Teton Valley Magazine Summer 2023

Llama Trekking

our top agents look forward to assisting you in getting the most out of your real estate experience

Whether you’re buying or selling, upgrading or downsizing, the most important decision is to find the right real estate agent to be your guide. The team at Coldwell Banker Mountain Properties has deep roots in the community, a love for the area and a commitment to excellence that will exceed your expectations. With proven Teton Valley real estate expertise, our team is here to help guide you home.

Chad Horrocks, MD

Erin Prissel, MD

Nathan Levanger, DO

Travis Riddell, MD

Anna Gunderson, PA-C

Anne O’Malley-Neuhaus, FNP-BC

Dave Saurman, PA-C

Eric Baler, PA-C

Janene Witherite, PA-C

Jacob Moss, MD

Steve Beebe, MD

Kristen Coburn, C-FNP

Troy Weston, PA-C

Sandra Woolstenhulme, DNP-FNP

Life in the Tetons can often be synonymous with all-thingswild. Our wild terrain, wild seasons, or even wildflowers (more on this later)—it’s all just a bit untamed yet remarkable. But here in Teton Valley, we like it that way. If you were around this past winter, you may agree that “wild” is one of the more fitting words to sum up the unruly, snowpacked six months that delighted skiers and snowboarders and tested all of our shovels, snowblowers, and plows. Read Tom Hallberg’s feature exploring the changes in our water cycle (page 68) to learn why we needed all that moisture and then some to start catching up from years of drought.

This latest issue of Teton Valley Magazine celebrates the wild and wonderful parts of the summer season. Some of the stories capture the untamed and sporadic beauty of what follows the spring thaw. Take Lara Agnew’s stunning wildflower photo essay (page 76). I have no doubt you will find yourself transfixed with each brilliantly vibrant photo and feel pulled to go discover them for yourself, high in the mountains or within the valley meadows. Let this photo essay be your guide! Liz Onufer shares a snapshot of three valley residents’ journeys to tame the wild by way of mustang adoption (page 60). Then there are backcountry trips with llamas, a look at the wonders awaiting at the climber’s paradise City of Rocks, and a profile on two hunting outfitters bringing an old-world tradition to the

There is also the type of wild that stems from inspiration, a wild hair. The individuals profiled in this issue seem to all be driven by the motivation to forge their own way. Take Vern Woolstenhulme (page 92), who relocates houses, not just to a new spot down the road (He’ll do that, too!), but over mountain passes and across state lines. Often, he works alongside the nonprofit Shacks on Racks, which works to save homes from the landfill by relocation and provide more affordable housing options. Or take local entrepreneur Juan Morales (page 40). He turned his bold ideas into two successful businesses with ambitions to scale big. And a growing list of celebrated artists that now call the valley home are breathing new life into the local art scene and forging a pathway for their industry to thrive in the Tetons, while packing the calendar with events like their inaugural arts festival happening in September (page 82). Being a working artist in Teton Valley may not be

So, here’s to a wild and wonderful summer ahead. May you Teton Valley Magazine

publisher + editor in chief

Kate Hull

kate@powdermountainpress.com

publisher + art director

Sage Hibberd

sage@powdermountainpress.com

sales manager

Jessica Pozzi jessica@powdermountainpress.com

publisher emeritus

Nancy McCullough-McCoy

editor at large

Michael McCoy

design advisor

Linda Grimm

graphic designer

Dave Stein

contributors

GEARUPAND GETOUT

Molly Absolon

Lara Agnew

Judy Allen

Ryan Ariano

Natalie Behring

Jeannette Boner

Camrin Dengel

Ryan Dorgan

Cody Downard

Julie Ellison

P.M. Fadden

Tom Hallberg

Chase Krumholz

Julie Martin

Liz Onufer

Christina Shepherd McGuire

Kristen Pope

Lara Agnew

As a visual storyteller, Lara (Summer Gone Wild, page 76) is drawn to stories of people and places. Her work is deeply influenced by her curiosity and appreciation of the natural world, humans, and connection. When not behind the lens, you can find her tending her garden, curling up with a book, recreating outside with loved ones, or seeking out a new recipe or song. If you’re wondering whether or not you should share your favorite joke with her—you definitely should. She lives in Teton Valley with her family.

Cody Downard

Cody (Art Scene Surge, page 82) grew up outside Eureka, Kansas. After graduating from Kansas State University with a degree in park and natural resource management, he moved to the Rocky Mountains. While working as a ranger in Yellowstone, Cody’s love for nature inspired his photography. His hobby became his career when he moved to Vail in 1999. A resident of Victor since 2013, Cody photographs nature, outdoor sports, weddings, and more. He enjoys mountain biking, Nordic skiing, fly fishing, paddle boarding, and hiking. In winters, he and his wife Colleen own Teton Pines Nordic Center in Jackson Hole.

Julie Martin

Liz Onufer

Liz (Into Our Herds and Hearts, page 60) has been exploring the Tetons since 1998. Her preferred methods of travel include foot, horse, raft, and motorcycle. While she’d rather be in the mountains and on the rivers, Liz pays the bills by working as a learning and development consultant, trainer, and freelance writer. After her most recent interviews with locals who have gentled wild mustangs, she promptly went out and adopted one for herself. She is excited to start exploring her favorite spots this summer with her new best friend, Beau the wild mustang.

Kristen Pope

Julie (Into Our Herds and Hearts, page 60) studied photography and art at Auburn University. She moved to Jackson in 1995 to work at Riddell Advertising. In 2004, she and Tess Kirkwood Martinek started OPEN Creative Communications. In 2009 Julie helped create HAPI Trails Horse Adoption Program Inc. Her love of horses brought back her love of photography. She shoots for OPEN Creative and freelances for events, publications, and nonprofits. When she is not helping horses or creating, she spends time with her twenty-six critters: pigs, goats, chickens, horses, dogs, and cats.

Kristen (City of Rocks, page 100) is a Teton Valley-based freelance writer and editor who frequently writes about travel, outdoor adventure, science, conservation, wildlife, and astronomy, among other topics. She’s always on the lookout for opportunities to connect with nature, whether hiking in Japan, viewing penguins in Antarctica, or spotting moose while floating the river in her own backyard. Kristen writes about her adventures for a wide array of publications, including National Geographic, Smithsonian, Travel + Leisure, and many others. Read her latest articles at kepope. com/portfolio.

Ways to Play 30

Morning

SIT OUTSIDE with a latte and muffin at Rise Coffee House in Driggs—look for live music on weekends

ENJOY AN AMERICANO AND LOCAL BAKED TREATS from Victor’s French Press Coffeehouse

STOCK UP ON GEAR from WorldCast Anglers’ fly shop, then book your next fishing adventure

HIKE OR MOUNTAIN BIKE the South Horseshoe trails in the Big Hole Range west of Driggs

TAKE IN THE INCREDIBLE TALENT on display inside Teton Valley’s art galleries (more on page 82)

SAVOR BRUNCH of biscuits and poblano sausage gravy at Butter Cafe in Victor

SPOIL A GOOD WALK (as Mark Twain would say) by golfing at one of our three public courses

FLOAT YOUR CARES AWAY on the Teton River with a kayak rental from Teton River Supply or Wai Mauna

TAKE HOME FRESH CUT FLORALS from the farmers market on Fridays, June through September

PAMPER YOURSELF with a manicure and blowout at Victor’s Renew Salon & Spa

Midday

TAKE IN WORLD-CLASS orchestral performances at Jackson’s Grand Teton Music Festival

RENT A MOUNTAIN BIKE and brush up on your skills with a lesson from Grand Targhee Bike School

PACK A LUNCH of Victor Valley Market’s fresh deli sandwiches, then explore Teton Canyon

