Yellowstone News and Information

  Grizzly bear 399’s offspring are now independent NPS Photo/A. Falgoust JACKSON, WY— Grizzly bear 399 has successfully weaned her four offspring, which is normal for female grizzly bears with two-year-old cubs. These young bears will eventually disperse to establish individual home ranges. Residents of Teton County should expect that these bears, and other recently weaned individual bears, could travel through their neighborhoods in pursuit of available habitat. Young bears have a higher potential to become emboldened in seeking out foods in and around human development, especially if they have learned to acquire food there in the past. When this food-conditioned behavior occurs, management options for bear and human safety become limited. As interagency and community partners, BearWise Jackson Hole, Teton County, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will continue our collective efforts to proactively prevent conflicts between bears and people in Teton County. However, the potential

  Interagency team conducting grizzly bear research trapping, 2022 NPS Photo/C. Adams MOOSE, WY— As part of ongoing efforts required under the Endangered Species Act to monitor the population of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, biologists with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) will conduct pre-baiting and trapping operations within Grand Teton National Park from May 1 to July 15. Research trappings are conducted annually. When bear trapping activities are being conducted, the area around the site will be posted with bright warning signs to inform the public of the activities occurring. For bear and human safety, the public must respect these closures and stay out of the posted areas. Trained professionals with the interagency team will bait and trap grizzly bears in accordance with strict protocols. Once trapped, the bears are sedated to allow wildlife biologists to collar the bears and collect samples and data for scientific study. The bears are then r

  DNA study provides new information on Teton bighorn numbers Biologists see reason for optimism and continued conservation efforts JACKSON, WY— Preliminary findings from an on-going DNA study suggest there may be more bighorn sheep in the Teton Range than biologists previously believed, a breath of good news as public land and wildlife managers work to conserve this small, isolated and vulnerable population. “By analyzing the DNA in scat samples collected in the high country of the Tetons in 2020 and processing that data with statistical models, we estimate about 178 bighorn sheep lived in the range that summer,” said National Park Service wildlife biologist Carson Butler. Biologists have closely watched the Teton bighorns for decades. They believe the herd is vulnerable because it is small, geographically isolated, and because it has lost traditional migration routes and winter ranges. “This number is preliminary and is only a snapshot in time,” Carson said. He also emphasized he and

  Public invited to join ranger-led programs to observe strutting sage grouse in Grand Teton National Park NPS Photo/C. Adams News Release Date:  April 12, 2022 MOOSE, WY— The public is invited to join park rangers on early-morning tours to observe strutting sage grouse, as they perform their annual mating dance on a historic lek near Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park. Ranger-led grouse strut programs will be offered Saturday, April 23, Sunday, April 24, and Saturday, April 30. Advanced reservations are required. Programs will begin at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center at 5:30 a.m. To make an advanced reservation and for more information, please call 307-739-3399 or speak with a ranger at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, now open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Ranger-led grouse strut programs offer a unique opportunity to witness greater sage grouse congregate and perform animated mating displays by males during the breeding season. This behavior occurs each s

  Wildlife guides say 'eh' to congestion

  Rangers rescue stranded backcountry skier in Grand Teton National Park NPS Photo MOOSE, WY— Park rangers and Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) jointly responded to rescue a stranded backcountry skier on the East Prong of Mount Owen at approximately 10:30 a.m. this morning in Grand Teton National Park. On Thursday, a local 27-year-old man solo skied a couloir on Disappointment Peak. Afterwards he climbed the Koven Couloir on Mount Owen, planning to ski it, but when he got to the top, he decided he wanted to attempt the Cathedral Traverse in reverse from the top of the Koven Couloir towards Mount Teewinot. In doing so, the man climbed the East Prong. During this climb, due to its’s technical nature, he realized he would be unable to reverse course and climb back down to the top of the Koven Couloir. The man was not carrying a rope. Once he reached the top of the East Prong, conditions in the mountains began to deteriorate, and the man found himself in whiteout conditions with wayf

  Teton Park Road opens to non-motorized recreation today Please use caution as snow and ice may persist in some areas        NPS Photo MOOSE, WY— The Teton Park Road between the Taggart Lake Trailhead and Signal Mountain Lodge is open to non-motorized recreational uses such as walking, bicycling, and rollerblading beginning today, Friday, March 25.  Please use caution, as snow and ice may persist on some sections of the roadway creating slick conditions. Recreationists should also be alert for park vehicles that periodically travel this roadway for administrative purposes as spring opening operations continue. Road crews may be clearing auxiliary roads and wayside areas, and visitors are cautioned to keep a safe distance from rotary plows and other heavy equipment.  Visitors enjoying the Teton Park Road are encouraged to be good stewards of the park and reminded: Vehicles should slow down and use caution in the area. Be respectful of other visitors enjoying the area and be thoughtful

  NEWS RELEASE Moose-Wilson Road construction begins spring 2022 Public information meeting planned for April 14           NPS Map MOOSE, WY— The National Park Service will begin construction activities addressing infrastructure needs in the southern portion of the Moose-Wilson Road in the park beginning this spring. Public access will be limited to weekends during summer construction activities. Visitor Impacts in 2022 As part of a multi-year planning process, park staff evaluated options to provide the greatest amount of visitor access with the lowest additional cost and construction duration, while providing for the safety of visitors and crews during construction activities. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the southern portion of the Moose-Wilson Road from Granite Canyon Entrance to the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve will be closed, except on weekends (7 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday) and federal holidays. Parking along the road is prohibited. The southern portion of the road will

