For starters, voluntarily lower your speed on Highway 390 by 10 mph at night, dawn and dusk when wildlife are hardest to see. This will add less than two minutes to drive the busiest 6.5 mile section of Highway 390 from the junction of Highway 22. Lower speeds increase driver reaction time and prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions. What do you value more? Reaching your destination with two minutes to spare or sustaining our moose population?

The Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation has funded the portable flashing signs that warn of wildlife on roadways in Teton County. From the beginning, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) has been a key and valued partner in our road kill reduction efforts. In 1994, we launched a multi-faceted road kill reduction campaign, “Give Wildlife a Brake”, designed to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) and promote safe wildlife movement.  In 2003, the JHWF completed a comprehensive study of the impact of roadways in Teton County on wildlife. The study identified wildlife-vehicle collision hotspots, mapped critical habitat, migration corridors, highlighted characteristics of crossing areas, estimated costs of WVCs, and recommended mitigation options. Consequently we chose dynamic message signs to provide the best mitigation value in preventing wildlife-vehicle collisions. Informing a driver of hazards improves their reaction time, giving them a significantly better chance of avoiding a wildlife collision.

From 2006 to 2008, the JHWF purchased and placed five portable message signs to mitigate road kill in Jackson.  These signs are moved around the valley by WYDOT to alert drivers of wildlife hotspots.  Two of these signs were donated to Grand Teton NP where, according to park officials they saw a marked decrease in WVCs during the initial years the signs were in use. Three signs were donated to WYDOT and are in use around Jackson.  The JHWF purchased the message signs through generous donations from valley residents and wildlife advocates. A portable message sign costs approximately $15,000. The average cost of vehicle damage following a deer collision is approximately $3,353; a collision with an adult moose is much higher.

The Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation operates a dedicated road kill hotline (307-734-9454) so people can notify us of road kill. We enter this information into our database and share the data with the agencies making difficult wildlife and roadway decisions. Earlier in 2011 we supported the initiative of Grand Teton National Park to lower the night time speed limit to 45 miles per hour. We just received a grant from the Community Foundation to support our road kill reduction efforts in 2012.

Despite these many efforts, road kill remains a major problem in Teton County. In a report recently published by the Western Transportation Institute, the segment of Highway 390 where this moose was killed ranked as the highest value location of the 22 sites studied for mitigation action within Teton County.

Here at the start of 2012 is a good time to make a concerted effort to stop the killing of wildlife on the valley’s roads. Let’s aim to go one full year without another moose dying on Highway 390. We are willing to do everything within the means of our organization to make this goal become reality. We already have a tentative commitment from one local forward-thinking business to support our efforts to end wildlife vehicle collisions on Highway 390.

We applaud Grand Teton National Park, WYDOT, Wyoming Game and Fish, Teton County, the Town of Jackson, the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Safe Wildlife Crossings, the Conservation Research Center of Teton Science Schools, the Bridger-Teton NF and the National Elk Refuge for their efforts to protect wildlife. This is an issue we can all rally around.  Are you in?  Visit http://www.jhwildlife.org to get involved.

Can you envision a collaborative effort of citizens, organizations, and agencies focused on road kill reduction that establishes Jackson Hole as a community that demonstratively protects our extraordinary wildlife? Will you commit to taking two extra minutes to get to your destinations on Highway 390 to save a moose? Wouldn’t we all be proud if at the end of 2012 there were no moose killed by vehicles on Highway 390? Let’s make 2012 the year the slaughter ends on Teton County roadways.

Leigh Work
Executive Director
Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation

I am so honored to have been selected as the Executive Director of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation. As I settle into my new position, I want to share some information about the work we are doing and also about my background.

The Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation (JHWF) has been making a tangible difference for wildlife throughout Jackson Hole for almost twenty years. With your support, we have worked to promote ways for our community to live compatibly with wildlife through partnerships, education and on the ground projects. Our work has become increasingly critical during the last two decades as both our human populations and our wildlife populations have expanded their ranges. Wildlife and human interactions have in turn increased in frequency and intensity. It is no longer uncommon to see grizzly bears in Grand Teton National Park and adjacent private lands. Unfortunately, it is also not uncommon to see mule deer killed on Broadway, right in the heart of Jackson Hole. In the past year, your support helped make our priority projects strong and successful. Some highlights from 2011 include the following:

1. In partnership with the Wyoming Game & Fish Department, JHWF has helped to minimize human-bear interactions through our Bear Wise Jackson Hole Program, keeping bears wild and people safe.
2. To date, JHWF has removed over 150 miles of wildlife unfriendly fence. Your support will help ensure that our volunteers are able to continue to remove or modify many more miles of fence to help wildlife move safely through our beautiful valley.
3. In partnership with the Meg and Bert Raynes Wildlife Fund, the highly successful Nature Mapping Jackson Hole program worked to collect and disseminate meaningful wildlife data. These data are collected entirely by citizen scientist volunteers and aid a multitude of agencies and homeowners to make scientifically based wildlife management decisions.

