When visitor center donors wanted to do more, funding was directed to wildlife research, allowing park biologists to significantly contribute to the knowledge building within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The information not only benefits this region, but it informs national decisions and helps other biologists who are facing similar challenges around the world.
Our donors also believed that pairing teens with the outdoors would be a worthy concept to support. Their gifts brought the first youth crew into the park to work on trails and learn about conservation in 2006. This project led to a flourishing multicultural program that is helping Grand Teton attract a young, diverse audience. Addressing diversity challenges sparked this spring’s NPS Academy, a career prep initiative that introduces college students to jobs at national parks. Mary Gibson Scott talks about this incredible effort in her column, but the exciting takeaway is that the academy is already poised to expand well beyond Grand Teton’s borders.
And, finally, one of the best developments this year is that we have been able to leverage your private sector dollars to help the park receive federal grants, which doubled funding for important youth and wildlife programs during a time of significant budget cuts.
Your gifts to the Foundation often reach farther than we ever expect. They bring your favorite programs to life, but they also lead to opportunities we never imagined and touch many people along the way. Thank you for supporting our work in the park; we can’t wait to see how it grows!
