by jhwildlife | Jul 10, 2024 | Blog
Dealing with Bears in Your Own Backyard
At the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation, we strive to create a safe environment for both residents and wildlife. One of our critical initiatives, as part of our Bear Wise Jackson Hole partnership, is promoting and helping to install bear-resistant fencing. This measure is vital for protecting both your property and the bears that roam our beautiful region.
Bear-resistant fencing is not just a protective barrier; it’s a lifeline for bears and humans alike. These fences prevent bears from accessing gardens, chicken coops, honeybee boxes, and livestock. When bears are drawn to these attractants, they pose a threat to property and human safety. Unfortunately, bears that become accustomed to human food sources often have to be relocated or, in some cases, euthanized. By installing bear-resistant electric fences, we can help ensure that bears stay wild and safe, allowing us to coexist harmoniously.
Preventing bear conflict at your home involves reducing access to attractants. This includes properly securing garbage, pet food, and any other potential food sources. Bear-resistant fencing is a crucial part of this effort, as it keeps bears away from areas where they might find food, thus reducing the likelihood of dangerous encounters.
Bear Safety Tips: Backcountry Encounters
When enjoying the outdoors and backcountry, it’s essential to follow specific safety guidelines to prevent bear conflicts. Seeing a bear in the wild is a remarkable experience, but it’s crucial to remember that bears are powerful and potentially dangerous animals. Here are some essential safety tips to keep in mind while enjoying the natural beauty of Jackson Hole:
If you encounter a bear while driving, please remain in your vehicle. Either pull over at a designated pullout or keep moving to avoid blocking traffic and causing stress to the bear.
Whether you’re in your car or on foot, always maintain a distance of at least 100 meters from bears. This distance ensures that bears don’t feel threatened or stressed by your presence.
Feeding bears can lead to them becoming habituated to humans, which often results in dangerous conflicts. A bear that becomes accustomed to human food sources is at a much higher risk of being euthanized. Always secure your food and never leave it unattended.
When you’re outside your vehicle, always carry bear spray and know how to use it. Making noise by clapping or shouting can alert bears to your presence, preventing surprise encounters.
Be Bear Wise: Get Involved and Stay Informed
Bear Wise Jackson Hole is dedicated to providing resources and education to help our community live responsibly with bears. By following these guidelines and utilizing bear-resistant fencing at home, and being mindful of bear safety tips in the backcountry, we can enjoy the presence of bears in Jackson Hole while ensuring both our safety and theirs. At the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation, we are committed to promoting coexistence through education and practical solutions. Together, we can protect the wildlife that makes our region so special.
For more information on how to get involved and learn about bear safety, visit Bear Wise Jackson Hole.
by jhwildlife | Jan 19, 2024 | Blog
Did you know that March is when many owls become more vocal and increasingly noticeable on the landscape? To prepare for this exciting time of year, we’re thrilled to host our second Continuing Education Seminar of the year, with Teton Raptor Center’s Dr. Katherine Gura!
“Owls of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem” will take place live over Zoom on February 29th from 6-7 pm. Once you RSVP via JotForm, you’ll receive a Zoom link via follow-up email.
Gura will help participants learn how to identify the species of owls that occur in the area using both visual and auditory cues. She will also discuss owl ecology as it pertains to identification.
Gura is interested in behavioral ecology and the effects of environmental change on wildlife. She earned her Ph.D. in Ecology at the University of Wyoming. Prior to attending the University of Wyoming, Gura worked as a field biologist at Teton Raptor Center and has conducted avian research in Wyoming for 14 years. She received a B.A. from Middlebury College, and she originally hails from North Carolina. During her free time, Gura enjoys trail-running with her bird dogs.
by jhwildlife | Dec 16, 2023 | Blog
By JH Wildlife
What’s in store for Northern South Park
Since 2020, the owners of this land have been engaged with local government and community groups regarding the development of their private property in Northern South Park (NSP). The landowners’ intent is to subdivide and develop a 200+ acre section south of Jackson. An option currently being considered would develop the area densely to accommodate as many as 1,800 housing units (the majority of which would be deed-restricted). Alternatively, the landowners could decide to split the land into 35 acre lots. While exactly how the development plays out is still a bit complicated, what can be expected is the future landscape of NSP is likely to resemble something much different than it does in its current layout of cattle pastures and cottonwood-lined irrigation ditches.
A schematic from the 2022 Neighborhood Plan shows a version of how “passive open space” (light green) might be configured to allow wildlife to move through the development.
