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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 Migration tracking week 3 🦌🦌🦌 || Deer 665 spent ten days stopped over on a ridge overlooking the south shore of glacier-carved Boulder Lake, Wyoming. She paused her migration from April 20-30 and stayed in an area measuring half of a square mile. She’s still about 90 miles north of her winter range in Superior, and three to four weeks ahead of last year’s spring migration. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Deer 665 stopped over on a hillside at 7,700 feet elevation. Here she found all the springtime plants that help her body bounce back from the months-long calorie deficit of a Wyoming winter. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Stopovers might seem less exciting than forward progress, but from a nutritional perspective these pauses in migration are crucial to the year-round survival of mule deer herds. They enable successful gestation and lactation for fawns, and set the herd up for a successful mating season and better chances at winter survival. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ When you add up all the stopovers and time in motion, mule deer can spend up to a third of the year migration routes. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This stopover is familiar terrain for Deer 665, because she spent May 19-20, 2024 on this same ridge. Last year, she spent May 18-20, 2025 stopped over just to the north of Boulder Lake. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This particular stopover is located on Bureau of Land Management land owned by the federal government and all Americans, in the ancestral homeland of Newe (Shoshone), Apsalooke (Crow), and other Indigenous nations. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This is the third in MWI’s series of spring 2026 migration updates for Deer 665. Follow them in the link in our bio to see weekly updates. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Graphic and text from @migrationinitiative ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #wyomingwildlife #wyomignmigrationinitiative #deer665 #wyomingmuledeermigration #muledeer It was a tough spring for arrowleaf balsamroots, but we still managed to find plenty of wildflowers between 6,000 and 7,500 feet last week. (And we did find one pocket of balsamroots that weren’t taken out by the late May snow!) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #wyomingwildflowers #wildflowers #wyomingrange #bridgertetonnationalforest If anything is deserving of a weekend of celebrating, it’s the Snake River! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ @snakeriverfest returns with live music, conservation, fishing, racing, stewardship projects, river education, and enough outdoor enthusiasts to make Patagonia stock spike. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Whether you’re a kayaker, angler, river rat, or simply enjoy dramatically staring at moving water, there’s something on the schedule for you. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Friday: Block Party at Phil Baux Park ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Saturday: Kids Fishing Day, The Big Race on the Hoback, Hoback Hoedown ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Sunday: Greys River BoaterX ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ @snakeriverfund #bridgertetonnationalforest As more hikers and horses are hitting the trail, remember that horses always have the right of way. The safest way to get out of their way is to communicate with the rider as soon as they come into view and to then move off the trail—on the downhill side if possible. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Thanks to Teton Backcountry Horsemen for this sign at the Willow Creek Trailhead, and also for the updated trail signs they put up in the area back in 2024. The signs are still looking good! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #wyominghiking #willowcreek #bridgertetonnationalforest #trailetiquette #respectotherusers tetonbackcountryhorsemen wyomingtrailriding publiclands nationalforests nationalforest publicland Planning to explore the BTNF using anything with a motor? The Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) displays National Forest System roads and trails and areas designated as open to motorized travel. MVUMs also display allowed uses by vehicle class (ex. highway-legal vehicles, vehicles less than 50 inches wide and motorcycles), seasonal allowances, distance allowances, and provides information on other travel rules and regulations. Routes not shown on the MVUM are not open to public motor vehicle travel. Routes designated for motorized use may not always be signed on the ground but will be identified on the MVUM. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It is the public’s responsibility to reference the MVUM for the area they’re in to stay on designated routes. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Where do you get these maps? The link in our bio takes you to a BTNF webpage where you can download (for free) official MVUMs. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #bridgertetonnationalforest #bridgertetonfriends #motorizedvehicleusemap #MVUM

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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