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Our Mission & Vision

We bring the community together to support the Bridger-Teton National Forest where it is most needed, ensuring it remains a land of many uses for us all.

Our Mission & Vision

Our Story

The idea began in the early 1980s: Teton County locals wanted to donate money to make improvements to trailheads and other projects to support and enhance their favorite national forest. However, it’s not possible to donate money to the U.S. federal government. We needed a nonprofit to support the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Friends of the Bridger-Teton was officially founded in 2019. Since then, we’ve used grants and donations—both monetary and in-kind items (like bear-proof trash cans and fire rings) to support the BTNF and help promote responsible recreation so that we can all enjoy the forest’s diversity and wealth of resources now and into the future.

In March of 2022, the Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board (JHTTB) awarded FBT $1 million of grant funding to support marketing and communications efforts focused on responsible recreation and on-the-ground ambassadors on the BTNF. This injection of grant funds into our organization represented a turning point and significant expansion of the impact FBT could have on the forest. The JHTTB continues to be a partner and funder of FBT’s work as an important pillar in visitor management and education in Teton County, Wyoming

Our master agreement with the USFS puts us in a unique position to help fill gaps in funding and capacity so we can do projects similar to the very projects our friends in the 1980s envisioned for the Bridger-Teton National Forest and more. We partner with businesses and NGOs to make stuff happen. Our forest ambassadors work diligently to educate visitors and prevent things from happening (like wildfires and human/wildlife conflicts), and our educational videos and materials help people prepare before they enter the forest.

 

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Infinite Opportunities for Exploration

The 3.4 million acres of the BTNF cross five counties and are managed by six ranger districts. The BTNF is the single largest mass of public land within the 15-million acre Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, itself the largest intact ecosystem in the Lower 48.

Videos de habilidades del senderismo

Estos videos explicá ¿cómo prevenir accidentes? ¿Cómo dejar un lugar mejor de como lo encontraste? ¿Qué encargar para una caminata? ¿Y cómo protegerse de y cohabitar con osos?

Videos de habilidades del senderismo

About the BTNF

The Bridger-Teton National Forest is bigger than Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks combined, and home to some of the wildest landscapes in the Lower 48. It has 3 Wilderness areas and more than 2,500 miles of trails, and contains the headwaters of the Green and Snake Rivers. People recreate, recharge, and find refuge on the BTNF. If you haven’t, please explore the forest, whether by skiing, hiking, hunting, fishing, or collecting firewood. Humans aren’t the only users of the BTNF, though: 74 species of mammals, 355 species of birds, six species of reptiles, and 25 species of fish live within its borders.

Our Staff

Samantha

River Steward

Jack Lahey

Mady Fowler

Intern

Parker Romero

Intern

Carlie Ideker

Program Manager

Shane O’Brien

Project Manager

Scott Kosiba

Executive Director

Jennifer Ricupero

Partnership Manager

Dina Mishev

Communications Manager

Our Board

Linda Merigliano

Karla Bird

Lisa Franzen, Co-Secretary

Kathy Gross

Marshall Durston

Chuck Butterfield

Tim Gardiner, Vice President

Marc Domsky

Ian MacLeod, Treasurer

Sharon Smitherman

Steve Markason, President

Karen Daubert, Co-Secretary

Ellen Fales, Board Member Emeritus

Forest Corps

We’re excited to introduce the Forest Corps, a new seasonal initiative designed to help fill critical gaps.

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Era Coriz

Ellie Zaher

Mickey Atkins

Abby Franklin

Ash Gunter

LeeAnn Shelton

Elly McFarland

Forest Corps Crew Lead

Monica Elliott

Partners

It takes a community to protect an ecosystem.

No one organization can steward a landscape as marvelously expansive, diverse, and complex as the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Always with the best interests of the BTNF in mind, we work with more than 100 partner organizations, including nonprofits like Friends of Pathways, Teton Adaptive Sports, and Tip Top Search and Rescue; government offices like Sublette County Weed & Pest, the Town of Jackson, and the USDA Forest Service; and also private companies like Kate’s Real Food, Roadhouse Brewing Co., and Dometic.

Our ability to be good stewards across a forest the size of Connecticut depends heavily on our ability to work with partners with shared values and priorities.

A huge thank you to all of our partners.

Interested in being a partner of Friends?

Become a Partner

FBT News

The Four Ws: Water

The BTNF is special for as many different reasons as users who enjoy it. But there are Four Ws—Water (and snow), Wildlife, Wildlands, and Cultural Wisdom—that make it truly extraordinary...

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The Four Ws: Wildlife

The BTNF is special for as many different reasons as users who enjoy it. But there are Four Ws—Water (and snow), Wildlife, Wildlands, and Cultural Wisdom—that make it truly extraordinary...

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Wyoming Range 100

The first time Denis Cook visited the Wyoming Range, one of the six mountain ranges within the Bridger-Teton National Forest, he was invited by friends who promised, “we won’t see...

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May is National Wildfire Awareness Month

A mild winter with little snowpack created an earlier than normal fire season this year. Fire and wildfire professionals in and around the BTNF are already preparing for the wildfire...

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Spotlight On: White Pine Ski Area

White Pine is neither the oldest (Snow King) nor biggest (Jackson Hole Mountain Resort) of the three ski areas on the BTNF, but it is rich in community history. The...

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1966 Time Capsule Unearthed

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Forest Corps Update June 2025

The FBT Forest Corps crew has hit the ground running. “The early season is going great!” says Forest Corps leader Monica Elliott. “It seems that project partners from each district...