MUNCH ON FAJITAS and sip a wine margarita at Agave on Main Street in Driggs

DELVE INTO THE CHARACTER of the valley at the Teton Geo Center in Driggs

ORDER UP a hearty sandwich and homemade cookie at Figgie’s Deli & Market in Driggs

COOL OFF with a huckleberry shake from the Victor Emporium or lime freeze at Corner Drug in Driggs

HEAD OUT ON A HIKE at Grand Targhee and try to identify the vibrant wildflowers (more on page 76)

SAVE THE DATE for the Greater Yellowstone Crane Festival, September 20–23

SHOP FOR GARDENING SUPPLIES, florals, gifts, and more at MD Nursery located just south of Driggs

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

RELISH WESTERN HERITAGE at the Teton County Fair’s centennial celebration, August 4–12

ENJOY A POST-HIKE BEER or wine at Victor’s new hotspot, Refuge Taphouse on Main Street

CELEBRATE THE SEASON AND DANCE the night away on Thursdays at Music on Main in Victor

SIP A SAMPLE at Victor’s craft cidery, Highpoint Cider, then stick around for bingo or trivia night

SHARE A SPECIAL DINNER with family and friends at Linn Canyon Ranch

TOAST THE DAY with a brew and farm-inspired meal at Citizen 33 in Driggs (more on page 28)

KICK OFF HAPPY HOUR at Grand Teton Brewery and enjoy burgers on the lawn from Otto’s Kitchen

HOOT AND HOLLER for the cowboys and cowgirls at the Friday evening Teton Valley Rodeo

HANG WITH THE LOCALS at the Royal Wolf (more on page 110) where “snow sagas and fish tales are told nightly”

ENJOY LIVE MUSIC over cocktails at the Tetonia Club or Victor’s Knotty Pine Supper Club

Teton Yoga Festival

WHEN THEY SET OUT to create a meaningful and intimate retreat for the community, Teton Yoga Festival founders Crystal Borup and Sea Marie Biladeau knew they wanted to make an impact locally and globally while also creating a space to dive deeper into the practice of yoga. The culmination of their planning is the inaugural Teton Yoga Festival, a threeday event featuring classes, workshops, lectures, music, and dance to be held late this summer from September 8 through 10 at Moose Creek Ranch.

TETON VALLEY IS ROOTED IN AGRICULTURE. From potato growers and ranchers to dairy operations and small organic farms, the tradition of working the land runs deep. And no event better celebrates or brings together this agricultural community than the Teton County Fair. This summer, August 4 through 12, marks the centennial celebration of this western heritage tradition, and it’s going to be worthy of a blue ribbon.

“One hundred years ago, more than 2,700 people attended the first Teton County Fair,” says Hallie Poirier, Teton County Fairgrounds administrator. “More than five hundred exhibits were displayed and many so impressive some thought they were imported.”

A century later, the community still gathers each harvest season to celebrate the

talents and labor of our farmers, producers, bakers, and more. The fair showcases a broad range of products, from pies, jams, and baked goods to award-winning quilts and the cream of the season’s crop.

Spanning nine days and featuring 4-H livestock shows and sales, pig wrangling, cowboy-mounted shooters, Figure 8 races, a horse pull, 4-H and open class exhibits, and Teton Heritage Day celebrations, Hallie says the fair lives up to its theme of “Bring Your Best.”

“It is always our goal to produce an exceptional and memorable experience for everyone,” she says. “The fair draws competitors and spectators from all demographics throughout the region.”

For more details and the fair schedule, visit tetoncountyfairgrounds.com/tvfair.

From teachers and presenters to vendors and pop-up restaurants featuring the products of local farms, the organizers say each aspect of the festival will be an opportunity to connect to the planet and each other. Presenters and teachers include yoga teacher, author, and earth advocate Amy Ippoliti and celebrated instructor Gabriel Juzon, among others. The festival organizers are also committed to making an additional impact by donating a portion of proceeds to the local nonprofit Mountain Roots Education, which focuses on bringing gardens and greenhouses into schools, while educating students about sustainable living.

Find tickets and more information at tetonyogafestival.com.

People Spread Love

HEATHER DEVINE, a Victor resident and founder and executive director of the nonprofit People Spread Love, says she believes the opportunity to share love with others is the most important thing there is. The idea behind her nonprofit is simple: empower community members to write notes of love to individuals facing adversity.

So, how does it work? Visit peoplespread love.com to submit a “love request” for someone you know who may need a little extra support or kindness. Then, a love ambassador will send a card. People Spread Love also hosts public Meet & Make events in Driggs and Victor available to anyone who wants to come make a card, find community, and connect.

any one person. The energy can be harnessed by anyone who recognizes the power of this work,” she says.

Send a love request, get involved, and show a little extra love wherever you can.

“I have seen the impact this work has made on the community,” Heather says.

“I receive letters and emails from love recipients wanting to return the love. There is something to these simple acts of kindness and I am sticking around for it.”

“Teton Valley is no exception; all communities can use more love in their lives,” Heather says. “There is so much divisiveness and disconnection made visible and a simple recognition of someone else’s adversity can soften hearts and bring love back into the forefront.”

Can’t make it to a scheduled event? Heather says they encourage volunteers to take it upon themselves to host their own events. “It needn’t be reliant upon

YES, THAT’S THE CORRECT WORD: It’s Pickleheads. This is the name given to enthusiasts of America’s fastest growing sport, pickleball. A cross between ping pong, badminton, and tennis, this muchloved sport is played by nearly 37 million athletes across the country, and Teton Valley is no exception. Grab a paddle, a partner, and hit the courts.

Where to play:

• Pickleball courts are located at Primrose and Buxton Avenues, just north of the Courthouse in Driggs.

• Open play is held throughout the summer. Visit Teton Valley Pickleball on Facebook for the schedule.

What’s On Tap

Teton Valley is home to some of the best local brews and pours around. Toast a day well spent at these favorite spots:

Grand Teton Brewing

430 OLD JACKSON HIGHWAY, VICTOR

New this summer, their food truck Otto’s Kitchen offers burgers and salads perfectly paired with award-

Refuge Taphouse

2 NORTH MAIN STREET, VICTOR

The draft list is ever-changing. Ask your bartender for a recommendation or seek out something unique.

Wildlife Brewing

145 SOUTH MAIN STREET, VICTOR

What’s better than pizza and a frosty pint? Munch on a pie and wash it down with Mighty Bison Brown Ale.

Citizen 33 Brewery & Restaurant

364 NORTH MAIN STREET, DRIGGS

Sip a 33 Locals Lager and enjoy farm-to-table creations from chef Johnny Darkhorse (more on page 28).

Teton Tiger Taproom

18 NORTH MAIN STREET, DRIGGS

From the team at Teton Thai, enjoy house-brewed beer and dishes from Teton Tiger

Darkhorse for the Win

BY CHRISTINA SHEPHERD MCGUIRE PHOTOGRAPHY BY LARA AGNEW

One local chef makes a difference for farmers

“Small

local farmers love the work they do, but many are getting by on thin margins,” says Erika Eschholz, co-owner and farmer at Teton Full Circle Farm. “It can be a delicate balance.”

Erika, who runs the farm with her husband Ken Michael, explains the majority of the profit small farmers make is often used to hire more employees or create improvements on the farm.

“A profitable season is the difference between investing in more staff or a better processing area, building animal shelters, increasing greenhouse crops, enlarging root cellar storage, purchasing better tools …. or not,” she says. “That said, it can be discouraging to come home from a farmers market with loads of leftovers.”

Enter John Perry, also known as Johnny Darkhorse. A seasoned chef, Johnny started Chops Eats in Driggs in 2016. Chops was a popular street food stand that featured mouthwatering sandwiches, foraged-morel mac and cheese, and specials embellished seasonally with farm- and ranch-fresh finds.

