We are the BFFs of the BTNF.
We work to support the 3.4 million acre Bridger-Teton National Forest, which is bigger than Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks combined, and home to some of the wildest landscapes in the Lower 48.
It takes a whole lot of Friends to support the many users of and uses on the fifth-largest national forest in the country.
No one organization or entity 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. “Friends of the Bridger-Teton is a small NGO with a big partner, the Bridger-Teton National Forest,” says our executive director Scott Kosiba. “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. Friends of the Bridger-Teton facilitates critical collaborations between the BTNF, other NGOs, State and Federal agencies, local government, private business, and more to multiply our positive impact across the BTNF.”
Where We Work
The BTNF stretches into 5 of Wyoming's 23 counties and is broken into 6 distinct 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.
Share the Bridger-Teton National Forest with other users, and with wildlife.
Our Programs & Campaigns
While we strive for diverse, year-round programming, almost all of our work has one thing in common: it’s done in collaboration with partners and partner organizations. Programs can be ongoing, held annually, or be one-offs and range from fundraising events to trail days, camps for kids, the vitally important Ambassadors for Responsible Recreation, and our awareness/responsible recreation advertising campaign “BFFs of the BTNF.”
Ambassador Program
Friends of the Bridger-Teton Ambassadors for Responsible Recreation are dedicated volunteers and employees of the USDA Forest Service that serve as the front line of protecting this spectacular area. Just like our beloved sagebrush is integral to the health and vibrancy of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Ambassadors are fundamental to the Friends of the Bridger-Teton ecosystem. “There is no question Ambassadors have made a significant impact in preserving the forest’s resources,” says Linda Merigliano, the BTNF Wilderness and Recreation Manager and Public Engagement Coordinator.
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Blackrock Field Camp
“Our tribal history is rich and vast but a lot of our culture is kind of fizzling away,” says Eastern Shoshone Historic Preservation Officer Joshua Mann about the younger generations on the Wind River Reservation, which is adjacent to the Bridger-Teton National Forest. “It’s all dwindling away and that’s sad to say, but I think it is something that we can change.” Enter Blackrock Field Camp, which, since 2016 has welcomed hundreds of fourth and fifth graders from the Wind River Reservation onto the BTNF for a two-day cultural exchange and nature experience. Like most of our programs, Blackrock Field camp is made possible thanks to valuable partners, which include the BTNF, Eastern Shoshone, Northern Arapaho, Wind River Reservation school districts, and the USDA Forest Service, among other organizations, that provide funding, volunteers, and expertise.
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BFFs of the BTNF
Prominent locals and users of the BTNF share WHY they are a Best Friend of the BTNF and HOW they are a Best Friend of the forest in these weekly ads in the Jackson Hole News&Guide and Jackson Hole Daily. Because this campaign is funded in part by a grant from the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board, which supports our work in the BTNF’s Jackson and Blackrock Ranger Districts, currently the print ad component of this campaign is limited to Jackson Hole. We are looking for BFFs of the BTNF in the Greys River, Big Piney, Kemmerer, and Pinedale Ranger Districts to feature on social media, though.
Interested in being a BFF of the BTNF? Tag us and #beabffofthebtnf #btnfbff and #bffofthebtnf on Instagram.