Wind River Range

Wind River Range at sunset/Photo: gmiphone/Flickr

Towering above Jackson Hole, the jagged peaks of the Grand Tetons are a stirring sight. Together with our partners, we work to preserve the incomparable views of the snow-capped mountains and to protect essential wildlife habitat in the region.

In an effort to ensure continued public access to the Wind River Mountain Range, The Fund and the USDA Forest Service, with key support from the Wyoming congressional delegation, protected an important 40-acre inholding within the Bridger-Teton National Forest in 2009.

Several years ago, the USDA Forest Service identified this property as a top priorty for acquisition. They asked The Fund for assistance and we purchased the land in order to give the USDA Forest Service time to put funding in place so they could acquire it and incorporate it into the national forest.

Located on the west side of the Wind River Mountains, north of Pinedale, Wyoming, the property sits just outside the 428,000-acre Bridger Wilderness and is completely surrounded by public land. The Bridger Wilderness combines with the Fitzpatrick and Popo Agie wilderness areas to form one of the largest and most popular wilderness complexes in the United States.

The property gives the public access to a network of trails leading to the Bridger Wilderness in the foothills of the Wind River Range and is vital to the continuation of hiking, hunting, camping and other outdoor recreational activities in the area.

Elk, mule deer, moose and other species also benefit from the protection of this land, as it provides a migration route for elk moving to the Soda Lake feed ground, summer habitat for moose and transitional range for mule deer. A tributary of Willow Creek and the Green River crosses a portion of the property, producing important wetland habitat.

This land adds to the 33-acres of park land previously protected by The Fund in collaboration with the National Park Service, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and a private landowner.