Johnny made it his business to purchase farmers market leftovers from Teton Valley’s small farms, an effort that started back when he was the head chef at the Knotty Pine in Victor.

“I’d stop in the [Knotty Pine] kitchen on the way home from the market with crates of veggies,” says Erika. “Johnny would look through it, taste a leaf or two, flash a smile and say, ‘I’ll take it all.’

Phew! It was such a relief to not have to return to the farm with stacks of leftover veggies and nowhere to sell them.”

Today, as head chef at Citizen 33 in Driggs, Johnny continues the tradition of sourcing the produce featured in the restaurant’s dishes from leftover farmers market goods.

“I don’t go to the market,” says Johnny. “The market comes to me!”

Any given summer Friday around 2:15pm is a “full-on scene” at Citizen 33. Sometimes, four or five farmers show up simultaneously with loads of goods looking for a home. And it’s not just market leftovers that Johnny purchases. He also takes summer crop surpluses and decorative flowers from growers like Teton Full Circle Farm, Canewater Farm, Easy Acres, Sweet Hollow Farm, Mountain Valley Mushrooms, and Morning Dew Mushrooms. Josh Arthur from Foraging Farmers occasionally stops by as well, with ripe pickings—like morels or chanterelles—from the forest.

“One afternoon there were five different local farmers selling Johnny their goods—all at the same time,” remembers Erika. “Johnny knows the difference he is making. He knows how hard it is to run a small business, and he knows what it’s like to grow food in

ERIKA ESCHHOLZ AND KEN MICHAEL have sold their farmers market surplus to Johnny. Such symbiotic relationships help ensure the market is profitable and Johnny’s dishes utilize local goods.

CITIZEN 33 head chef Johnny Darkhorse (center) creates farm-inspired inventive dishes alongside his team, from left to right, the late Thomas George, Ali Can Ünlü, Hamza Aslan, Max Hales, and Nate Beck.

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the valley. It’s a symbiotic relationship.”

For Johnny, using the weekly farm surplus requires a level of spontaneity in the kitchen, a skill for which he has a particular knack. He tag-teams the creative process with Citizen’s sous chef, Nate Beck. And if someone else on his staff has a creative idea? “If it works, we’ll rock it,” he says.

Lisa Hanley, co-owner of Citizen 33, says Johnny’s creativity is part of what makes Citizen 33 special.

“Johnny is extremely creative using all the ingredients available in the current season,” she says. “It’s fun to see his creative twists on comfort food. You don’t always expect to come into a brewery and find beautiful local veggies turned into a sandwich, salad, or shaved veggie sauté.”

In preparation for the weekend, Johnny shows up and makes sure his crew is set and ready for the evening.

“Then I need to improv with what’s coming in,” he says. “Turnip kimchi or purple potato mash? … Drunken ragout? Then, it goes something like this: The kimchi tops the pork sandwich … The mushroom sauce goes on local lamb …” Johnny often combines farm produce with local beef from Crowfoot J Ranch & Meats and lamb and goat from Thistle Brook Farm. Diners can expect to delve into tasty entrees like longhorn tenderloin or lamb chops with a potato mash, or toppings like a sunflower herb pesto made with local kale, spinach, and mint. And he doesn’t leave out the latest fruit crop, either, incorporating desserts like grilled peaches with ice cream, cinnamon, and sugar. A peach chutney will sometimes find itself atop a local pork roast, too.

Then there are the accoutrements— the restaurant’s Bonfire and Ghost Blister hot sauces are made seasonally with local chilies; pickled veggie sides feature local cucumbers and carrots; and the signature apple slaw for the restaurant’s famous fish and chips is made, seasonally, with Idaho apples and local cabbage.

On summer nights, Citizen’s dry erase board features the farms that contributed to the evening’s specials. Prior to that, the waitstaff huddles around at 4pm for a quick review about what’s on tap.

“From the beginning our vision has been about community; that’s how

“Johnny knows the difference he is making. He knows what it’s like to grow food in the valley. It’s a symbiotic relationship.”

Erika Eschholz, Co-Owner and Farmer

the name Citizen 33 came about,” Lisa says. “It’s for the people. We wanted our beers to be focused with Idaho ingredi ents and it makes sense to use as many local ingredients for our menu as pos sible as well. It’s important to support the people and culture right here in our community.”

And it goes in the other direction, as well.

All summer long, farmers pick up the restaurant’s food waste (like un eaten French fries and lettuce butts) to feed their goats, pigs, and chickens. The food that was carefully grown, lovingly prepared, and then left over completes its cycle in the system, making a meal purchased at Citizen 33 a sustainable gesture in community health.

Offering local food and participating in this movement is nonnegotiable for Johnny. It represents his commitment to his friends, the environment, and the ecosystem—something he’s proud of.

“There’s a lot of blood on your hands in the restaurant industry,” he says. “There’s waste and packaging.

Whatever I can do to swing the weight makes a difference.”

In the farm world, Erika considers Johnny an anomaly, blending the best aspects of selling wholesale (growing large quantities and knowing someone will buy it) and retail (communicating with customers about their different tastes and preferences).

“Johnny doesn’t select tons of one or two crops from a list, nor does he request only the most sought-after crops,” Erika says. “His wheels are turning when he looks at what’s available in a given week, knowing full well that some of the crops that don’t get attention at the market are often the most flavorful. Johnny is an extremely creative chef and turns whatever lands in his kitchen into delicious, often unexpected dishes.”

Johnny’s Cucumber Kimchi

5 strip-peeled cucumbers, sliced

1 large carrot, peeled and shredded

1 large white onion, half-julienned

1 tbs garlic, minced

1 tbs ginger mined

1 tbs Sambal (Indonesian chili paste)

¾ c sugar

1½ tsp salt

1 tsp Korean chili flakes

1 c rice vinegar

1 tbs fish sauce

2 c Citizen’s Obsession IPA 1½ c hot wa ter (to melt sugar)

Step 1 Combine all ingredients in a large glass container (½-gallon Mason jars work well).

Step 2 Mix thoroughly.

Step 3 Rubber band a piece of cheesecloth to the mouth of the jar.

Step 4 Lea ve out overnight.

Step 5 Place in the refrigera tor, with a lid on, and continue to enjoy for 2 to 3 weeks.

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BY KATE HULL PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATALIE BEHRING

Teton Valley Aquatics

Building community through water

Once the snow melts, access to water recreation is abundant in and around Teton Valley. Teton River, Palisades Reservoir, Packsaddle Lake, the Snake River, Jenny Lake; the list goes on.

What hasn’t been readily available, however, is access to public swim lessons and aquatic programming. Teton Valley Aquatics is changing that.

Teton Valley Aquatics was formed in 2016 in response to the 2014 Teton County Recreation Master Plan. Feedback indicated a community desire to one day have an indoor swimming facility that provides year-round aquatic programming.

In the seven years since, the nonprofit has made big strokes toward making indoor water access a reality for the valley, including completing a feasibility study, securing land with the City of Driggs, and, as of this spring, starting the conceptional design process to finalize construction and operating costs. The nonprofit’s mission, however, goes beyond designing, fundraising, and constructing the facility. Teton Valley Aquatics is also providing outdoor summer aquatics programming thanks to their above ground pool in the Driggs City Park.

“Water is for everyone,” says Stacy Stamm, executive director of the nonprofit. “It makes everyone happier. That is our goal: to improve the community through water.”

Stacy describes Teton Valley Aquatics as having two pillars: Working toward building a year-round facility and providing summer programming. At press time, the facility prong of her two-pillars focus was in the conceptual

design phase. “The request for proposal went out this spring,” she says, explaining that during this phase, they will develop a schematic layout driven by operational cost estimates.

