YOUTH CONSERVATION TEENS SHARE SUMMER PARK EXPERIENCES

The Youth Conservation Program (YCP), Grand Teton National Park’s teen trail crew that is privately funded by Grand Teton National Park Foundation, will host a year-end event on August 3, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. in the Directors’ Room at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center.  The twenty-one participants will share their stories and photographs of life on a national park trail team and will discuss what they learned about wilderness, stewardship, and the challenges facing national parks during their ten-week employment.  The public is encouraged to attend.


YCP was established in 2006 as a way to introduce 16 to 19-year-olds to nature while helping youth develop valuable work skills and a conservation ethic in a fun, hands-on way.   The June to August earn-and-learn program also creatively assists Grand Teton National Park with trail restoration, historic site repairs, and many other projects that improve a visitor’s overall experience in the park.  “We can’t think of any better way to engage young adults and help them become invested in our national parks,” Foundation President Leslie Mattson said.  “Teaching about wilderness, search and rescue, and many other aspects of public lands management, helps us groom the next generation of conservationists and supporters.”

This summer marks the fifth season of YCP, which attracts teens from across the country and is the precursor to a large-scale trail restoration campaign that will address degradation and erosion issues on the park’s most popular trails.  Forty applicants hoped to secure positions on the 2010 crew, but Foundation funding could only provide salaries and equipment for twenty-one, the largest YCP group to work in Grand Teton to date.  Typical projects include building and maintaining trails, revegetation projects, bear box installation, noxious weed removal, and bridge and fence building and repair.

Mattson said the marriage of teens and trails occurred because there was no other program like YCP in the community.  “We’d like to provide for every teen who wants to work for the good of the park,” she said, adding that the number of teens, and in turn, the amount of work that can be accomplished, is directly related to the funding the Foundation can raise in any given year. 

YCP is part of Grand Teton’s Youth Engagement Initiative, an umbrella of youth programming that offers an escalating ladder of positive outdoor experiences.  “The goal is to keep young people involved in wilderness and Grand Teton until they make career decisions,” Mattson said.  “Youth will continue to be a priority for us.  We believe they are the future of parks and other public lands.”

Anyone interested in attending the August 3, 2010 event should contact the Foundation at jocelyn@gtnpf.org or 307-732-0629.

Today’s Youth. Tomorrow’s Leaders.

Keeping Grand Teton relevant in a changing world.

Since its creation in 1916, the National Park Service (NPS) has protected and preserved America’s natural and cultural heritage.  From nurturing endangered species to forging friendships with private organizations, the agency has spent nearly a century safeguarding an impressive 84-million-acre collection of lands.  But today, a trend is emerging that impacts the future of parks—many traditional visitors are aging.  With visitation growing and park fundraising groups more popular than ever, does the graying of park fans and supporters really matter?

In earlier times, national parks were the cherished places where Sunday picnics and family vacations unfolded.  Now, the Internet, digital games, and cable television, coupled with rising obesity and declining outdoor recreation, mean that national parks are not as familiar to younger generations.  Children’s disconnect from nature is a disturbing realization and books like Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods highlight the increasing number of kids who don’t know how to climb a tree or identify a tadpole.  With such a trajectory, will our population care about wilderness in 50 years and still provide the financial support that is critical to the future of our park system?  Carolyn Richard, Grand Teton’s chief of interpretation warns, “If you don’t go to national parks, how will you understand them?  If you don’t understand them, why will you care about them and want to protect them?”

The NPS has long worked to attract young visitors and park staff who will share the story of parks and more accurately reflect the changing face of America.  Grand Teton reaches youth with its Junior Ranger program as well as kid-centric visitor center exhibits, and the Youth Conservation Program (YCP), a teen work-and-learn crew that rehabilitates trails, is five seasons strong.  Richard says Grand Teton’s efforts to increase ethnic diversity, however, have not achieved similar success.  Until now.

The Children in Nature Multicultural Engagement Program, made possible with $25,000 from National Park Foundation and $25,000 from Grand Teton National Park Foundation, has reenergized the park’s efforts to engage Jackson’s growing Latino community.  The program debuted in late March with two weeks of spring break programming for approximately 26 teens and tweens.  Three weeks of summer programming will reach an additional 39 kids.  Both sessions bring Teton Science Schools, Teton County School District, Teton County Library, and other park partners together to identify, encourage, and welcome the young Latino population.

“We hope to open doors—doors that lead to understanding the park as well as doors that may channel kids toward career opportunities,” Richard said.  The program blends recreation, interpretation, and mentorship into a fun, engaging program and incorporates participants’ families at the end of each week.  “We think mentoring and leadership is a great skill set to have.  We hope it’s a way to get the kids thinking about a leadership role in the park.”

