Since 1979, the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance has advocated for responsible planning to protect wildlife and wild places in Teton County WY, and 2025 was an exemplary year. JHCA leveraged science and community action to implement and support policies that bolster conservation and support coexistence with wildlife. Our six-person team is proud of this work. Here are some of the things we accomplished:
- Drove a massive community response to the proposed Grand Targhee Resort expansion, resulting in hundreds of written comments and other community action to Keep Targhee Inbounds.
- Engaged in federal forest planning through collaboration with other conservation and wildlife organizations to influence Bridger-Teton National Forest priorities.
- Pushed through a long-overdue Natural Resource Overlay amendment that protects critical and vulnerable habitat for wildlife.
- Initiated dialogue about the impacts of large-scale commercial developments that led to the current Town review of Land Development Regulations.
- Advocated for responsible transportation planning during WYDOT’s Highway 22 corridor process, calling for protection of conservation easements, wetlands, neighborhoods, and wildlife permeability.
- Built broad community awareness with bilingual events, educational walks, and speaker programs.
- Blocked proposed amendments to a conservation easement that would have jeopardized the integrity of the easement.
- Led community action campaign to block the Dauntless development proposal for a six-story hotel on Pearl Avenue and Millward Street.
- Introduced a new regulation that guarantees adequate wildlife permeability within a half mile of wildlife crossings.
- Expanded protection to include all waterbodies in Teton County, increased setbacks, and improved protections for ground and surface water.
Much of 2025 was spent laying the groundwork for long-range projects. In the years ahead, we are well-positioned to introduce robust, conservation-minded development standards. In 2026, the Conservation Alliance will focus on amending some land development regulations and updating the Jackson–Teton County Comprehensive Plan, all while remaining nimble and responding to ill-conceived development threats.
Growth and change are often inevitable; the degradation of natural resources and wildlife habitat is not.