“We will work with an architecture firm to learn how much it will cost to build a pool of this size and this structure, with these types of facilities attached to it, and get really accurate operation costs and really accurate construction costs, as well as a general layout,” Stacy says.

In the coming months, Stacy, the board of directors, and stakeholders will begin involving the community to get details hashed out and start a capital campaign.

“Then, we can talk to the community about what amenities they want to include and have real costs attached to those operating amenities,” she says. The conceptual design will help them decide if each proposed amenity is a value add to the community, as well as if they will be able to fund it. The funding, Stacy says, is a private-public partnership.

While the exact numbers are still to come, what Stacy and her board do know is that the cost to run a pool isn’t just a drop in the bucket. That is where the second pillar of Teton Valley Aquatics comes in: Growing enthusiasm through summer programming. “I think of this as supporting that first tier—it is not separate,” Stacy says. “Everything

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STACY STAMM hopes the above ground pool in Driggs will continue to foster enthusiasm for constructing an indoor facility, while also promoting water safety for the community.

TETON VALLEY AQUATICS works to foster a healthier community through the power of water. To meet this mission, the nonprofit has a two-pronged approach: working toward constructing a year-round pool facility and providing summer programming.

“I am grateful that my two young kids won’t miss out on developing a life skill that can bring so much joy in so many ways.”

Milligan

we do here is getting people excited for

From early June through late August, Teton Aquatics runs an above ground pool in Driggs City Park that offers a packed calendar of swimming programs for all ages, available at an ap-

“Living in a valley where there isn’t much access to swimming opportunities and swimming instruction, I am grateful won’t miss out on developing a life skill that can bring so much joy in so many ways,” says Miranda Milligan. Both of her young boys, Rowan, age seven, and Bridger, age four, have advanced their swimming skills thanks to the children’s group swim lessons.

Beyond child-focused programs, adult pool activities include water aerobics, swim lessons, and the popular tethered swimming that allows swimmers to swim in a stationary position

The program, now in its third summer, was launched after a limited number of private swim programming offerings in the valley ended. So, Teton Valley Aquatics dove into meeting its mission with its own temporary pool.

“Participation has grown exponentially,” Stacy says. “The first year we had just over two hundred participants and last year it grew to 335.”

The level of classes continues to grow, as well. Teton Valley Aquatics

Miranda

TETON VALLEY AQUATICS’ above ground pool in Driggs City Park offers a robust calendar of infant, youth, and adult classes from early June through August.

“Water is for everyone. It makes everyone happier. That is our goal: to improve the community through water.”

Stacy Stamm, Executive Director, Teton Valley Aquatics

as advanced movements like the butterfly and flip turns. Instruction is based on the American Red Cross program.

While teaching advanced swimming helps encourage participation in water recreation, Stacy also notes that this helps a future need she knows she’ll be looking to fill: hiring lifeguards.

“I had an epiphany that we are hoping to open a pool in 2027 and our main staff for swim instructors and lifeguards—as with all pools—will be teenagers,” she says, laughing. “And we were not teaching swimmers beyond basic strokes.”

While teaching water safety, encouraging a love of water sports, and fostering enthusiasm for a pool are at the heart of Teton Valley Aquatics’ mission, Stacy points to water’s democratizing properties as a driver.

“Water is an equalizer,” she says. “It is for people who don’t like skiing or don’t have access to something else because of a disability. Water is healing. It really is for everyone.”

To

BY JUDY ALLEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY CODY DOWNARD

Man on the Move

Does Juan Morales ever sit down?

“I’m hyperactive by nature,” says Juan Morales. It’s a personal trait he recognized early on. As a prominent businessman and entrepreneur in Teton Valley, Juan is at the helm of two local companies: Naughty Fruit and Morales Home Made.

Both businesses are owned by Juan, but it’s a family affair. He works alongside his parents, Horacio and Rosa, and each business features delicious products reflecting their Mexican heritage.

Visit the Jackson Farmers Market on the Town Square and the Wednesday People’s Market and you’ll find the family serving fresh tamales, tacos, and salsa. Poke into groceries and gift shops on both sides of the Tetons—or anywhere in the intermountain region—and you’re apt to discover colorful packages of Naughty Fruit, Juan’s spiced, dried fruit inspiration reminiscent of the chilispiced citrus fruit found at markets in Mexico.

In addition to keeping both of these enterprises humming along, the Morales family does private catering with their taco truck, and Juan dips into his love of dancing with private salsa lessons. To say Juan stays busy is an understatement, and his mark on the Teton communities is ever-growing.

Boise State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in communication science. His tenure included a semester in France with a focus on business.

Moving back to Los Angeles, he worked by day as an apprentice to a construction engineer, and by night as an actor, model, and salsa dance instructor. “I learned the value of hard work and the grind,” he says.

Then, in his mid-twenties, Juan returned to the Tetons to help his family when his father sustained a back injury.

At that juncture, he made a life decision: “I quickly identified that I wanted to have more choices over my freedom.” Thus began the journey he now embraces with energy and passion. “I enjoy what I do for a living,” Juan says.

“Our lifestyle is based on what we do and this place we love to live in.”

Why tackle all these ventures? Juan’s life history yields some insight. He and his family moved from Mexico to the Los Angeles area when he was three years old. When he was twelve, Juan and family relocated to Jackson, and then to Victor, where he graduated from Teton High in 2004. Juan attended

Detailing a few days of a typical summer’s work week, Juan illustrates the rigors of charting his own course. Twelve to sixteen-hour days are the norm. Mondays begin with acquiring all the week’s raw ingredients for tamales, tacos, and Naughty Fruit (a perpetual production), then rounding up any permits or licenses required. Wednesdays involve prepping and loading for the People’s Market and private events. Weekends are the most demanding.

JUAN MORALES , owner of Naughty Fruit and Morales Home Made, creates spiced dried fruit, tacos, and tamales inspired by his Mexican heritage. When he’s not busy with both businesses, you might find him pursuing his other passion: salsa dancing.

Saturday begins in the wee hours— 1:30am to 2am—preparing tamales for the Jackson Farmers Market, where the count sold can reach 1,200 to 1,400. Customers value the fresh, hot tamales, which are never premade and reheated, Juan explains.

On an easy day, the family is home by 3pm. But most often, a private event, like a party or wedding in the region, keeps them out until 10pm or later. On Sunday, Rosa and Horacio set up at the Jackson High School soccer fields for La Liga, the adult soccer league games, where Morales Home Made sells shaved ice and spiced fruit cups. Juan takes over any private events, as well as maintaining output for Naughty Fruit. With all the prep, packaging, and shipping done in house, each week Juan processes somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 pounds of apples, pears, bananas, mangos, and pineapple. The attractive packages are sent throughout the U.S. and its territories. A year-round endeavor, Naughty Fruit ramps up during the holiday season, when Juan collects additional

“To contribute something tasty, healthy, and unique is definitely personal and a part of who you are; that’s where the love comes from.”

Juan Morales

Teton Valley food products to include in Naughty Fruit gift baskets sold locally and online.

Besides supporting himself and his family with his businesses, Juan values giving back to the community and sharing something bigger than himself. “To contribute something tasty, healthy, and unique is definitely personal and a part of who you are; that’s where the love comes from,” he says.

Juan also prioritizes Naughty Fruits’ environmental footprint: its packaging is biodegradable, and apples and

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Juan dishes out tacos; his parents, Horacio and Rosa, keep their calendar packed with catering throughout the Tetons; dehydrated and spiced snack Naughty Fruit is made in Teton Valley.

pears are sourced in Idaho. After processing, Juan delivers fruit scraps to a local farm for use as animal feed and compost.