With support from Grand Teton National Park Foundation’s donors, YCP and the multicultural program are reaching a younger, more diverse audience and helping Grand Teton lay the groundwork that will influence good decisions about national parks in the future.  “Every time you have an opportunity to connect with others,” Richard says, “you have an opportunity to create future park stewards.”

Interested in supporting youth programs in Grand Teton?  Contact Leslie Mattson at 307-732-0629.

GRAND TETON VISITOR CENTER AUDITORIUM BREAKS GROUND

Grand Teton National Park Foundation, the primary fundraising partner for Grand Teton National Park, brought Mary Gibson Scott, NPS acting regional director, key park staff, and Foundation board members together for a groundbreaking ceremony on June 17 to mark the official start of construction for the auditorium addition.  The 3,600-square-foot, 154-seat auditorium will complete the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center and is scheduled to open in spring 2011. 

The high-tech addition, designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and built by Raass Brothers, Inc., and R&O Construction, will expand upon existing visitor center exhibits and host a regularly scheduled documentary film produced by Discovery Communications, Inc. that features the  park’s natural resources and its history as well as notable conservationists who played a role in the park’s creation.  A wall of windows, hidden behind a theatrical curtain and a retractable screen, will reveal the Teton Range at the completion of the film.  State-of-the-art systems and the unique backdrop will make the space ideal for hosting lectures or special events and conferences. 

“We wouldn’t be standing here today without the help of many generous donors,” Foundation President Leslie Mattson said.  “The construction crew has defined the boundaries of the auditorium and now I have context.  I’m beginning to really grasp what it will feel like to sit here and appreciate the same view the audience will see.”  The Foundation is funding the structure in its entirety through donor gifts, and the three-year fundraising campaign is coming to a close. 

“The auditorium addition will provide a welcome arena in which to showcase special presentations that educate, inspire, and awe our park visitors,” Acting Regional Director Mary Gibson Scott said. “We’re anxious to realize the original vision for the Discovery Center, and we appreciate the significant fundraising efforts of the Foundation in getting us to this milestone.”

Along with the visitor center and the upcoming auditorium, the Foundation funds the Youth Conservation Program, a teen trail rehabilitation crew, and the Children in Nature Multicultural Engagement Program, an experiential pilot program that introduces local Latino youth to park-centered outdoor education and Grand Teton’s recreation.  Foundation donors also support wildlife research and metal bear-resistant food storage lockers that are installed in park campsites and picnic areas.  Planning for a major trail restoration campaign is underway and will address degradation and erosion issues on some of the park’s most popular trails.

“This auditorium is going to be a tremendous addition in the park and a unique venue for the greater community, too,” Mattson said.  “We hope to offer a wide range of wilderness programming.  The lectures, films, and videos that will be showcased here will be one more way to connect people to Grand Teton and America’s irreplaceable landscapes.”

Conservation Challenges Headline at White House

Grand Teton National Park Foundation, champion of public-private partnerships in Grand Teton National Park, promotes innovative park programs at an invitation-only event in Washington D.C.

JACKSON, WY—President Leslie Mattson of Grand Teton National Park Foundation, a Jackson-based nationally recognized organization that funds special projects in Grand Teton National Park, joined conservation leaders from across the country today for President Barack Obama’s launch of the White House Initiative on America’s Great Outdoors. More than 500 participants gathered at the Department of the Interior to discuss challenges, opportunities, and innovations surrounding land preservation and the importance of reconnecting families to nature. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson spearheaded the effort.

The Initiative comes at a time when federal funding is short, prompting communities around the country to further mobilize and protect landscapes that tell America’s story and provide citizens with places to discover natural wonders. With real-life knowledge gained from experiences as varied as New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson’s migration corridor partnership with Colorado to a Midwestern farmer’s success in transforming his land into habitat for waterfowl, the invitees hope to start a new dialogue that focuses on stepping-up U.S. conservation policy and identifying ways to further support on-the-ground work occurring in many states.

"This Administration’s multilevel effort addresses a serious problem plaguing our society today—the loss of land and the traditional role it played in our lives." Mattson said. "It’s gratifying to see grassroots movements reconnecting people to nature and reshaping the way our country thinks. Now we need to replicate these great ideas, fund them, and help them grow."

President Obama encouraged citizens to take the long view in preserving our national heritage and to build on successful conservation efforts happening outside Washington. "Their ideas will help us form a 21st century strategy for America’s great outdoors to better protect our natural landscape and our history for generations to come," he said.

Grand Teton National Park Foundation’s projects closely align with the Initiative’s goals of connecting children to the environment and promoting community-based conservation solutions via its popular privately funded youth programming. Opportunities like the Wyoming Youth Congress on Children in Nature, a joint effort between the Foundation, Teton Science Schools, and other partners also provide an educational venue for young people across the state. "Foundation youth programs address real needs in the park while introducing stewardship and the greater issues facing protected lands today," Mattson said. "Our teen trail crews and new Latino experiential program are the types of efforts the Administration hopes will scale and impact communities across the country."