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Putting Money Where the Fun Is

A new fee system in the Snake River Canyon Area will help the BTNF enhance user experiences and safety, and also protect the river’s wild and scenic values. And users...

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Bridging the Gap on the BTNF

Like many public lands across the country, the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) is feeling the effects of staffing cuts, especially going into this summer. With fewer wilderness rangers and trail...

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Jay Pistono: The Original Teton Pass Backcountry Ambassador

Jay Pistono worked for the Bridger-Teton National Forest for nearly 20 years as its only paid Teton Pass Ambassador. He’s worked to create a culture of decency among the occasionally...

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@bridgertetonfriends The BTNF begins road maintenance work on the Greys River Road this week. Work is expected to be completed by July 2. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Expect numerous large haul trucks and other heavy equipment operating on the road from the trailhead to approximately milepost 12 this week. Use extra caution when driving in the area. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ When passing heavy equipment, ensure operators can see your vehicle before proceeding and allow extra space around construction traffic. Intermittent traffic delays are expected. Follow all posted signage and traffic restrictions in the area. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Forest Service road crews will perform maintenance work to prepare the road surface for contractors, who will apply a new aggregate surface course—a fresh layer of crushed gravel that restores and improves the road surface. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Crews will use a motor grader to improve water drainage, remove surface irregularities such as potholes and washboards and create a consistent base for the new material. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Although annoying, these temporary disruptions will result in improved road conditions and better recreational access, which we can all get behind! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #greysriverroad #bridgertetonnationalforest TWO Deer 665 updates this week! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Migration tracking week 4 🦌🦌🦌🦌 || Deer 665 migrated 45 miles from April 30 to May 7. She started the week with three days of stopover, then moved through several bottlenecks past Pinedale and over the Continental Divide into Hoback Basin. She ended week four about 135 miles north of her winter range after 29 days of migration. This mule deer doe is five years old and pregnant with twins, which WY Migration Initiative knows through field ultrasound done by its team and @monteithshop in March near Superior, Wyoming. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This part of the route is the crux of the migration, with numerous bottlenecks to navigate. Starting from her April 20-30 stopover south of Boulder Lake, she crossed Boulder Creek and then spent May 2-4 near Half Moon Mountain. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ May 4, she began a spectacular 25-mile burst of migration. The first part of the day took her from the Half Moon Wildlife Habitat Management Area across the Fremont Lake bottleneck. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This lake is where 4,000 or more deer migrate through a ¼-mile wide gap between Fremont Lake and the town of Pinedale. It’s a crucial migration bottleneck that was once slated to be subdivided for housing, which would have disrupted mule deer movement. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Thankfully, the western side of the bottleneck was conserved in 2016 by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department as the Luke Lynch Wildlife Habitat Management Area. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ From there, Deer 665 spent the rest of May 4 migrating past the 100-yard-wide Willow Lake bottleneck, then crossed the Cora Highway/WY 352 before swimming the Green River. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ On May 5 she threaded the aspen-covered buttes that stand above the east side of US 191. By May 6 she passed Rim Station. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Deer 665 wrapped up her fourth week of migration on May 7 at Raspberry Ridge in Hoback Basin, one of her favorite places on this entire migration route. She last passed through this area on October 21, 2025. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #deer665 #Wyoming #deer #nature #naturelovers. Wyoming FBT Forest Corps is 4 weeks in and working hard—clearing logs on the Big Piney district, rebuilding fences on the Greys River district, and hitting multiple training sessions—chainsaw safety, anyone? We can’t thank them enough for this work. If you run into them on the trails, say hi! Meet this year’s corps: Era, Mickey, Abby, Elly, and Monica! In addition to the FBT Forest Corps, this year, thanks to a grant from the Great American Outdoors Act, we organized a three-person crew specifically focused on the Continental Divide Trail. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ As we wait for the CDT to melt- and dry out, the crew—Ash, LeeAnn, and Ellie—has been training and working on the Pinedale District’s Half Moon Lake Trail. If you see them out there, make sure to say “Hi!” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #GAOA #bridgertetonnationalforest #publiclands #nationalforests #halfmoonlake trailcrew btnfpinedaledistrict “It is a passion of mine to be outdoors with the sights and sounds of wildlife in its natural habitat,” says FBT/BTNF wildlife ambassador Alissa Kerry-Stump. Although this is Alissa’s first summer as a wildlife ambassador on the BTNF, last summer she had a similar volunteer position at Denali National Park. “I volunteered as a wildlife safety and education volunteer,” she says. “Living in Denali was an epic summer.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Our Ambassadors for Responsible Recreation program includes full- and part-time summer and winter positions as volunteers for the USDA Forest Service on the BTNF. Summer Ambassador jobs range from educating visitors and locals about the importance of recreating responsibly to manning desks at area visitor centers, doing outreach on behalf of the forest, cleaning toilets, monitoring campgrounds, patrolling popular trails and trailheads, and helping recycle bear spray, among other duties. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This summer there are 40 volunteer Ambassadors for Responsible Recreation across all six districts of the BTNF. They are supported by local lodging tax dollars, Friends of the Bridger-Teton, and private donations. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Learn more about Alissa, her job helping keep both the wildlife and the human users of the Bridger-Teton National Forest safe, and our Ambassadors for Responsible Recreation program in the link in our bio. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #bridgertetonnationalforest #bridgertetonfriends #nationalforests #nationalforest #publiclands publicland getoutside responsiblerecreation keepwildlifewild

We acknowledge with respect that our facilities are situated on the aboriginal land of the Shoshone Bannock. Eastern Shoshone. Northern Arapaho. Crow. Assiniboine. Sioux. Gros Ventre. Nez Perce.

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