In the rare instances when he’s not working, the self-described “hyperactive” Juan likes to unwind by dancing salsa. Favorite local spots include

Jackson’s Wort Hotel and The Rose. With a weekend off, Juan often heads to Boise where dance venues are abundant. When the markets and private events slow down, his parents, now at retirement age, head to Mexico for the winter. Juan sticks around Teton Valley to fill the burgeoning orders for Naughty Fruit.

Now in his mid-thirties, Juan is intent on growing Naughty Fruit to nationwide distribution and beyond. Last November, he was a recipient of Jackson nonprofit Silicon Couloir’s coveted People’s Choice award, a cash prize supporting local entrepreneurs. He envisions utilizing the award to find warehouse space and hire a couple of employees. He hopes to expand Whole Foods’ distribution of Naughty Fruit, which only the Jackson store currently carries.

But Juan is also achieving more balance. “I’ve learned to make time for family, friends, and food, for my wellbeing,” he says. “To stop, process, and connect, that’s when positive things happen.”

A man with a plan—and a characteristic sly grin—Juan urges all of us to “support local, eat local, and eat Naughty.”

language immersion offers a rich bilingual experience for young learners when their minds are developmentally best able to acquire a second language.

BOTH OF JUAN’S BUSINESSES allow him the freedom to control his schedule, while working alongside his family, pictured here. Both of which, he says, reflect his core values.

BY JEANNETTE BONER PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAMRIN DENGEL

Local farm sets sights on new ag ambitions Dusty Hound Farms

Walking the big open spaces along the north bench of Teton Valley—the Teton Range to the east and the Big Holes behind them, shaping the sky and ultimately the space underneath their feet—Amanda and Rebeca Nolan like to let their dogs run and run and run in the endless dirt and fields.

“We would come home and say, ‘Those are some dusty hounds,’” Rebeca says, laughing. “The name felt right.”

to do.” Now, they are working on their seventh growing season at Dusty Hound.

“The name also honors Amanda’s grandfather, Dick Hoopes, or D.H.,” Rebeca says. “The family was such a large part of the reason we decided to move. We didn’t think it was a possibility, this life. Neither of us were farmers, but they planted a seed in our head.”

Amanda’s family are longtime agricultural pioneers in the northern parts of Teton Valley. While the Hoopes family continued to grow grains and potatoes, Amanda grew up on the East Coast and visited the valley in the summers. In New York, she established a career and found Rebeca. Fast forward, and the two settled in and were carving out a successful life back East—Amanda as a dental lab technician and Rebeca as a project manager for a manufacturing and engineering company. Then, they wondered, could they?

Dusty Hound Farms was a leap, as they say, of faith, nurtured by family encouragement and grown through a community’s appetite for homegrown, sustainably produced food. The land has been cultivated by generations of Teton Valley growers whose roots are the foundation of Amanda’s family tree. And while the high-altitude farming tradition continues to give way to developing skylines and ski resort expansions, Amanda and Rebeca are leasing family plots, resowing the magic that Amanda remembers from her childhood visits.

“We were working such long hours that we had to pay someone to walk our dog,” Rebeca says of life in a faster lane. “What are we doing with our lives if we have to pay someone to walk our dog? We enjoyed our careers and were comfortable, but it wasn’t what we wanted

Many of Amanda’s family members have moved on from farming and ranching, save a few who still cut hay in the fall. But it’s not the kind of farming that the women are pursuing. To find support and mentorship, they have reached out beyond the boundaries of the valley to a niche agricultural community that has spurred them on while teaching them even more.

As a United States Army veteran, Rebeca tapped into the national Farmer Veteran Coalition. The program’s mission is to “Cultivate a new generation of farmers and food leaders and develop

REBECA AND AMANDA are raising Dorset and Polypay Targhee sheep on their farm, continuing a western tradition. National Geographic reported that by 1918, sheep outnumbered people in Idaho.

REBECA (LEFT) AND AMANDA NOLAN sit with their two hound dogs, to whom the name Dusty Hound Farms pays homage. After running through the fields, they’d say, “Those are some dusty hounds.” The name stuck.

of other founding board members.

viable employment and meaningful careers through the collaboration of the farming and military communities.”

Rebeca attended a national conference in California and from there has found endless support through the coalition, including mentorships and financial programs. While most states have coalitions where veterans can tap into programs, Idaho did not. Until recently. Rebeca was a founding board member, helping to establish the State of Idaho’s first Farmer Veteran Coalition. To date, she says, the new group has reached out to about three hundred veteran farmers in Idaho. They hope to develop the coalition into a cohesive group with the help of a handful

As the two growers round the corner of another spring season heading into the summer months, they are excited to cultivate another idea on the farm: Raising lambs.

“For the long term of the business, we will be transitioning out of produce,” Rebeca says.

Dusty Hound has grown a popular following at the Teton Valley Farmers Markets over the years, providing signature jams and preserves, honey and raw honeycombs, and seasonal produce.

Looking at the future of farming and the realities of climate change’s impacts on water and wildlife, coupled with vol atile supply chains, the decision to shift focus at Dusty Hound Farms did not come lightly. But it made sense.

For one thing, sheep demand less water, says Rebeca. Water is a golden commodity on any ranch or in any agri cultural production, but particularly in the area outside of Tetonia where they ranch and farm, known locally as the “dry farms.”

“Our entire model is not just about cost, but everything we do is related to growing,” Rebeca says. “We have this saying—we don’t want to do harm

Building Better Communities Together

the land and we want to be responsible in our practice. What you feed your livestock has costs, both financial and environmental costs.”

Where a cow may need a minimum of twenty gallons of water a day in peak summer, a sheep will likely need closer to six gallons. A sheep also uses what water it consumes more efficiently, Rebeca explains. The grass-fed lambs planned for Dusty Hound will graze on sustainably grown pastures. This is one more effort to keep chemicals not only away from the livestock, but away from the wildlife that also make their lives in and around the surrounding farmland.

“It’s fun being a farmer because you get to observe how wildlife reacts and lives around the property,” Rebeca says. “It’s interesting to know how you affect wildlife each time you change the landscape.”

They are planning to build a barn on the property in the next two years and will start with smaller flocks of lambs to get the program up and running. Rebeca knows the names of every lamb on the ground. In preparation for this year’s lamb harvest, she has been training with woolling shears to prepare the lambs for the butcher. Ideas regarding where the wool will go are still being hashed through. The women will raise Dorset sheep, a favorite Idaho breed, and Polypay Targhee ewes. According to the Livestock Conservatory, the Dorset is an “ancient breed” that originated in England and is famed for their extended breeding season. The Targhee breed was developed in Dubois, Idaho. You will find Amanda and Rebeca at the farmers market again this year with their honey and jams. You may, however, want to ask about the lamb. All orders, for now, will remain word of mouth.

Fowl Play

BY RYAN ARIANO

Old World tradition takes flight in the New West

Eight hunters move through the sun-dappled grass, brandishing double-barrel shotguns. Hunters are each assigned a peg, creating a line of guns. Loaders wait patiently alongside them, all eyes on the hill in front where beaters move the birds toward the standing gun line.

The dogs are behind the gun line with their handlers. Beaters move the birds on the hill in front of the guns, toward the flushing point. Suddenly the birds erupt into flight, colorful tails following speckled plumage and flapping wings in the sky. Hunters raise the shotguns toward the flush and fire, bringing down pheasant after pheasant. The sky clears and the dogs collect the brightly feathered bounty of a successful driven hunt.

No, this isn’t France’s Chateau de Villette. This is Teton Valley.

The Teton area is known as a hunting destination for big game and waterfowl. But the region is also home to a completely different hunting experience, a relative rarity in North America, but one that dates back centuries abroad. Two entities in Teton Valley offer their own unique version of an authentic experience replicating classic European-style driven bird hunting: sporting agent Blixt & Co., owned by Lars and Jennifer Magnusson, and private sports ranch Lazy Triple Creek Ranch, owned by Hank McKinnell.

