Did you know the beaver abundance in Grand Teton National Park has dropped by over 80% the past 40 years? Or that an estimated 45% of historic sage-grouse habitat has been lost? How about that the Teton bighorn sheep herd persists at such low numbers because of lost migration routes due to human development?
The Alliance commissioned the State of Wildlife in Jackson Hole Report to answer these questions and to better understand how our wildlife is doing so that our whole community can protect our wildlife based on the best available and most accurate science. The report, compiled and analyzed by two distinguished local biologists, uses the best available cutting-edge research and science and is meant to be a tool for our whole community to identify the greatest threats and local opportunities for conservation and wildlife.
In celebration of the release of the report, the Alliance is hosting a State of Wildlife Report presentation, featuring the lead authors Corinna Riginos and Frances Clark, on Wednesday, February 28, at the National Museum of Wildlife Art at 6:00 p.m. The evening will consist of informational tables with partner organizations and individuals who collaborated on the report, a presentation by the authors, and a Q&A and panel discussion with the authors, other report contributors, and wildlife experts from the area.
“If you ask 50 experts around Jackson which wildlife species face the biggest threats and what those threats are, you’ll get 50 different answers,” Skye Schell, Alliance Executive Director said. “We want to focus our efforts on a limited number of very important conservation targets. Given that we have limited resources, what are the most important actions we can take to protect our wildlife? This is what this report sets out to answer.”
The Alliance policy staff is already using the report to identify how we can make the biggest difference on issues like wildlife-vehicle collisions, rural development paving over important wildlife habitat, and how to address and shape population and commercial growth as the Alliance team looks forward.
The event is open to the public, and light food and drinks will be available. In addition to the event, the Alliance is making the report public online (jhalliance.org/stateofwildlife) and releasing chapter summaries over the coming weeks with the full report available to download.
The State of Wildlife report is dedicated to Addie and the late Ted Donnan, longtime and passionate wildlife advocates. The report was funded through the Alliance Research Fund, which supports projects that foster a community-wide conversation, based on facts and data, about the long-term consequences of our decisions.
