Winter nwsltr06_6 - Grand Teton National Park Foundation

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Message from Grand Teton National Park Superintendent M ARY G IBSON S COTT Greetings from Grand Teton National Park. I hope many of you were able to visit the park during the summer and fall seasons. As I write this, the weather has moved beyond the beautiful warm and sunny fall days but is not yet snowy enough for winter recreation. Deep snow is around the corner, and we will enjoy the serene beauty of winter and all the recreational activities the park offers when the snow falls. Summer 2006 was very productive and punctuated by national events, visits by dignitaries including Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and NPS Director Fran Mainella, among others, and included several complex search and rescue incidents and highway accidents that presented special challenges for park operations. PARK HIGHLIGHTS: On June 17, Grand Teton National Park hosted Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett and Wilderness Society President Bill Meadows during a ceremony to dedicate the Murie Ranch as a National Historic Landmark (NHL). Grand Teton is home to two NHLs: the Murie Ranch and the Jackson Lake Lodge. The Murie Ranch is associated with Olaus, Margaret (Mardy), Adolph, and Louise Murie, whose biological research and advocacy for wilderness have significantly influenced the natural sciences and the American conservation movement. People from all over the world come to the Murie Ranch to experience a serene environment and consider ways to preserve this country’s extraordinary natural resources. Deputy Director Scarlett, the keynote speaker at the June 17 event, applauded the Muries for their passion and vision. She noted that “the Muries saw significance in places untouched or lightly touched by the footprints and handprints of man.” Mr. Meadows called Mardy Murie “a spirit that continues to lead us today,” and reminded us of Mardy’s conviction that “Americans love their public lands and will stand up and fight for them.” PARK DOCUMENTARY UPDATE: Discovery Communications spent several days shooting additional footage for their documentary film on Grand Teton and are putting the final touches on the high-definition video. This documentary will be shown in the new Grand Teton Discovery and Visitor Center, as well as other park and Jackson Hole venues. We will co-host a special premier and anticipate that it will be an awe-inspiring portrayal of this incredible park. The date for the premier showing is tentatively scheduled for late May at Jackson Lake Lodge. More details regarding this will be finalized in the spring. LSR UPDATE: The JY Ranch will soon be transferred to the National Park Service to become a significant Mary Gibson Scott and Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne addition to Grand Teton National Park and will be known as the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve. Many previous trails and roads throughout the property have been restored to their natural condition, leaving approximately twelve miles of trails for visitors to enjoy. Construction of a platinum, LEED-certified building—home to an innovative welcome center—is on schedule and should be open to the public in summer of 2007. According to the late Laurance Rockefeller’s wishes, the building and trails have been designed in an environmentally sensitive manner. Grand Teton is looking forward to managing this outstanding natural area. We pledge to preserve the distinctive character of this special place and to respect Mr. Rockefeller’s vision for the JY Ranch property by protecting the natural setting, while allowing the public to experience this part of the park in a more contemplative manner. GRAND TETON DISCOVERY and VISITOR CENTER UPDATE: Construction on the new Grand Teton Discovery and Visitor Center is proceeding rapidly. The walls are standing, the roof is in place, and the main structure is quite evident. An overall aesthetic impression is beginning to take shape—one that complements the stately silhouettes of the Teton peaks. Park
staff and visitors are excited to see what awaits them next summer. It will be an amazing and welcome contrast to the confined and windowless space of the current visitor center. A grand opening is planned for August 2007. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, and Wyoming’s senior senator, Craig Thomas, are anticipated to be among the dignitaries Bookstores Support the Park Known by visitors as the “park bookstores,” the Grand Teton Natural History Association (NHA) was born in 1937 with a $500 gift from Jackson pharmacist, Bruce Porter, to buy publications. Dubbed the Jackson Hole Museum Association, the organization was started as a way for the park to provide informational materials to visitors. Among members of the first advisory committee were such notables as Fritiof Fryxell, Steven Leek, Harrison Crandall and Olaus Murie. Today’s Grand Teton Natural History Association, a non-profit organization, supports the park, as well as federal agencies such as the National Elk Refuge and the national forests by selling interpretive, educational, and research materials and donating the revenue. The organization has 29 locations, 9 permanent employees, and it hires 40 seasonal workers during summer. who will help dedicate the new building. Best wishes for a beautiful winter. We look forward to seeing you in the park. LtoR: Foundation Chair Jerry Halpin, Board Member and Former NPS Director Ron Walker, GTNP Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott, Board Member and Former NPS Director Robert Stanton Since its beginning, the Natural History Association has taken on a variety of park projects including partnering with the Grand Teton National Park Foundation and Grand Teton National Park to build the new visitor center that opens in June. Grand Teton Natural History Association has park stores in Moose, Colter Bay, Jenny Lake, Menor’s Ferry, JDR Parkway, Jackson Hole Airport, and online. They are also publishers and wholesalers. Every item sold in the bookstores must be interpretive and educational. The NHA used to sell primarily books and maps. In recent years the National Park Service has encouraged NHA to sell other educational materials in recognition of the fact that people learn in different ways. Beyond the park bookstores, the NHA is responsible for several park programs including Artists in Residence, Roadside Artists and Writers workshops, book signings, and artwork purchases. NHA has donated several NHA published this new popular book series. pieces of art that will be showcased in the new visitor center. Jan Lynch has been the executive director of the Grand Teton Natural History Association for four years. She began with the organization in 1989 as a part-time sales clerk in the Flagg Information Center store when her husband, a park service employee, took a position at Grand Teton National Park. With a strong corporate background, she moved up quickly, learning the ropes of the Association until she was managing it. “I can’t imagine doing anything else,” Jan says. “This is all the fun and excitement of retail but the income stays in our park to fund great projects. What could be better?”
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Page 3 and 4: Youth Conservation Program 2006 Ima
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Page 11 and 12: Mr. & Mrs. Richard Vaughan Mr. & Mr

Winter nwsltr06_6 - Grand Teton National Park Foundation

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