Blixt & Co. honors the red-legged partridge and pheasant driven shoots in England and Spain with a goal of bringing these long-held traditions to the American West, alongside offering a prestigious game shooting teaching program. Lazy Triple Creek’s sport shooting offerings are anchored in a

reverence for a variety of styles, from world-class clay shooting courses and long-range rifle shooting to Europeanstyle driven shooting with Western sensibilities. They provide an intimate experience for families and groups to immerse themselves in the sport.

Both set in the majestic beauty of the Tetons, the two companies’ legacies intertwine. Blixt & Co. got its start at Lazy Triple Creek. Lars moved to Teton Valley in 2006 to be the shooting director of the ranch. He and Jennifer started Blixt & Co. in 2008. From 2009 to 2012, they held the sporting rights to lead driven shoots at Lazy Triple Creek. In 2012, Blixt & Co. moved to a new shooting estate. They now have four shooting properties. Afterwards, Lazy Triple Creek operated for some time as a private shooting club for the six Jackson Hole families who were the original owners. More recently, Hank, who was one of the co-owners, bought out the other owners and opened the ranch to guests looking for a unique experience.

The roots of this overseas hunting tradition are deep. In 1799, the Second Earl of Malmesbury was on a trip in Austria when he discovered a style of hunting where people beat birds toward the hunters. He brought this back to England where he’s now also credited with another historical milestone in bird hunting: naming what we know as

the Labrador retriever. This favorite dog is said to have first been bred in Newfoundland with water dogs and British hunting dogs and its name was coined by the Earl in a letter. This hunting companion can swim through rivers, flush out birds, and then retrieve them.

The combination of new dogs and a new hunt led to the explosion of upland bird hunting. It now evokes images of lords with double-barreled shotguns, which makes it so extraordinary here in the cowboy and cowgirl West.

Lazy Triple Creek Ranch

Lazy Triple Creek Ranch, located near Driggs and bordering the BridgerTeton National Forest to the east, oper-

for an intimate experience that Hank describes as combining luxury with Western hospitality.

“I want to keep the staff, ranch facilities, and equipment engaged to keep the property from declining,” he says.

The sumptuous rustic surroundings of the ranch make this bespoke hunting at its best. They provide the dogs and guns if you don’t have your own. And if you can’t hit a pheasant? The ranch has a collection of shooting stands and world class instructors to prepare you for a successful driven hunt.

“We have both an Olympic trap and an Olympic skeet field,” Hank says. “The most interesting is the fourteen-station clays course. Every station launches clays in different patterns.” Experts might shoot in the nineties, Hank says,

for families to come and experience the sport in an intimate setting. The lodge has nine bedrooms, and a ranch house down the hill offers an additional three bedrooms. Beyond driven hunts, Lazy Triple Creek offers big game hunting experiences, fly fishing and hunting weekends, and more.

Blixt & Co.

Meanwhile, Blixt & Co. has been running luxury European driven pheasant and partridge hunts for more than a decade.

Lars Magnusson, originally from a small village in southern Sweden, first got serious about shooting in 1993 before being recruited by London’s presti-

operation right here in Teton Valley.

“Lars’ history and background, as well as the landscape and culture of sporting life, allowed us to bring our vision and a new version of the sport to America,” Jennifer says. “And it’s home for us. We have been able to build this vision in a place that we love.”

“From the minute you arrive to the minute you leave... there is something that is inherently Old World and traditional.”

Jennifer Magnusson, Blixt & Co.

The

sumptuous rustic

surroundings of the ranch make this bespoke hunting at its best.

ates as an exclusive sporting retreat. An operating cattle ranch in the late 1800s, today the ranch welcomes families, groups, and other outdoor enthusiasts

but a good shooter will hit over sixty.

The challenge is in part thanks to the designer: the late Edward Watson.

Known as a legendary United Kingdom shooting estate designer, Edward served as director of shooting for the first year of European-style driven shooting at Lazy Triple Creek. In 2013, Steve Sorensen, who trained in Europe and has been with the ranch for two decades, then took over the role.

The nine-thousand-square-foot lodge is the perfect spot for a hunting getaway and Hank appreciates the draw

gious West London Shooting School. In 2003 he was recruited again to run the shooting school at Griffin & Howe in New Jersey then took over as shooting director at Lazy Triple Creek in 2006, where he met Jennifer. At the time, she was a marketing consultant for the ranch. The opportunity presented itself for the couple to take over the sporting rights and produce the shooting themselves. From there, Lars’ dream of producing driven shooting in North America took flight. Jennifer’s heritage as a Jackson Hole local landed their

Blixt & Co. has four estates where they produce shoots: Twin Peaks, Deadwood, Ash Hill, and Hestenbeck. The available land totals more than 5,000 acres. Jennifer explains that, rather than releasing birds on the day of the shoot, their pheasants are released early in the season, giving the birds a chance to become inherently wilder. A shoot captain hosts each drive, alongside an English game keeper, a personal loader, and a team of more than two dozen beaters and dog handlers.

“What I am most proud about is how we are taking this idea of an Old-World

The Teton Valley Music Alliance

craft and bringing it to Teton Valley and producing a day that would stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the best shooting places in the world,” Jennifer adds. Blixt & Co. offers clay shooting that begins in May and driven game shoots that start in August. With an accomplished instructor like Lars, its intensive clinics offer a lot.

“We have developed a series of clinics and workshops in the summer that people are flying in from all over the country to come and participate in,” says Jennifer. The program began with just a few weekends and has grown to two full months of course opportunities that attract people from across the globe to receive instruction from their crop of world class instructors.

“From the minute you arrive to the minute you leave, I am not going to say it feels like you are stepping back in time because it feels very now, but there is something that is inherently Old

Each ranch offers its own unique version of an authentic classic European-style driven bird hunting experience.

A GROUP OF HUNTERS pose with pheasants after a successful driven hunt at Lazy Triple Creek Ranch.

World and traditional,” Jennifer says. “It is the quality of what we are producing that really makes them come and return year after year. Those tales over dinner, those friendships are the rich quality that add to the experience.”

Whether organized by Blixt & Co. or Lazy Triple Creek Ranch, a driven hunt is an impressive symphony of guns, guides, dogs, and hunters. Try for a highly prized reservation at one of the valley’s hunting ranches and learn more at lazytriplecreek. com and blixtco.com

Teton Valley Rewards the Curious

There is so much to explore and enjoy in Teton Valley this summer.

Our remote, rural valley may take a little extra effort to navigate, but the rewards are great.

Summer is a celebrated and popular time of year in Teton Valley. Here are a few tips for navigating peak season, while being a great visitor:

• Be early, for everything. Whether it’s hitting the trail or park or going out to eat, get there early and you’ll be amply rewarded.

• Be self-sufficient. Carry water, snacks, extra clothing, and first aid supplies on your adventures.

• Be prepared. Start at the Geo Center, Forest Service office, and local outdoor shops and load up on maps, guidebooks, and local intel.

• Be patient, kind, and respectful of the people, animals, and ecosystem.

• Drive slowly. As we like to say, you didn’t come here to be in a hurry.

• Seek out local goods and be generous to the hardworking staff.

Book your stay now!

your visit.

Linda Swope

Into Our Herds and Hearts

BY

Teton Valley residents and their mustangs

LIZ ONUFER

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIE MARTIN

Like a loud, fast, airborne cowboy, the helicopter pilot swoops low across the dry, sage-covered rangeland, moving the wave of wild horses. Small bands of mustangs below the helicopter run toward the temporary chute in the middle of the barren landscape. As the horses near the chute, their movements synchronize—stallions, mares, foals, all galloping in the same direction. The wave of hooves and dust breaks at the end of the corral panels.

