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Our Mission & Vision

Mission: We inspire connection, stewardship, and responsible use of the vast and diverse public lands of the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Vision: A future where all people feel a deep connection to the Bridger-Teton National Forest through education, partnerships and action, ensuring sustainable human uses exist in balance with land, water, and wildlife.

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

Cheyenne Sterck

Development Coordinator

Samantha

River Steward

Carlie Ideker

Interim Executive Director & Program Manager

Shane O’Brien

Project Manager

Monica Elliott

Forest Corps program Manager

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

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

Forest Corps program Manager

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

Be BearWise This Fall

Wildlife managers across Wyoming are responding to numerous calls from the public about bears accessing unsecured attractants such as garbage, bird feeders, and domestic livestock such as chickens, goats, ducks,...

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Partnership Grows Wildfire Resilience and Tribal Youth Stewardship

The Wyoming Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Friends of Bridger-Teton (FBT), and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC) partnered together to expand forest restoration and wildfire risk reduction efforts across...

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Forest Corps’ Kemmerer District Glow-Up

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WyoFile Features FBT Forest Corps

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How to Dispose of Bear Spray

Everyone knows that carrying bear spray is essential when recreating in bear country. Harder to know is how to dispose of half-used or expired cans. Because bear spray is an...

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JHMR Lift Tickets & Lodging Support Stewardship of the BTNF

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has operated on the BTNF for more than 60 years under a special use permit from the U.S. Forest Service. Thanks to the Ski Conservation Fund,...

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Greys River’s Justin Laycock on the radio

Justin Laycock, Greys River District Ranger, stepped into the SVI Radio studio on Wednesday, August 26. Laycock summarized the current condition of the Fish Creek area south of Smoot, one...

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BTNF-FBT Ambassador Randy Roberts Hikes with VP Vance

Public lands are for everyone, including the Vice President. Ambassadors like Randy Roberts help take care of them.

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Thank You to Executive Director Scott Kosiba

On behalf of the Friends of Bridger-Teton board, we want to announce that our Executive Director, Scott Kosiba, has resigned to focus on his family and his newborn son.   ...

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Rain = Relief, but Fire Restrictions Stay

Northwest Wyoming is finally getting some cooler temps and rain, which is great news. But the rain does not mean that the stage 1 fire restrictions are being lifted. An...

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@bridgertetonfriends Today is the last day to help FBT with its mission to inspire connection, stewardship, and responsible use of the vast and diverse public lands of the Bridger-Teton National Forest with a donation via Old Bill’s Fun Run. The Old Bill’s Giving Season ends at 5 p.m. September 18. Every donation we get through it is partially matched, allowing us to do even more work on our favorite national forest. What’s the vision your donation will support? A future where all people feel a deep connection to the Bridger-Teton National Forest through education, partnerships, and action, ensuring sustainable human uses exist in balance with land, water, and wildlife. Donate through the link in our bio. This happened in Grand Teton National Park, but, because the park is our neighbor, we share the same ecosystem, and the same thing could happen in popular areas of the BTNF, it’s important to share. We can, and need, to be better. Repost from GTNP: On Friday, September 11, GTNP staff lethally removed a black bear from the Delta Lake area after a concerning pattern of behavior, from both the bear and visitors, escalated over several days. Earlier this year, park staff received several reports of a black bear approaching visitors near Delta Lake. At the time, there was not enough information to determine whether the behavior represented an emerging food-conditioning issue or an isolated occurrence. That changed last week. The bear received multiple human food rewards and repeatedly approached people. Park staff increased monitoring in the area and found the bear unusually difficult to haze away, its behavior consistent with conditioning to human foods. Park managers determined that the repeated food rewards, escalating proximity to people and increasingly food-conditioned behavior created an unacceptable safety risk. Because Delta Lake is a remote backcountry location, wildlife staff darted the bear to immobilize it and then euthanized it on site. The bear carcass was flown out of the backcountry the next morning. We need to be clear—this bear was lethally removed because of poor decisions made by park visitors. It is everyone’s responsibility to help keep bears wild: Never leave food unattended, even for a moment. Gather all your belongings, especially your food, if a bear approaches. If you have time to grab your phone, you have time to grab your food. A bear that gets a food reward can learn that approaching people pays off. What may seem like a small decision in the moment can have serious consequences for the bear, other visitors and park staff. Help us keep bears wild by making the right choice every time. 📸NPS and courtesy photos. Photo 1: Visitors approaching within feet of a black bear near Delta Lake. All other photos: the same black bear getting into abandoned food and gear in and among trees, logs and boulders in the Delta Lake area. While many Rocky Mountain national forests provide headwaters for important water uses, the Bridger-Teton is especially important. It is located at the top of the watershed that gives rise to the headwaters of three major rivers: the Snake River, which flows west to the Columbia River; Green River, which flows south to the Colorado River; and Yellowstone River, which flows east to the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. And then there are thousands of named creeks and lakes that provide habitats for fish and wildlife, memorable recreation opportunities, and even essential community municipal and agricultural use. Some water resources are nationally recognized through congressionally designated Wild and Scenic Snake Rivers. And where does this water come from? Abundant snowfall. The average annual snowfall on the BTNF ranges from 72 to 500 inches! The Old Bill’s Giving Season runs—no pun intended—through 5 p.m. September 18. Every donation we get through Old Bill’s is partially matched, allowing us to do even more work on our favorite national forest. Donate to us through Old Bill’s through the link in our bio. Best Kemmerer Outdoor Discovery Day ever? This year was the fifth annual KODD and more than 200 people came to Kemmerer’s Triangle Park for educational booths and activities, a visit with Smokey Bear, Polaroid pictures, delicious food, and cold drinks! A HUGE thank you to Fossil Basin Promotion Board, Wyoming Community Foundation/Kemmerer Foundation, Opera House Store, Ridley’s Kemmerer, Rotary Club of Kemmerer, 3 Zero 7 Place, and the BTNF Kemmerer District staff. “I am grateful that this event continues to grow and have strong support within the community,” says Kemmerer District Ranger Adam T. Calkins. “I am grateful to our partners who continue to make this event possible. We look forward to continuing this event, and we know that next year will be even better.” FBT Program Manager Jennifer Ricupero says, “This free community event continues to be a priority for FBT and the Kemmerer Ranger District. We appreciated the open conversations and curiosity that all came to the event with! Lots of fun to be had with reptiles, wildlife skulls, soil samples, branding wood cookies, hydrology, and more!” For anyone who came, thank you! For everyone—we hope to see you next year! Amazing photography by @raquelrowlandphotography . Thank you, Raquel, for capturing these beautiful moments!

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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