Let's Keep Our Trails Beautiful Together!
Friends of the Bridger-Teton helps maintain and support more than 2,000 miles of trails on the fifth-largest national forest in the U.S. With 3.4 million acres of breathtaking landscapes, the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) offers endless adventures.
Recreate Responsibly
While you enjoy all that BTNF has to offer, please recreate responsibly. Your actions help preserve this important resource for future generations.
Join Us in Our Mission
The U.S. Forest Service alone can’t keep up with all of the maintenance and work the BTNF’s trail network requires. We need everyone to pitch in and partner with us to preserve the forest’s stunning landscapes and resources. Whether it’s through donations, volunteering, or spreading the word—every bit helps.
Support Our Trails Today
The Bridger-Teton National Forest is a special place. A donation to Friends of the Bridger-Teton helps us continue to keep it that for future generations.
Learn more at btfriends.org.
Let’s do this together!
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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!
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!