The horses are trapped. They spin, rear, kick—chaos contained by tall temporary corral panels while the helicopter hovers low, blocking their return to the rangeland. With only one direction for the horses to escape the pressure of the panels and the helicopter, they run, stumble, and leap through the wide opening and into the confines of the waiting stock trailer.

Multiple times a year across the West, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) performs these drive-trap gathers to reduce the number of free-roaming horses living on federal lands. An estimated eighty thousand mustangs currently live across the cumulative 26.9 million acres of herd management areas (HMAs). The goal is to attain more sustainable herd sizes that create a balance for all the demands on the range, including cattle ranching, recreationists, and energy development. The BLM has pegged the appropriate management level at a total of twenty-seven thousand horses—meaning there’s a surplus of

more than fifty thousand mustangs. With the horses’ lack of natural predators and high reproduction rate, along with competing demands for land use, the BLM wrestles with the management options for this mustang population.

For the mustangs removed from the range, their wild lives transition to a confined journey. After their capture, the horses are transported to a BLM holding facility where they are branded, vaccinated, and castrated in preparation for adoption. Today, the BLM holds more than fifty thousand mustangs in corrals awaiting adoption, and the number continues to grow with each gathering operation. Adoptions are nowhere near keeping pace with the removal numbers. The annual cost for these horses as wards of the BLM is $49 million.

Partnerships between the BLM and private organizations are working to address the challenges. Inmates at correctional facilities participate in training mustangs, 4-H students gentle yearlings to be auctioned at state fairs, and horse trainers take on the popular “Extreme Mustang Makeover” challenge, a competition with the Mustang Heritage Foundation to showcase the beauty, versatility, and trainability of American mustangs.

A number of Teton Valley residents have also joined in the mission to create a home and life for these mustangs. The once wild horses have become a part of many local herds and hearts. Here are just a few of their stories:

BRENDA DAVIS-MATZ GIVES OLLIE,

her large gray gelding mustang, a kiss. Brenda adopted Ollie in fall 2020.

The petite bay pinto mare stands quietly, her lead loosely tied to the hitching post at Linn Canyon Ranch. Braiden Klingler has just returned from guiding a trail ride on Rosey. He hoses her off on the hot summer afternoon as she keeps close watch with her glass-blue eyes.

The young mustang has recently started to guide trail rides. Five years ago, she was born in a BLM holding facility to a mare that was pregnant when gathered from the Divide Basin HMA northeast of Rock Springs, Wyoming. Braiden says mustangs from Divide Basin tend to have a larger body size. “Most of the Divide Basin horses are known to have bloodlines with traces of draft horse, also known as work horses,” he says, a trait he appreciates in his horses. Although born in captivity, Rosey’s wildness is still very present; the bloodlines of wild horses can be evident compared to other horses in their thicker coats, harder hooves, and heightened awareness.

Rosey’s training is progressing well under saddle, and Braiden is quick to say that he’s been lucky with what he’s got.

When he references “what he’s got,” he means the two mustangs he has owned through the 4-H BLM project. But ask others around Teton Valley, and they will tell you what Braiden has is more than luck with picking mustangs. Some recognize Braiden as the trick rider from the Teton Valley Rodeo, while others have met him through Linn Canyon Ranch. What the young man, born and raised in Teton Valley, “has got” is a kind and humble way with horses.

Braiden started training mustangs in 2015, still in high school, when his cousin suggested they do the BLM mustang project for their final year of 4-H. After spending the summer gentling his first yearling, which includes haltering, leading, and desensitizing, Braiden had the young mustang ready for the 4-H adoption event at the East Idaho State Fair. Braiden bid on his own horse, and Indie went back home with him.

Today, Rosey is Braiden’s second mustang. In 2018, after the tragic loss of Indie, Braiden returned to the East Idaho

State Fair and bid on the yearling trained by another 4-H student. He was the only one to bid on her.

Braiden spent the next year continuing ground work with Rosey. “The thing for me is building a connection between you and the horse at a young age,” he says. “You have to take the time to learn how they think and feed through their energy, that way you can build a stronger bond.” When it was time to saddle train her, the bond was solid, and the process was easy. “The first time I sat on her she just stood, never cared at all. She’s been super easy to work with,” Braiden says. Their training continues to progress with every trail ride. Braiden appreciates the mustang’s qualities for mountain trail riding; he notices they are less skittish than domesticated horses in the backcountry. But that doesn’t always mean it’s easy. While Braiden acknowledges that Rosey is hard working and learns quickly, she can be stubborn at times. His best training tip is one word—patience.

Standing in the scant shade of the shelter, the seven-year-old bay gelding swats flies with his tail. He chews casually on his hay in the heat of the afternoon. Mara Kingscott enters the pasture, and Arrow gives a look but stays put. Mara quietly slips the rope halter over the mustang’s head and gives him a quick rub on the forehead. Arrow was rounded up five years earlier from the Maverick Medicine HMA located fifty miles outside of Elko, Nevada. The young mustang was placed in the Teton County 4-H program. Like Braiden, the 4-H teen who gentled Arrow also adopted her own horse at the fair. The local family kept Arrow for a couple of years but did not continue his training. In the spring of 2020, the family offered the horse to Mara, and she couldn’t refuse. Mara never planned to get a mustang. She grew up in Michigan riding and showing English, but when she moved to Teton Valley, she grew more interested in Western performance horses. Even as an experienced rider, Mara’s training experi-

ence was limited, so when it came time for Arrow’s first ride, she handed over the reins to her roommate who was seasoned at starting colts. Mara says it “looked like so much fun” that she’s had every ride since. “We figured each other out,” she says. She has leaned on the Basic Handle method, popularized by the mustang trainer Wylene Wilson. Wylene has been a mentor to Mara as she works with Arrow to create a well-rounded horse.

Today, Mara and Arrow can often be found out riding in the mountains, but the pair also work cows and are learning to rope together. Last summer, they competed in an extreme obstacle course competition, completing twenty-one of the twenty-three obstacles in five and a half minutes, including a swinging bridge and an outhouse obstacle.

Mara’s experience with Arrow has been different than with the domesticated horses she has ridden her whole life. She echoes Braiden’s experience: Arrow is a lot more stubborn and asks “Why?” more than any other horse she’s owned.

Through this experience, she has also learned to ask “Why?” more, too. Arrow has to be convinced a bit more, so Mara makes sure it’s worth the energy to do what she is asking of him.

“He was sent to me as a challenge to teach me patience,” Mara says. She acknowledged that she has felt so much personal growth from the experience. “Anyone who thinks they’ve got a good handle on horse training should try a mustang. They will test you,” she adds, laughing. In addition to patience, Mara has learned that she is capable of a lot more than she thought she was. She’s been lucky to have good mentors. She’s learned to slow down and not be as focused on the results. She often reminds herself of Wylene’s saying: “Set intention; release expectation.” Many times, Mara questioned if Arrow would ever become a trustworthy horse. Last summer, a maturity clicked, and she feels a new understanding between them now. Working with Arrow is a daily reminder for Mara that it’s about the journey.

BRAIDEN & ROSEY

MARA & ARROW

Brenda Davis-Matz threw her leg over the large gray gelding for the first time and the unexpected rodeo ride of her life began. Despite her lifetime of riding horses, from racetrack Thoroughbreds to breaking horses, she had never felt this before. She knew before she even came down into the saddle—the powerful mustang’s back humped underneath her and then he rocketed. She experienced the raw power of a mustang that was unlike any other horse she’d ever ridden.

In the fall of 2020, when Brenda met the tall stocky mustang at Darwin Ranch, a remote and historic ranch nestled by an alpine river in the Gros Ventre Wilderness, she swore she had seen him before. A few years earlier, watching a handful of mustangs offload a trailer at the ranch, he stood out to her. The horse had just been purchased from a prison auction to be used as a dude horse for ranch guests. Fast forward a few years, the mustang was never put into the dude string, and it was time for

him to find a new owner. Brenda purchased the horse and began her lifelong goal of training a mustang.