How might future development impact wildlife?
Even in scenarios of highest density housing development we anticipate wildlife will use NSP in similar ways to nearby neighborhoods. Although open space will certainly be lost, as agricultural fences come down (including a current 6′ woven and barbed-wire fence which parallels High School Road from the high school to South Park Loop Road) deer and moose will have easier access to the NSP property. New landscaping may increase attractants and potential phasing-out of elk feedgrounds and the termination of elk hazing in NSP may also encourage new movement patterns through the area. Then there’s Flat Creek on the eastern boundary of the proposed development area. Even within the Town of Jackson, Flat Creek serves as an important movement corridor and habitat for everything from beavers, fish and songbirds, to ungulates and other large mammals. Mule deer wintering on the butte across Highway 89 often access this section of Flat Creek for food, water and cover and we expect they will continue to use the creek, even after the buildout of NSP.
So can Northern South Park be developed in a way that reduces the impact on wildlife?
We believe the answer is yes! Currently, Teton County Planning staff are drafting site-specific Land Development Regulations (LDR) and a new zoning overlay in anticipation of NSP buildout. We joined many of our partner organizations in submitting letters to the Planning Commission. While you can read our full letter here, it essentially covers three main recommendations: 1) the application of wildlife-friendly fencing standards, 2) defined Flat Creek setbacks, and 3) protect open space within the developed area to accommodate wildlife movement.
Wildlife-Friendly Fencing Standards: We encouraged the alignment of wildlife-friendly fencing standards in NSP with the current Teton County LDRs to avoid confusion. We also suggested that open spaces and parks remain clear of fencing so as not to entrap wildlife that happens to wander in.
Since 2021, 18 Wyoming Species of Greatest Conservation Need have been reported by JHWF’s Nature Mappers in the Rafter J neighborhood. These data show that the HOA-owned parts of the Flat Creek corridor, as well as the habitat mitigation area, are important for these species. Ideally, NSP would be developed in a similarly responsible way, which would allow for the continued use of the creek corridor by wildlife.
Flat Creek Setbacks: We advised that development not occur within at least 150′ of Flat Creek. A good example of responsible development near Flat Creek is the Rafter J neighborhood. Rafter J’s Flat Creek setbacks, often hundreds of feet in width, are owned and maintained by the Rafter J homeowner association and this protected area supports breeding populations of Wyoming Species of Greatest Conservation Need (WY SGCN) such as Willow Flycatcher and Calliope Hummingbird, along with a large suite of other riparian-associated species. Rafter J also has a habitat mitigation area which supports an impressive community of wetland birds. If NSP can be designed in a similar way, water quality would benefit, as would flood mitigation. This would also help preserve a north to south movement corridor through some of NSPs most valuable habitat.
Open Space: Our recommendation is that NSP design accommodate for wildlife movement through and out of the neighborhood though the preservation of linked, “passive” open space. The NSP Neighborhood Plan, released in 2022, contains sketches of how this open space might be connected and used to allow wildlife passage through the developed area. Ideally, open spaces would maintain a 200-meter minimum width (and larger outside of bottlenecks) based on local research by (Wachob and Smith, 2003). However, if this isn’t practical given the density of the development, these corridors could be combined, to increase width, or laid out near existing open space along the Flat Creek Corridor or southern end of the development area to adjoin with existing open space.
Virginia Rail, another Wyoming Species of Greatest Conservation Need, has been documented breeding in the Rafter J habitat mitigation area. These wetland specialists do not persist outside of intact wetland ecosystems, indicating the health and importance of the Rafter J habitat mitigation area.
If you’re interested in following the development of this issue, the next planning commission meeting is on January 8th! Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about the process and we’ll answer them to the best of our ability. We are optimistic development can occur in a manner consistent with values outlined in our community’s Comprehensive Plan!
by jhwildlife | Jul 4, 2023 | Blog
By Kyle and Vicki
What purpose does our nestbox trail serve?
Mountain bluebirds are a cavity nesting species which rely mainly on holes in trees, often created by woodpeckers, to raise their young. This species of bluebird is believed to be on the decline in the West due to factors such as habitat loss and competition for limited cavity nests from invasive species like house sparrows and European starlings.
A fledgling bluebird from box 44 is fed by an adult on Monday at the Fish Hatchery. Photo Vicki Morgan.