Mattson believes it is every American’s obligation to care for the forests, water, and other resources that have helped our country succeed. "We owe it to our young people to leave vast lands intact, and the government can’t do this alone. It’s a responsibility we all share."

The White House Conference on America’s Great Outdoors follows President Obama’s April 13 video, which encourages Americans to get involved in their local communities as part of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22. The conference also builds on Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program, an initiative that challenges young people to hike, bike, and get outside more often.

Visitor Center Architect Receives Industry's Highest Honor

Peter Bohlin, founder of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and the award-winning architect who conceived Grand Teton National Park’s Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, received the 2010 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Gold Medal on December 3, 2009.  The annual distinction represents the profession’s highest honor and is bestowed upon an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.  Bohlin is the 66th AIA Gold Medalist and joins the ranks of such visionaries as Thomas Jefferson (1993), Frank Lloyd Wright (1949), Louis Sullivan (1944), Le Corbusier (1961), Louis Kahn (1971), I.M. Pei (1979), Frank Gehry (1999), and Renzo Piano (2008).

In Bohlin’s long career, he has designed rural homes, nature centers, and urban buildings and is best known for his contextual use of materials.  Grand Teton National Park Foundation, the park’s primary fundraising partner, selected Bohlin to design a contemporary educational building to replace the park’s outdated visitor center built in the 1960s.  “We envisioned a facility that would be forward-thinking and sustainable, yet echo the landscape and history around it.  Our goal was to entice people to come inside, stay for a while, and learn something about Grand Teton,” Foundation President Leslie Mattson said.  “Peter has helped us significantly raise the national profile of the park.”

The initial phase of the 24,000-square-foot Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center was completed in 2007 and serves many of the nearly four million annual park visitors.  Bohlin is collaborating again with his original team for the project’s 3,600-square-foot final phase, a privately funded 150-seat auditorium that will feature a high-definition theater and the center’s second signature wall of windows.  The auditorium breaks ground in April 2010 and opens to the public by spring 2011.  The foundation’s fundraising efforts are currently underway for the $4.1 million project.

“We couldn’t be happier for Peter and for Grand Teton,” Mattson said.  “His interpretation of the modern visitor center has given the park one more reason to be explored and remembered.”

Bohlin’s projects have earned 14 national AIA awards, including 9 Institute Honor Awards, COTE Top Ten Green Project Awards, AIA Committee on Education Awards, and AIA Housing Awards.  Bohlin Cywinski Jackson is a 200-person practice with offices in Wilkes-Barre, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle, and San Francisco.

Established in 1997, Grand Teton National Park Foundation provides private financial support for programs and projects that enhance, preserve, and protect Grand Teton National Park’s treasured cultural, historic, and natural resources.  In addition to the visitor center and its upcoming auditorium, the organization funds wildlife research, bear-resistant food storage boxes, and the summer Youth Conservation Program, a teen work crew that restores popular trails and historic sites, with generous gifts from its donors.

Message from the President

There was a buzz around town in early fall. Not because everyone was gearing up for the first big snowfall, but because Grand Teton was prominently featured in Ken Burns’ latest series, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Watching this captivating documentary made me want to take a road trip, and I’m certain I’m not the only one. National parks around the country are expecting increased visitation next summer, believing record numbers of people will explore the mountains, deserts, and canyons they’ve seen in Burns’ film.

I was moved by the cinematography, but it’s the personal stories people revealed that really made me think. I, too, have vivid park memories, and they are some of the most important of my life. Summiting the Grand and looking across the still valley far below. Early morning backcountry skiing in the Tetons. The chills I felt as I walked through Gettysburg. Running around the Mall in Washington, D.C. and feeling proud to be an American. Practically everyone I know has a favorite park experience that inspired a career, an accomplishment, or simply a perfect day outdoors. Giving us a backdrop for unforgettable moments—this is the magic of our national parks.

Parks were created for the benefit of the people but nearly a century later, these protected landscapes have become an essential part of our lives. I’m thankful I live near Grand Teton and can connect with hundreds of Foundation supporters to better this special place. This year, we’ll focus more on technology as we continue to reach out to others and grow our network of friends. We’re also hoping to wrap up fundraising for the visitor center’s auditorium by summer, and, of course, the Youth Conservation Program and wildlife initiative will remain priorities.

Thank you for your interest and support of the work we do. You’re the reason we can introduce many worthwhile projects and help keep Grand Teton vibrant and moving forward.

Leslie Mattson
President

Message from the President

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