4. With a primary goal of reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions in Jackson Hole, JHWF funds a diverse wildlife education program. Through our signature program, “Give Wildlife a Brake”, we have partnered with the Wyoming Department of Transportation on the moveable flashing signs you see on our roadways to reduce wildlife deaths.

While I am new to the JHWF, I have a long history of living and working in this valley. For four summers as a college student, I worked in Yellowstone National Park; as a graduate student at the Yale School of Forestry, I studied the ecology of the region;  as a biologist for Biota Research and Consulting Inc., I worked to enhance many of the private lands in this valley; and as a wildlife researcher for both the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Conservation Research Center of Teton Science Schools, I tracked and studied pronghorn and mule deer from here to the Upper Green River Valley. This background allows me to understand this land from a biological perspective.

I also have deep personal ties. Many of my closest friendships were forged in the Tetons more than a decade ago; I met my husband here and we were married at the base of the Grand; my children were born in the Jackson hospital and are growing up too quickly in the shadow of these mountains. The key reason I chose to join this organization is the incredible effectiveness that the JHWF has had in protecting our valley’s wildlife. Our success is a direct result of the volunteer and financial support many friends and neighbors, like yourself, offer to the foundation. My passion is wildlife conservation and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation is the organization that “gets it done” in the valley.

I hope we can count on your continued support for our work. Your investment truly makes a difference for our valley’s wildlife. Thank you for your energy, ideas, personal dedication and generous financial support. I look forward to meeting and working with you in the coming year. Happy Holidays!
Sincerely,

Leigh Work
Executive Director
Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation

Leigh moved to the region in 1991 and since then has worked as an environmental educator, wildlife biologist, and conservationist. Leigh has a great depth of experience in working with local landowners, conservation non-profits, local, state, and federal agencies. She respects the spectrum of opinions found within the region and its communities, especially in regards to wildlife. She looks forward to using her skills and expertise to assist the JHWF in making a positive and lasting impact to benefit our region’s wildlife.

Leigh completed her Master’s degree in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies with a focus in international wildlife conservation and protected areas management. Leigh then worked as a field biologist for the Wildlife Conservation Society, and spent 3 years studying the impacts of natural gas development on pronghorn antelope working around the oil and gas fields of Pinedale, Wyoming. Most recently Leigh has worked as an ecologist with the Conservation Research Center of the Teton Science Schools on a project to assess mule deer and road crossings in Teton County. Her passions lay in wildlife conservation and, most importantly, her husband Chet and their twin daughters and son.

Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation Board President, Bob Kopp, said “the board is very excited to welcome Leigh as the executive director. Leigh brings a great depth of skills, knowledge of the ecosystem and the community. We can’t wait for her to join us.”

Leigh expressed her own enthusiasm about her new position and said “I believe in the words of cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead in that small efforts by committed citizens can change the world and that this effort exemplifies the work of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation. I am thrilled to be coming on board as the new executive director. I look forward to connecting with the Jackson community soon from my new position and continuing the Foundation’s work of helping our community to live compatibly with our amazing wildlife.”

Ms. Work can be reached c/o the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation beginning on October 31. The Foundation’s office number is 307-739-0968. General e-mail can be sent to the following
e-mail: info@jhwildlife.org

Nancy Shea had been serving as the Acting Executive Director for the Foundation throughout the summer. Nancy is also on the move and was recently selected as the Director of Education for Nature Bridge at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, formerly called Headlands Institute in Sausalito, California. Congratulations to Nancy!

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry this week while giving wildlife a helping hand.

From October 31, through November 6, thanks to the generosity of the Fine Dining Group, when you eat at any of the following three restaurants and order two entrees – your second entrée is just $2.00. That $2.00 will be donated from every second entrée to the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation.

So what are you waiting for! Go grab your friends and head out to dinner at any of the following restaurants.

And remember when you’re on your way there - slow down and give wildlife a brake!

