Click here to access the 2018 Float Trip Summary Report
Click here to access the 2017 Float Trip Summary Report
The Snake River Float Project is designed to gain a better idea of what species of mammals, birds and amphibians use the section of river between Wilson Bridge and South Park. In this section, the river flows mostly through private land where wildlife professionals do not conduct a systematic census.
The Snake River Float project helps to provide a more complete picture of the species that use the river corridor between Wilson Bridge and South Park. It has recorded the locations of nests of osprey, bald eagle, and great blue heron, along with ducks and shorebird nesting areas. This project has recorded thousands of individual birds. Mammals observed range from least chipmunk to moose.
The float also provides a wonderful opportunity to enjoy AJ DeRosa’s wooden boat adventures. AJ’s Jackson Hole Vintage Adventures generously offers this opportunity in support of our citizen science program.
Certified citizen scientists of Nature Mapping Jackson Hole track moose on pre-assigned parcels on Moose Day – an annual survey conducted in collaboration with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), Grand Teton National Park, and the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Teams of two or three people get an assigned territory in areas that are difficult for the WGFD to survey (mostly near private lands or adjacent to more developed areas) and record moose observations. These collected data contribute to monitoring moose population trends in Jackson Hole over time. A winter’s day searching the valley for moose is one of many exciting Nature Mapping Jackson Hole projects that connect members of the community to one another and to our wild lands.
Click here for the Mountain Bluebird trail nestbox monitoring guide
Click here for the Mountain Bluebird “resighting” data sheet
In 2017, bander Allison Swan and monitoring volunteers began placing USGS aluminum bands as well as a unique series of color bands on each of 98 Mountain Bluebird nestlings and one adult female. That will allow us to view and identify each individual returning bird and to follow along as it hopefully raises some little bluebirds of its own!
What’s more, banding these birds will provide new data, expanding on over 15 years of nestbox monitoring data and helping to answer questions related to survival rates of young, dispersal patterns, re-nesting rates, productivity by age and other elements of population dynamics.
Staff and volunteers are working to gather these data by resighting color banded bluebirds, or “Bluebirds with Bling,” but we would love your help!
One of the primary goals of Nature Mapping is to provide data to decisions makers, research organizations and agency personnel in an effort to support informed decisions that will be beneficial to wildlife and “keep common wildlife common”.
If you are interested in requesting data from Nature Mapping Jackson Hole, please fill out the information found on this PDF data request form and submit it to kate@jhwildlife.org. We will be in touch with any questions. All data requests are reviewed by the Nature Mapping Advisory Committee. This board meets once a month and retains the ability to fulfill or deny requests based on our guidelines.
Please address all questions and concerns regarding data requests to the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation at 307-739-0968 or kate@jhwildlife.org.
Data Request Process – How it Works
Requester submits a data request using our electronic form below. Please fill out this form as completely as possible and explicitly tell us why you are requesting Nature Mapping data.
Nature Mapping Advisory Committee reviews the data request at their monthly meeting.
If the request is approved, the requester will sign a data release agreement with Nature Mapping/ JHWF (sample below).
Data will be delivered electronically as either a shapefile or Microsoft Excel document.
Requester’s end products will be delivered to Nature Mapping/ JHWF per the timeline outlined in the data request form.
The intent is for wildlife to benefit from this cooperative agreement.
Why Not Feed Wildlife? For the Safety of People and the Welfare of Wildlife
Many people who love wildlife assume that feeding helps them to survive harsh winters. Instead, these efforts often put the animals at risk of dying or being killed. Animals that are fed grow accustomed to human activity and lose their fear of people. These wild animals may become bold and aggressive, or even dangerous to people and pets.
Even though people may feed high quality food, some animals’ digestive systems cannot tolerate supplemental feeding. Additionally, Wyoming Game and Fish officers often must euthanize bears because they associate people with food or have received food rewards.
Feeding may increase mortality of animals on roads if animals are unnaturally concentrated in roadside residential areas where feed is provided.
Concentrations of deer or elk have attracted predators such as mountain lions into residential areas. “While attacks by cougars on people in Teton County have not occurred, we will assuredly invite one by bringing lions into more contact with people by feeding deer.” Dr. Joel Berger, Ph.D., Wildlife Conservation Society.
Feeding Is Against Town And County Regulations
Regulations state: No person shall knowingly or intentionally provide supplemental feed attractants to the following animals, unless specifically authorized by an agency of either the State of Wyoming or the United States of America: antelope, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, moose,mountain lions, mountain goats, bobcats, black bears, grizzly bears, raccoons, foxes, lynx, wild bison, wolves and coyotes.
Supplemental attractants are defined as any human food, pet food, hay, forage product or supplement, grain, seed or birdseed, garbage, or other attractant made available to the animals mentioned above. It is important to note that this regulation permits the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to authorize feeding if department biologists determine such is advisable. Visit http://www.tetonwyo.org for a copy of the full amendment.
What About Feeding Birds?
The regulations do not prohibit bird feeders, but they do require people who live in Bear Conflict Priority Area 1 to hang bird feeders (including hummingbird feeders) 10 feet off the ground, four feet from anything a bear could climb or stand on and that all bird feeders have a catch basin to prevent seed from getting on the ground. These requirements are in effect from April 1 to November 30 – the time when bears are active. It is important that bird feeders be placed where bears cannot reach them because 40% – nearly half – of all bear conflicts in Teton County are related to bird feeders.
