HOTEL GUEST
$2.00 off a regular admission
Coupon valid for admission discount up to four adults. May not be combined with other offers or discounts. Expires 12/31/11
COUPONS Check out our new interactive Vampire Gallery!
Just North of the Square Ripley Trademarks owned by Ripley’s Believe It or Not Inc.
Savings for your stay in Jackson Hole
215781
Top rated
Yellowstone & Grand Teton
WILDLIFE & PARK TOURS
$25 OFF your total tour cost
ECOTOUR Adventures
Coupon valid up to four adults. May not be combined with any other offers or discounts. Coupon expires: 9/30/11
Wilderness. Connection. Sustainability
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(307)690-9533 jhecotouradventures.coM
Please proof and call Karen at 739-9541 or return via Fax at 733-2138. Thanks!
Open Daily 9AM – 5PM 14 Galleries • Museum Shop • Children’s Discover Gallery Rising Sage Café Open Daily • 307-733-5771 • WildlifeArt.org
PDF PROOF?
MUSEUM HISTORICAL SOCIETY &
Our Heritage Grand and Alive!
10% off
merchandise
Celebrating five decades of music-making in the Tetons!
July 2–August 20, 2011
FirsT-Time TiCkeT buyers: receive 50% off your concert ticket! Pick up a concert schedule at the Walk Festival Hall ticket office in Teton Village or visit our website. Redeem coupon at ticket office 30 minutes prior to concert. Call for availability, some restrictions apply. July 2 Gala not included. 99999
307-733-1128 • www.gtmf.org
at the museum store with paid admission. Must present coupon.
Jackson Hole, Trappers, Dude Ranchers, Homesteaders, Adventurers and Characters!
225 North Cache • 307-733-2414 www.jacksonholehistory.org
191053
TOWN OF JACKSON
3
6 k
Gill Ave.
ree tC
7
Eagle Village 4 Shopping Plaza
Center St.
Deloney Ave.
Pearl Ave.
SimpsonAve.
Cody
Willow St.
King St. Cache Dr.
Glenwood St.
Millward St.
E. Broadway
5
Ln.
2 West Village Dr.
McCollister Dr.
ve. gA Kin ow n S
1
TETON VILLAGE
Virginian Ln.
Scott Ln.
lo W ay Buffa
Meadowlark Ln.
Powederhorn Ln.
dway W. Broa
Flat C reek Dr.
To Teton Village
Maple Way
Mercill Ave.
Fla
1. Ripley’s Believe It or Not 2. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort 3. National Museum of Wildlife Art 4. Jackson Hole Buffalo Meat Co. 5. Grand Teton Music Festival 6. Jackson Hole Historical Society & Museum 7. Jackson Hole Playhouse
Jackson St.
Hwy 390 • See Inset Map
ADVERTISER DIRECTORY
Walk Festival Hall
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Aerial Tram Village Dr.
Village Dr.
Teton Village Rd.
A quick guide to Jackson Hole’s wildlife By Cory Hatch
Local entertainment music
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& art Read
in this issue of the Jackson Hole News&Guide.
Created in the forge of a supervolcano, then tempered for millennia by vast glaciers, the mountains, valleys, lakes and rivers that form Greater Yellowstone remain an unspoiled sanctuary for the lower 48’s most spectacular wildlife. Since the return of wolves to the region in the mid-1990s, scientists consider the ecosystem complete, with a full compliment of predators and prey intertwined in a balance that existed 8,000 years before Europeans set foot on the continent. At the heart of that ecosystem, Jackson Hole boasts a wide variety of wildlife-viewing opportunities — if you know where to look. Some of these animals, such as elk, bison, pronghorn, deer and moose, are easily found roaming near roadsides in and around Grand Teton National Park. Others, such as grizzly bears, black bears and bald eagles are common but can be elusive. Wolves tend to keep a low profile — even locals cherish a sighting — but can put on an amazing show for a patient observer. For those who want a guided tour, many wildlife expedition and scenic float trip companies take visitors to the hot spots, providing in-depth knowledge about the animals’ life histories that makes the experience all the richer. Here are some of Jackson Hole’s best wildlife watching spots: Oxbow Bend: Located between Moran Junction and Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park, this rich mixture of river and forest provides habitat for grizzly bears, moose, elk, swans, pelicans, river otters, bald eagles, osprey and sandhill cranes. The Gros Ventre River corridor/Mormon Row/Antelope Flats Road: Perhaps the best way to find large ungulates is by turning East at the Gros Ventre Junction and heading toward Kelly. This
stretch of the Gros Ventre River corridor is home to bison, elk, moose, pronghorn antelope, beaver, deer and a wide variety of raptors, include bald eagles and osprey. The Moose-Wilson Road: Between Teton Village and Moose, the Moose-Wilson Road is known as particularly good habitat for moose, deer and, when berries are ripe in the fall, black bears and grizzly bears. Raptors, including owls, are also present. Elk Ranch: These open fields on the way to Moran boast a wide variety of species including elk, bison, pronghorn, coyotes and wolves. Go a little further north to find moose, bald eagles and otters in the willows. Blacktail Ponds Overlook/Schwabacher Road: For wetlands enthusiasts, the Blacktail Ponds Overlook and Schwabacher Road, both just north of Moose, are home to species that love the water. Beavers, wading birds, waterfowl, bald eagles and osprey are plentiful. Foxes, deer and grizzly bears can also make an appearance. Newcomers to Jackson Hole learn quickly that wildlife deserve respect and, more importantly, space. Many pose a very real danger to human life and property if an overenthusiastic wildlife watcher gets too close or tries to give them food. Obeying food storage regulations is particularly important for grizzly bears and black bears. Once these voracious omnivores get a taste of human food, they rarely relent. Hence the phrase, “A fed bear is a dead bear.” Carrying bear pepper spray is always prudent in the Jackson Hole backcountry. Bison and moose are also dangerous, particularly for people who get too close to them or their offspring. But the most dangerous species out there is you. Hundreds of animals die along Jackson Hole’s roadways every year in animal-vehicle collisions. Paying close attention to the roadsides, especially at dawn and dusk, can prevent such accidents. For many ungulate species, the warmer months are a race to pack on as many pounds as possible before winter once again grips the region. Any disturbance of these animals can mean valuable calories lost, jeopardizing their survival or next year’s offspring.