Links to menus and reservations are below:

The Q Roadhouse – Open 7 days a week

Osteria – Open Tuesday through Saturday

The Kitchen – Open Thursday through Monday

40,000 copies of the flier have been printed – 20,000 to be distributed with rental cars at the Jackson Hole Airport and the rest to be distributed at various Jackson Area locations.

Each year, more than 300 elk, deer and moose are killed by vehicles on Teton County and Grand Teton National Park roads.  Vehicle collisions also kill foxes, coyotes, bears, and birds.  Increases in traffic volume mean wildlife are faced with increasingly daunting challenges as they traverse the valley and park landscape, cross roadways or simply try to meet their daily needs for food, water, and space. 

The Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation sponsors two important projects to address wildlife mortality. JHWF prints and distributes the Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Awareness Flier. Through radio and print media, JHWF with our partners Community Foundation of Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park, alert the travelling public to the realities of the alarming number of vehicle-wildlife collisions. JHWF suggests simple changes in behavior:  slow down; pay attention to the sides of the road; don’t phone or text when driving.  These are smart and safe ways to drive and these behaviors result in dramatically less wildlife killed on our roads!

Anyone can report wildlife mortality sightings by phone or email:  Roadkill Hotline: 734-9454 or info@jhwildlife.org.  Callers are encouraged to include:  the animal species with specifics if possible (age, gender); an accurate location (UTM coordinates are an added benefit); and the date and time of the encounter.  The wildlife mortality database is an effective tool in mitigating our negative impact on local wildlife. 

JHWF_EXECUTIVE_DIRECTOR.doc

Nature Mapping training sessions will include instruction on accurately reporting roadkill locations.  If you are already a certified Nature Mapper, you don’t need to attend another class.  You can enter your observations on a regular Entry Form through Nature Mapping.  Leave “Activity” as Undetermined, and under “Mortality”, select Accidents - vehicle.  If you have any questions about reporting Roadkill through Nature Mapping, please call Megan at 739-0968, or email info@jhwildlife.org.

We are happy to receive data reported by telephone or email as well.  The Roadkill Hotline Number is 734-9459, and the email address is info@jhwildlife.org (use Roadkill as your subject line.)  When calling or emailing, please include the following information:

WHAT - what animal you saw.  Be as specific as you can, including age (adult, juvenile) and sex if you can make a determination.
WHERE - be as specific as possible.  If you have a GPS unit, reporting in UTM coordinates is idea, but if you can’t report in UTMs, please descrive the location in as much detail as you can.
WHEN - when you first saw the roadkilled animal.  Please include date and time

If you are calling, please leave your name and phone number so that we can call you back if we have any questions.

Thank you in advance for your help.  The Roadkill Database is one of our most effective tools in mitigating our negative impact on local wildlife.

Important new features

• All content is now easily editable by anyone with access using basic word processing skills.
• All content is stored in a database which separates the content from the style of the site, making future redesigns and style changes very easy. Having the content in a database also allows all content to be searchable. Now visitors can search for info rather than browse, most people have a preference and now they have options.
• Email capture function added
• Call to action buttons: Donate and Volunteer
• JHWF Blog functions: Staff, board members and/or invited guest can now easily post current events, JHWF events, scientific endeavors, volunteer projects or other information where people might have a deep expertise and a desire to express it.
• Photos can be added to the blog posts, as shown above.
• Links can be inserted to pages within the site to promote existing programs. Or links can be created to other organizations that share the JHWF mission or could help JHWF's causes like Old Bill's
• The blog and events area can be used in the fence pull project, for example. Add a fence pull to the event section, create links to sign-up, what to bring or even show the location on google maps. After the fence pull, volunteers should be encouraged to share their experience in words or photos or both. The volunteer's stories and photos will then serve as a way to market and increase participation and inspire and motivate.
• Flickr integration. Flickr is the largest photo sharing site. The general public can upload their photos of wildlife taken in Jackson Hole to the flickr group I created, called Jackson Hole Wildlife. Professional and amateur photographers, and snap shooters can upload their photos of wildlife in Jackson Hole and share their stories. Maybe some will link back to JHWF's main website and get involved. Creating another way for people to interact and connect to the organization.
• The Google map on roadkill hotspots is another interactive method of sharing JHWF's knowledge with the public. The map can be a collaborative effort where staff and volunteers update sighting, observations or conflicts.

The new website will ask that staff, volunteers, the board and the general public interact and get involved with the mission of the JHWF.

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