For Immediate Release

April 25, 2025

Agencies Call Upon the Public to Help Keep Bears Wild and People Safe on Togwotee Pass

Follow Ethical Wildlife Viewing and Photography Practices and Direction of Officials

MORAN, WY —

—In recent weeks, significant bear jams and poor wildlife viewing ethics have been observed along Togwotee Pass. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and U.S. Forest Service staff are patrolling the area daily to minimize traffic jams and prioritize public safety. As a reminder: stopping, parking, or standing on or along the road is illegal and poses significant risks to other motorists and grizzly bears, whose behavior can be unpredictable, particularly with offspring. Bear Wise Jackson Hole, which includes Bridger-Teton National Forest, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation, Teton County, and the Town of Jackson, asks that everyone be responsible stewards of wildlife. Please do not contribute to roadside bears becoming exceedingly habituated to human presence. This could result in a bear being needlessly injured or killed, as many other bears have. A photograph is not worth risking a human’s or a bear’s life.

Keep yourself and bears safe and adhere to ethical wildlife viewing and photography practices:

· Never approach bears. Stay in your vehicle and always maintain a distance of at least 100 yards from bears and wolves, and 25 yards from all other wildlife.

· Do not stop your vehicle in the Togwotee Pass area, unless in designated, paved pull outs. This supports ongoing safety efforts.

· Do not feed or make food accessible to wildlife.

· Respect all signs, laws, and regulations – including no stopping, standing, or parking on or along the highway per Wyoming Title 31 (31-5-504(a)/(i)/(J), 31-5-102(a)(vii), 31-1-101(a)(viii), and 31-5-102(a)(xl)).

· Cooperate and follow direction from law enforcement and wildlife officials.

· Slow down and be vigilant while driving. Wildlife have been killed along Togwotee Pass due to collisions with vehicles.

“Traffic jams along Togwotee Pass can cause significant public safety issues,” said Blackrock District Ranger Jason Wilmot. “Bear Wise Jackson Hole and our interagency partners are calling upon the public, photographers, and wildlife tour groups to lead by example. Please follow direction of staff in the area; never stop your vehicle in or along the road, except in designated, paved areas; and observe all ethical wildlife viewing and photography practices to help us keep bears wild and people safe.”

While partner agencies acknowledge the awe of seeing a grizzly bear, adhering to ethical wildlife viewing and photography guidelines while obeying traffic laws is crucial to maintain the wildness of bears and ensure human safety. Approaching, encircling, or blocking a bear’s path impedes its ability to move freely across the landscape and creates opportunities for dangerous conflicts. These behaviors also overly habituate bears to human presence and road traffic, further escalating the risk of a vehicle strike, a human-bear conflict, and a dangerous encounter.

Wildlife managers have invested significant time and resources to prevent conflicts and keep bears away from roadside habitats. Prior efforts have included intensive hazing, using trained Karelian bear dogs, various forms of signage, and staff monitoring the highway from dawn to dusk. Managing people stopping in the Togwotee Pass area remains a significant challenge for wildlife managers and law enforcement agencies. Continued unethical viewing practices or conflicts may require further management actions. Visit bearwisejh.org to learn more about how to help keep bears wild and people safe.

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology–and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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For Immediate Release

March 26, 2025

The 2025 bear season is here

We need your continued help to avoid human-bear conflicts 

JACKSON, WY — Bears across Teton County are becoming active with the spring transition. Adult male grizzly bears begin emerging from their winter dens in March, while females with young generally emerge between April and early May. March 19 marked the first confirmed grizzly bear sighting of the 2025 season in Grand Teton National Park. Bear Wise Jackson Hole reminds residents and visitors to secure attractants of any kind and be bear aware.

Seeing a bear in its natural habitat is an awe-inspiring experience. However, living and recreating in bear country requires awareness and actions on our part to keep bears wild and people safe. As the grizzly bear population expanded within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, bears dispersed across their historical range but also in proximity to more populated areas. All of Teton County is now in occupied grizzly bear habitat.

