Grand Teton National Park Foundation

Programs: Antelope flatsgrand teton national park foundation helped grand teton national park purchase 640 acres of critical wildlife habitat on antelope flats that was previously owned by the state of wyoming and threatened with potential development. The foundation partnered with dc-based national park foundation to raise $23 million, which matched $23 million from the federal land and water conservation fund. This piece of land is now part of grand teton and will remain unchanged for the benefit of both wildlife and visitors.

jenny lake2017 marked the fourth year of foundation-funded work at jenny lake. This restoration effort is significantly upgrading the south jenny lake visitor complex and trails/bridges to hidden falls and inspiration point, improving hiking surfaces and viewing areas, introducing interpretive material, and upgrading signage to clarify wayfinding. The project will ultimately create a sustainable outdoor visitor center and trail system that will maintain the historic character of the area while improving safety, engaging visitors, and support the park in maintaining this iconic destination.

youth programsgrand teton national park foundation provided funding to grand teton national park for a youth engagement initiative-five programs that connected young people to the outdoors through a variety of experiences: youth conservation program, a teen crew comprised of 16-19-year olds who worked on park trails and historic sites while learning about stewardship, various park divisions, and outdoor recreation; pura vida, programs that engaged local latino students and brought them into the park for education, recreation, and interpretation; nps academy, a mentored internship program for diverse college students to systematically introduce grand teton to a more diverse audience and offer escalating educational and employment opportunities to keep participants actively involved with the national park service until they make career decisions; mountains to main street urban ambassador program that brought students to grand teton for workshops and leadership training, working with park staff to support these urban students shape new outdoor programs that they then launched in parks close to their home cities; tribal youth corp that provided hands-on opportunities for native youth ages 14-18 to connect to nature and cultural history through paid internships in the park. All programs will be expanded by a special initiative launched this year titled youth expansion program to augment the existing programs and increase the overall level of participation.