For many people in Jackson Hole, spring officially arrives on the day Grand Teton plows the main park road. For one vehicle-free month, we bike, stroll, and rollerblade the most scenic stretch of asphalt in the country while catching up with friends and collectively celebrating the change of season.
With the economy on everyone's mind, our spring tradition felt even more comforting to me this year. Over the past few months, I've come to realize why venturing out on a familiar park road was more appealing than ever before: It was a moment I could count on in an era when nothing else seemed certain.
Now more than ever, people I know relish the small, but extraordinary, natural events that show us we still have continuity and structure. The Tetons have emerged from winter and the bears are fattening up again, just like they always do. Lupine will bloom in the sagebrush meadows beside Antelope Flats Road. And, soon, osprey parents will coax babies out of nests high off the valley floor and teach them to dive and fish. Whether the stock market goes up or down, the never-ending cycle of birth, growth, and hibernation assures us that many truly important things remain unchanged.
Nature's enduring quality is only one of many reasons Foundation members are dedicated to protecting the park's wild spaces. Gifts, large or small, benefit Grand Teton. Your support preserves critical wildlife and quiet beauty, helping us all experience nature's promise that sunnier days are always on the horizon.
Leslie Mattson
President
P.S. Be sure to check out the National Parks: America's Best Idea, a six-episode series directed by Kens Burns and written and co-produced by Dayton Duncan. The series is coming to PBS on September 27th. For more information, visit www.pbs.org