2024 was a challenging year for the human-bear interface in Jackson Hole. Wyoming Game and Fish Department and U.S. Fish and Wildlife staff responded to a minimum of 168 human-bear conflicts in Teton County and the Town of Jackson, which is twice the long-term average. Grand Teton National Park experienced a surge of incidents involving black bears, particularly around lakeshore areas, resulting in an above-average year of management actions. Similarly, the Bridger-Teton National Forest saw an increase in black bear activity around the Teton Pass trail system outside of Wilson. Wyoming Game and Fish Department and National Park Service staff lethally removed 9 bears in this corner of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem last year, in addition to conducting numerous relocations and intensive hazing operations. Unsecured garbage in residential areas and unattended backpacks in the park remain the overwhelming cause of these conflicts.

Bears can be attracted to anything associated with human or domestic animal foods, including coolers, cooking equipment, bird feeders, and pet dishes, when they are easily accessible. By properly storing these attractants, people can help to ensure that a bear does not obtain a food reward. Once a bear becomes conditioned to human foods, the bear is likely to exhibit increasingly bold behavior, which increases risks to the bear and humans and limits management options. Whether you have lived in Teton County for decades or are visiting for a day, please do your part to help prevent human-bear conflicts.

If you are a resident:

·       Please look around your property for any unsecured attractants.

·       Store all garbage in bear-resistant containers or in a secure building. Teton County requires IGBC-certified bear-resistant garbage containers in all unincorporated areas of the county. The Town of Jackson requires IGBC-certified garbage containers within designated zones.

·       If possible, keep garbage containers indoors until the morning of trash pickup.

·       Secure livestock feed, chicken coops, pet food, compost, and beehives. Electric fences are effective for securing many of these types of attractants. Contact Bear Wise Jackson Hole for assistance.

·       Hang birdfeeders in a way that makes them inaccessible to bears. See examples on the Bear Wise Jackson Hole website.

·       Help your neighbors create a bear-wise community to protect bears and other wildlife.

If you are visiting public lands, such as a national park or national forest:

·       Never leave your food unattended unless it is properly secured.

·       Keep a clean camp and adhere to all food storage orders. Store all attractants, including coolers, cooking gear, pet food, and toiletries, inside a bear-resistant food locker (i.e. bear box) or a hard-sided vehicle with the windows rolled up.

·       Properly store garbage until you can deposit it into a bear-resistant dumpster.

·       Do not eat or cook in your tent, and never keep food or other scented items in your tent.

·       Please respect all wildlife closure areas.

·       If you see a bear, give it space. Always stay at least 100 yards away. If you choose to watch the bear, use a spotting scope, binoculars, or telephoto lens to maintain an appropriate distance. Park in designated areas, and never block travel lanes. Follow the directions of staff in places where bears are sighted.

If you are exploring the backcountry:

·       Be alert and aware of your surroundings. Avoid wearing earbuds.

·       Make noise, especially in areas with limited visibility or when sound is muffled (e.g., near streams or when it is windy).

·       Carry bear spray, know how to use it, and keep it readily accessible.

·       Hike in groups of three or more people.

·       Do not run. Back away slowly if you encounter a bear.

As interagency partners, Bear Wise Jackson Hole will continue our collective efforts to proactively prevent conflicts between bears and people across Teton County. Together, as a community, we have made tremendous progress. Let’s keep up the great work. By properly securing attractants and taking appropriate precautions while living in or visiting bear country, we can keep bears wild and people safe. Learn more about how you can help protect bears by visiting our website: Bear Wise Jackson Hole. Interested in a bear presentation at your next HOA meeting or a bear spray demonstration for your organization? Bear Wise Jackson Hole would be happy to meet with your group. See our website for contact information.

Bear Wise Jackson Hole is a partnership between the Wyoming Game & Fish Department, Grand Teton National Park, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Teton County, and Town of Jackson. Established in 2006, our mission is to ‘keep bears wild and people safe’ by minimizing bears’ access to unnatural attractants and educating residents and visitors about human-bear conflict prevention.

For more information about bears and specific regulations, visit the following links:

·       Bear Wise Jackson Hole

·       Wyoming Game and Fish Department

·       Grand Teton National Park

·       Bridger-Teton National Forest

·       Teton County  

·       Town of Jackson

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