JACKSON HOLE CONSERVATION ALLIANCE

P.O. Box 2728

Jackson, WY 83001

(307) 733-9417

www.jhalliance.org

5/4/07

A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words

New Natural Resource Map Review Aims to Preserve Jackson Hole’s Environment for Years to Come

In the last 13 years, at least 1,500 homes and developments in Teton County were built on or near land considered crucial for wildlife habitat, water quality and other environmental features that Jackson Hole residents have said they want to protect.

That statistic comes from counting how many Teton County development permits fell either wholly or partially within the community planning zone known as the NRO, or natural resource overlay.

“All aspects of the county’s Comprehensive Plan can impact our community character, wildlife and quality of life, but the NRO is the single most importanttool for protecting water quality, wildlife habitat and open space where it matters the most,” said Beverly Lane, Conservation Alliance outreach associate and project coordinator. “The natural resource overlay includes such treasured features as bald eagle nests, moose habitat, mule deer migration corridors and critical trout spawning areas.”

Because wildlife, streams, wetlands and migration areas are often found in the same places people choose to build homes, the NRO was created in the early ‘90s to identify and protect contiguous areas of private land so that species and water quality wouldn’t be lost to piecemeal development. Developments occurring within the NRO are supposed to have a higher level of environmental review than developments in other zones and may be asked to meet additional standards.

But has the zoning designation worked? Has the well-intentioned NRO been effective in maintaining the environmental resources the community set out to protect in creating the NRO and the overall vision for Jackson Hole? How accurate is the wildlife and habitat data in the county’s current NRO map compared to latest research from our local, state and federal experts in identifying the most critical areas to be protected?

The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance has announced the inception of a new project in an attempt to study these questions. In January, The Community Foundation of Jackson Hole awarded the Conservation Alliance a $15,000 challenge grant to study the NRO, one of the most important environmental components of the Jackson/Teton County Comprehensive Plan. The project is timed in anticipation of updates local officials are planning for the Comp Plan, which guides how the community will grow in years to come.

Thanks to the generous Community Foundation of Jackson Hole grant and matching contributions totaling $11,400 so far, the Conservation Alliance will be working with planners, wildlife officials, state agencies and geographic information system (GIS) experts to gather the most up-to-date information available about wildlife, wildlife habitat and other critical natural resources as defined in the comprehensive plan.

To reach the organization’s minimum budget for this portion of work, it is seeking an additional $5,600 in donations. Donations may be mailed to the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance at P.O. Box 2728, Jackson, Wyo., 83001. They may also be made online at www.jhalliance.org.

The nonprofit organization will be working with a steering committee made up of scientists, elected officials and representatives from other organizations to ensure that no stone is left unturned in the search for the best data available. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, the information will be presented in maps to illustrate where the community might want to adjust or strengthen the NRO for the future.

“We know conditions have changed dramatically since the first drawing of the NRO map,” said Franz Camenzind, the Conservation Alliance’s executive director. “Today’s technology and new contributions to the science of habitat mapping and wildlife ecology in the valley will allow the community to be much more specific in defining those areas that are the most critical for wildlife habitat.”

It’s easy to think that because Jackson Hole still has a great mix of wildlife populations and a large amount of public lands, there’s no need to worry about protecting habitat on private lands, Lane said. “The truth is that wildlife has already been impacted by human activities in the valley, and those impacts add up over time. The exciting thing about this project is that it will show us in images what our best science sees as the most critical natural resources for all wildlife and the Jackson Hole community.”

Once completed, the maps and recommendations will be presented to the Teton County planning staff for review and then submitted for full public review by the Board of County Commissioners.

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The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to responsible land stewardship to ensure that human activities are in harmony with the area’s irreplaceable wildlife, scenic and other natural resources. The organization has 2,000 members from Jackson Hole and across the nation.