-end to receive a deduction in 2007.

Thank you for considering the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance among your priorities for year-end giving.  If we can assist you in any way, please contact Lisa Vogelheim at the Alliance at (307) 733-9417 or Lisa@jhalliance.org. (The purpose of this item is to provide general gift information. It is not intended as legal, accounting or other professional advice. For assistance in planning charitable gifts with tax and other financial implications, the services of appropriate advisors should be obtained.)

GIFT MEMBERSHIPS -- The holidays will be here before we know it and now’s a great time to consider giving your friends and family members Alliance gift memberships. They’re a thoughtful way to share your love of Jackson Hole, and perhaps inspire new conservation advocates. Please visit www.jhalliance.org/join.htm for information on member benefits, and click on “Give a Gift Membership” for our secure online donation system. Or simply call us at (307) 733-9417 or stop by our office at 685 S. Cache St. for more information.

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10) Celebrate another year of keeping Jackson Hole wild and beautiful!

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 5, 6 to 9 p.m., St. John’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall

Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance Annual Meeting and Holiday Party

Please join us for this popular event, which this year will feature a presentation on the Art of Living with Wildlife by Charlie Craighead, author of "Who Ate the Backyard?" A short business meeting will start at 6 p.m., to be followed by Charlie's talk at 7 p.m.; then enjoy live music with Margo Valiante from 8 to 9 p.m. Holiday beverages and hors d'oeuvres will be served. Please help us celebrate another year of keeping Jackson Hole wild and beautiful! ($5 suggested donation.)

More details are available at www.jhalliance.org/Library/PressReleases/LiveWithWildlife.11-07.htm.

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11) Valley Echoes

“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.”

- Roy L. Smith

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Alliance Action is a publication of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance. The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance is dedicated to responsible land stewardship in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to ensure that human activities are in harmony with the area’s irreplaceable wildlife, scenic, and other natural resources. The Alliance is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization.

(If you no longer wish to receive this e-newsletter, please send a note saying you’d like us to remove your email address from our list to: allianceaction@jhalliance.org.)

 

 

 

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