“I just really love doing this job,” says Gene Palos, who has been the Blackrock District Volunteer Wildlife Ambassador since August, 2021. “I was in law enforcement for 30+ years and that was so much fun, but this is really taking it to new heights. The animals are so amazing, the country is beautiful, and I get to meet a lot of people.”
Gene’s primary goal is to keep the black and grizzly bears around Togwotee Pass safe. Over the last decade, bears have taken to grazing alongside US Highway 26, which connects Jackson Hole to Dubois, Wyoming and passes through the northern district of the BTNF. “My goal is to keep bears off the roadway and to keep people a safe distance away from them,” Gene says.
When we chatted with Gene in May, there had already been one grizzly hit and killed by a car in the area. (This was bear 1058, one of the famous quads of 399, who herself was hit and killed by a car in October 2024 in the Snake River Canyon between Jackson and Alpine, Wyoming.) “We can’t help what the bears do at nighttime—people are supposed to slow down at least 10 miles per hour—but during the day, we try to keep the bears moving. If we see them crossing the road, we drive towards them to encourage them to run rather than walk. We want them to understand that the road is not a good place to be.”
But Gene doesn’t just manage bears. “People get so excited when they see a grizzly bear and then they lose their common sense,” he says. “They stop in the middle of the road and/or they walk up to the bear. I understand that they are so excited to see the bear because it’s exciting for me, too, but I talk to them about safety and most people are very good about understanding.”
Some people do push back though. “When I ask them to move back, they’ll tell me, ‘but the bear is just grazing.’ My response is, ‘yes, the bear is feeding now, but just because she’s calm now doesn’t mean she won’t get fired up. Grizzlies have attitudes.’”
“There is no doubt our ability to maintain safety for bears and people reached a level that we could not have dreamed of without the Wildlife Ambassadors,” says Jason Wilmot, formerly a natural resource specialist and wildlife biologist for the Blackrock and Jackson Ranger Districts and the District Ranger of the Blackrock District since 2022. “We continue to receive kudos and praise from multiple agencies and individuals for the presence, actions, and professionalism of our Ambassadors.” Gene says, “What a better way to preserve our great outdoors and wildlife with the Friends of the Bridger-Teton family?”
Gene on safely photographing bears: “I’m not a real photographer—most of the shots I take are with my iPhone, I only take photos when there aren’t people around (I couldn’t do my job keeping bears safe if I’m trying to take photos)—but I do see the bears a lot when there aren’t any other people around. When that happens, I take all of my pictures from inside my vehicle. I don’t hike out to where the bears are because I don’t want to surprise them. I respect their area. And by staying in my car, the pictures I get are of bears doing what they want to do instead of reacting to me.” The image to the right is one Gene took from his car with his phone.