Friends of the Bridger-Teton

At 3.4 million acres, the Bridger-Teton National Forest is the single largest piece of public land in the 15 million-plus-acre Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (It’s more than 1 million acres bigger than Yellowstone National Park!) and it is where most of us recreate on a daily basis. Cache Creek, Teton Pass, Munger Mountain, Snow King and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort are all on the Bridger-Teton.

“I feel lucky to ski, climb, trail run and adventure on the BTNF,” says Jackson-based professional skier and mountain athlete Madison Ostergren. “The Bridger-Teton National Forest is so vast, but so accessible.”

Friends of the Bridger-Teton promotes and facilitates responsible recreation on this amazing landscape so that we can all enjoy the forest’s diversity and wealth of resources now and into the future.

Friends of the Bridger-Teton’s most visible and impactful work is its Ambassadors for Responsible Recreation. Through this program, dozens of dedicated USDA Forest Service volunteers and employees educate visitors and locals about recreating responsibly and how to safely and respectfully watch and photograph wildlife; staff desks at area visitor centers; monitor campgrounds; patrol popular trails and trailheads; and help recycle bear spray, among other duties.

Over the past several summers, Campground Ambassadors — stationed at popular spots such as Curtis Canyon, Shadow Mountain, and Toppings/Spread Creek — have extinguished more than 300 abandoned campfires, any of which could have become a wildfire like the human-caused Green Knoll fire that burned 4,500 acres of the Bridger-Teton south of Wilson in 2001. Campground ambassadors have also secured hundreds of attractants that could have led to human-bear conflicts.

“There is no question Ambassadors have made a significant impact in preserving the forest’s resources,” says Linda Merigliano, the Bridger-Teton's wilderness and recreation manager.

Friends of the Bridger-Teton has also made possible the installation of more than 200 steel fire rings, vault toilets and bear-proof trash canisters at popular designated and dispersed camping areas.

Although FBT was founded in 2019, it was a 2022 $1 million grant from the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board that allowed it to step up its work. Earlier this month, the Tourism Board showed its belief in FBT’s work by granting the nonprofit an additional $750,000. “These grants are the primary reasons that we’ve been able to help the forest as much as we have,” FBT Executive Director Scott Kosiba says.

Krista Novak, owner

And Empowerment

Grand Aesthetics

988 S Highway 89, Suite 1 | Jackson, WY | 307-413-0230

GrandAestheticsJH.com

After 20 years as a nurse practitioner in orthopedic surgery, Krista Novak was ready for a change. “I wanted more for myself and my family, I felt owning my own business would give me the flexibility I desired.” She also realized when looking around “that most medical spa services were offered in a medical office environment.” She wanted to provide more of a spa experience for clients seeking beauty treatments. “I want to make it easy for clients to book online, and offer a relaxing boutique experience.”

In 2020 Novak opened Grand Aesthetics with the goal of creating a relaxed environment for beauty. Her services include injectables (Botox and Jeuveau), laser treatments, including laser hair removal, tattoo removal and IPL (age spot remover). She also offers micro needling, skin care consults, and IV micronutrient therapy.

These services aim to help people feel beautiful, confident and empowered in their own skin while also feeling they are in a spa rather than a medical or hospital setting.

Novak has made it a priority to keep up to date on practices and procedures to ensure she provides the best care possible to her patients.

“Since founding Grand Aesthetics it has been my goal to further educate myself by attending conferences and trainings specifically focusing on the services I provide,” she said. “I want to always be able to confidently provide the most up to date treatments for my clients. Attending conferences also allows me to network with some of the nation's most experienced providers.”

Grand Aesthetics' most popular treatment is Botox and hair removal. “Fillers are my favorite treatment to provide, because there is an instant transformation,” she said. Becoming a business owner has been a rewarding experience for Krista Novak. What makes her most excited “is when I have built a trusting relationship with my client and they are happy with their results.”

If you are interested in services offered by Grand Aesthetics or want to book an appointment you can contact Novak on her website, www.grandaestheticsjh.com or through her email, grandaestheticsjh@yahoo.com.

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