Grand Teton sees busiest year on record for visitation in 2021        NPS Photo/J. Bonney MOOSE, WY— Grand Teton National Park hosted 3,885,230 recreation visits in 2021, the highest number of recreation visits for one year in the park’s history. Previously, 2018 had the record for the most recreation visits in a year with 3,491,151. Recreation visits in 2021 exceed the 2018 record by 11% and surpassed the 2018 record in September 2021. "Ensuring that Americans have the opportunity to enjoy their national parks is a key part of the National Park Service mission and it is clear that people are enjoying Grand Teton National Park at unprecedented levels and in new ways,” said Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins. “We also have a charge to ensure that the scenery and wildlife that are critical to the Grand Teton experience are protected for future generations of visitors. We are in the early stages of identifying potential issues and impacts of changing visitation and

  Bears are emerging from hibernation in Grand Teton National Park           NPS Photo/C. Adams News Release Date: March 14, 2022 Contact: C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 MOOSE, WY—On Sunday, March 13, the first grizzly bear sighting of 2022 was reported in Grand Teton National Park. Now that bears are emerging from their dens, visitors and local communities are encouraged to secure attractants. Adult male grizzly bears typically emerge from hibernation in March, and females with young usually emerge between April and early May. When bears emerge from their dens, they search for food, which often includes scavenging carcasses of animals that died during the winter. Bears may display aggressive behavior towards humans if approached while feeding on carcasses. “Bear season has begun, how it ends depends on all of us,” said Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins. “We welcome the community led effort to work across boundaries to protect bears in Jackson Hole, and we need everyone’s

  Spring plowing operations begin next week in Grand Teton National Park           NPS Photo/C. Adams News Release Date:  March 9, 2022 Contact:  C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 MOOSE, WY— Spring plowing will begin in Grand Teton National Park on Monday, March 14. The plowing operations mark the end of over-snow access on the 14-mile section of the Teton Park Road between Taggart Lake Trailhead and the Signal Mountain area.  For safety reasons, visitors may not access the Teton Park Road once plowing operations are underway. Rotary snow removal equipment and plows may be working at any time, and the roadway will be closed to all users at all times until further notice. Skiers and those on snowshoes using areas adjacent to the roadway are cautioned to avoid the arc of snow blown from the rotary equipment because pieces of ice and gravel can be thrown great distances.  The Teton Park Road is anticipated to be accessible to activities such as cycling, roller skating, skateboarding, roller skiing

  Grand Teton National Park to conduct aerial operations to cull non-native mountain goats Date: February 22, 2022 Contact: C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 MOOSE, WY— Beginning February 23, the National Park Service will cull non-native mountain goats using aerial methods in Grand Teton National Park in order to conserve a native and vulnerable population of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in the Teton Range.  During aerial operations an area encompassing the northern portion of the Teton Range from Cascade Canyon to Berry Creek and extending from the base of the range west to the park boundary will be closed. Additional locations may be closed if mountain goats are located in other areas of the park. Bighorn sheep have occupied the Teton Mountain Range for thousands of years, but today this native population is small, isolated from other nearby populations, and at risk of local extinction. As one of the smallest and most isolated herds in Wyoming, currently estimated at approximately 125 animal

  Grand Teton National Park and The Conservation Fund mark anniversary of park’s establishment with preservation of key parcel       NPS Photo: C. Adams News Release Date:  March 2, 2022 Contact:  Jeremy Barnum, 307.739.3428 MOOSE, WY— On Saturday, representatives of Grand Teton National Park, The Conservation Fund, and the Hauge, Laughlin and Resor families marked the anniversary of the establishment of Grand Teton National Park on February 26, 1929, with the announcement of the acquisition of a 35-acre parcel inside the park’s southwest boundary. The newly protected parcel continues a nearly century-long vision and conservation effort to make Grand Teton whole. The National Park Service and national nonprofit, The Conservation Fund have worked in partnership over the last two decades to protect 140 acres to date in the southwestern corner of Grand Teton National Park. The latest acquisition marks the fourth such parcel purchased by the National Park Service in cooperation with The Co

  Grand Teton National Park to conduct aerial operations to cull non-native mountain goats Program is part of ongoing efforts to protect Teton Range bighorn sheep Date: February 22, 2022 Contact: C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 MOOSE, WY— Beginning February 23, the National Park Service will cull non-native mountain goats using aerial methods in Grand Teton National Park in order to conserve a native and vulnerable population of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in the Teton Range.  During aerial operations an area encompassing the northern portion of the Teton Range from Cascade Canyon to Berry Creek and extending from the base of the range west to the park boundary will be closed. Additional locations may be closed if mountain goats are located in other areas of the park. Bighorn sheep have occupied the Teton Mountain Range for thousands of years, but today this native population is small, isolated from other nearby populations, and at risk of local extinction. As one of the smallest and most is