Mountain bluebirds are among the first nesting songbirds to return to the Jackson Hole area each spring. There is likely some evolutionary strategy at play here; by returning when the ground is largely still snow covered bluebirds risk exposure to lack of food and cold temperatures, but gain an advantage over rival species when it comes to snagging limited nesting sites.
Our trail of volunteer-built nestboxes on the National Elk Refuge’s western boundary not only provides bluebirds with much needed nesting locations, but allows scientists a chance to gain a more complete understanding of the overall health of this sub-population.
How are the bluebirds faring this spring?
Overall, we’re confident 2023 has been a good year for bluebirds. While we won’t have a full dataset until the end of the summer, reports from our banding team and volunteers indicate bluebirds both returned to the trail and nested in relatively high numbers this spring.
While spring conditions imperiled some nestlings early in the season, wet conditions are likely to foster increased numbers of insects later in the summer which may benefit second rounds of nests. Photo: Vicki Morgan.
At one point, 16 active nests were recorded, more than were active over the entirety of last season. According to Lead Bird Bander Vicki Morgan, who surveys boxes and organizes volunteer data weekly, there are currently two to three boxes with nestlings about to fledge, and between four and six boxes where bluebirds are on their second attempts at nest building.
Several fledglings from box 44 were even “hanging out” at the Fish Hatchery parking lot, where they were being fed by their parents as of Monday morning (don’t all go to photograph them at once!).
The success of nestboxes this year can at least partially be attributed to last year’s batch of fledglings. At least four nest boxes contain female bluebirds which were banded last year as chicks. These birds migrated away last winter and have since completed successful return journeys back to the National Elk Refuge to build their own nests, usually within hundreds of meters from where they themselves hatched. The fancy phrase for this is “site fidelity.”
What are the challenges facing this year’s nesters?
Still, bluebirds on the nest box trail have faced challenges in 2023. While nest building jumped off to a quick start, insects were slow to emerge due to late-spring weather patterns and a handful of nests failed with a lack of available food for nestlings. While nest failure is a natural and normal process, it doesn’t mean it can’t be frustrating to witness young birds not make it, especially when you’re rooting for team bluebird! Several of our boxes have also experienced predation in recent weeks. Our best guess is that weasels are the culprit – snakes can also fit through nest box holes but generally devour young birds whole. Weasels on the other hand are prone to leaving behind “nestling bits” as evidence of their transgressions.
A 2023 fledgling with this year’s diagnostic color-band combination. Photo: Vicki Morgan
Are the nestboxes helpful for the birds?
We believe they are. Although not all nestling birds survive (you’re welcome weasels – for the buffet), the fact that many bluebirds do successfully fledge indicates the Mountain Bluebird Nestbox Project is likely having a net positive effect. Two years ago, a bird banded on our trail was recaptured and released in Texas during winter migration. And each year more and more “resights” of birds banded in previous years pour in. It’s going to take more than one productive year to help ensure the longevity of this species in our region, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get excited about this season’s results!
by jhwildlife | Mar 14, 2023 | Blog
We want to give a final shout out to the 139 volunteers who joined us for our 14th annual Moose Day survey last month. As far as we know this was a record number of participants, as this Jackson Hole (and now Teton Valley) community tradition continues to grow!
In case you missed it, KHOL and Buckrail both reported on this year’s Moose Day. You can find the KHOL story here and the Buckrail story here.
In addition to these features, volunteer organizer France Clark shared her personalized post-Moose Day report with volunteers last week. Frances’s blog can be accessed here for those of you who didn’t receive it via email.
Moose in Cache Creek by Mitchell McClosky
While we won’t have official numbers until data is vetted and duplicated sightings are removed by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, some highlights from the report include:
- 382 volunteer hours contributed to the survey
- 42 total survey areas covered
- 8 total Teton Valley, ID survey locations
- As many as 113 moose sightings, roughly on par with what we’ve observed in previous years (note: expect this number to change slightly after observations are vetted)
- Participation from two wildlife tour companies (Buffalo Roam and Ecotour Adventures)
- 13 participants on the Cache Creek “moose walk”
Anecdotally, the deep snow may have limited moose sightings in areas where moose are generally spotted.
There were no moose observed in Ditch Creek or around the airport. Moose were also not observed in the Town of Jackson. On the other hand, there were quite a few moose spotted along creek and river bottoms, including Cache Creek, the Snake River Corridor, and even Pacific Creek up north.
Final counts from 2021 and 2022 were 108 and 101, respectively, so we might expect this year’s count to be similar even if a few duplicate sightings are removed.