Growing up in Kentucky, Brenda has been a horsewoman her whole life.

But in October 2020, this seven-year-old mustang from the Owyhee HMA in the Great Basin Desert of Nevada was about to introduce her to a level of horsepower she had never experienced. It was that first ride when Brenda realized she had nothing over this mustang. Fortunately, horse and rider ended up safe, but the experience left both Brenda and Ollie shaken to the core.

From that one brief experience, Brenda hit a serious confidence wall. She kept trying to work with Ollie, but acknowledged that she was terrified. Starting back with ground work, she thought they’d move past it. But what she was asking of Ollie was being lost in translation between human and the wild horse. “If you can’t help him translate, it’s like pulling against a current,” she says.

Brenda realized she couldn’t do this alone and heard about Mustang Matt on Facebook. She called Matt and asked if she could drop Ollie off for training. He replied: “His issue is with you, not with me.” Brenda understood that she and Ollie both had things to sort through.

In March 2022, Brenda and Ollie headed north to Mustang Matt’s ranch in Hamilton, Montana, for a three-day immersion. Brenda described the experience as “validating, healing, and eye opening.”

“We learned to translate and bond,” she says. “We rewired our understanding of one another.” Mustang Matt often reminded her: “Just breathe, give me the breath.” Matt helped the horse and human connect and gave Brenda tools to build on back home.

“It is an amazing moment of translation when you connect,” she says. “When you create the connection, it will be the coolest connection you’ve ever had.”

That connection is daily work. Today, Brenda and Ollie continue to build

their relationship with every ride and pack trip. “I make mistakes and Ollie teaches me every day,” she says. As an energy healer and animal communicator, Brenda recognizes Ollie’s power to teach her. “He shows me something new every day, he’s my teacher right now. He reminds me I am human.”

The challenges Brenda faced with Ollie and the commitment to continue to grow has helped her understand that she had to fine tune her skills and figure out the next step. “I love how Ollie requires me as a partner to be present in every moment of our time together,” she says. “Anything else and it changes the quality of our interaction. Equally, I am so humbled with his acceptance.” Brenda says Ollie reminds her that the living experience is to grow and evolve.

READING A MUSTANG BRAND

Mustangs gathered from BLM herd management areas have a freeze brand on the left side of their neck. Each mark in the brand represents a number in the Alpha Angle Code. The brand indicates the registering organization (U.S. Government), the year of birth, and the individual registration number. Mustangs gathered from Forest Service and tribal lands are not branded.

ADOPTING A MUSTANG

Mustangs, both untouched and gentled, are available for sale or adoption through the BLM. The three most common ways to adopt a mustang are:

• BLM PUBLIC OFF RANGE CORRAL: With an approved application, a mustang can be adopted directly from the holding facility for $125. Most of these mustangs are untouched. To promote more adoptions of untrained mustangs, the Adoption Incentive Program offers $1,000 to adopters after one year of ownership.

• TIP TRAINED: Adopters who would like a gentled mustang with basic training can adopt through the Trainer Incentive Program (TIP). TIP trainers gentle and complete basic training with the mustangs before the horse is available for adoption.

• BLM AUCTIONS: The BLM hosts a number of auction events throughout the year. These events are held across the country with a wide variety of horses available, from untouched to saddle trained. The events include mustang makeover competitions and 4-H trained mustangs, as well as horses trained by inmates at correctional facilities.

BRENDA & OLLIE

MARA KINGSCOTT took on her first mustang when she adopted Arrow in 2020. The journey has taught her patience and reminded her to set intention, while releasing expectations.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Navigating the shifting peaks and valleys of our water supply

BY TOM HALLBERG PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATALIE BEHRING

ABOVE Dr. Rob Van Kirk, science and technology director at the Henry’s Fork Foundation, watches as depth and velocity data comes through from the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler on the Henry’s Fork.

RIGHT Storm clouds build up above the Tetons. Summer rains have decreased by 17 percent in the Greater Yellowstone Area since 1950.

EVERYTHING around here comes back to water.

From the deep powder in the mountains that draws visitors and locals, to the torrential summer rains that revive dusty sagebrush and alfalfa, it dictates our lives.

Warm spring sunshine and melting snow tell the first buds of grass to sprout from newly uncovered earth; the first snowflakes signal impending hibernation for grizzly bears and migrations for many animals that don’t sleep away the cold months. We live by cycles of water, farmers to anglers, skiers to builders. We find ourselves at its mercy, but we’ve learned to adapt.

Now, it seems, we must adapt again. Drought, the bane of agriculture since humans first tilled rows in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East, has descended over the Western United States, upending seasonal water cycles and, in the process, impacting ecosystems, farming, and recreation. And even with this past winter’s impressive snow totals, Teton Valley has not been immune.

“We’re living on a changed planet,” says Dr. Jen Pierce, a Boise State University professor and co-author of a 2021 climate assessment on the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA). “We are not going back to the conditions that characterized, say, the 1950s through 2000s.”

It’s tempting to think “Dust Bowl” when you hear the word drought, but the reality is far more nuanced.

The University of Nebraska’s National Drought Mitigation Center defines drought as “a deficiency of precipitation over an extended period of time (usually a season or more), resulting in a water shortage.” For Teton Valley, drought impacts are most apparently revealed through changing precipitation patterns,

rather than scarcity itself. According to the GYA climate assessment, the region’s overall precipitation has remained consistent in recent years, but drought impacts have been apparent.

“In Idaho, we’re fairly blessed with a lot of water,” University of Idaho hydrology professor Dr. Erin Brooks says. “It’s just a typical Western United States story that the timing is the problem.”

Seasonal cycles of water begin with the deep snowpack that accumulates in the mountains.

While this past winter felt bigger than normal to many, Will Stubblefield, the education and outreach director at Friends of the Teton River (FTR), says that compared to the dryer than average winters of the past few years, we may all be feeling a bit more impressed with something that’s actually fairly normal. This winter, he says, was just about 10 to 15 percent above normal snowpack totals in many areas.

“This big winter is a great step in the right direction in regard to improving our water supply,” Will says. “But it will likely take multiple years of above average precipitation and snowpack to get our overall water supply back to a healthy place after multiple years of drought.”

The water supply includes everything from groundwater and surface water to constructed storage reservoirs.

“Our water supply is at its best when all of these different components are full of water, but it’s not as easy as it sounds to transfer the mountain snowpack into each of these different containers all at once,” Will says.

As spring temperatures rise, that snow melts, percolating into the tributaries and headwaters that cleave the mountain valleys, filling rivers, and replenishing the series of reservoirs across eastern Idaho and western Wyoming. Rain adds to the water levels, but the main contributor is snowmelt.

Historically, farmers have funneled water through irrigation ditches to start crops, then depended on a mixture of irrigation and summer rain to make it through July and August, our hottest months. But the schedules they’ve depended on are shifting, and rain in those driest months has become scarcer, meaning farmers must adapt to the changing world.

The first change relates to the timing of when meltwater creeps down the mountainsides, measured in peak streamflow—the date when the amount

coursing through our waterways is highest. Peak flows represent the turn toward the dry season in June, July, and August. The GYA climate assessment notes those have shifted about eight days earlier on average in response to rising spring temperatures, similar to the shift during the Dust Bowl drought in the 1930s. Interestingly, the Teton River is the only river in the GYA in which peak flows have shifted to later. Though yearto-year variability means peak flows can still happen later than average, it indicates the dry summer season is increasing. The climate assessment report estimates that by the year 2100 the growing season in the Upper Snake River watershed will increase by thirty-two days.

Changes in the timing of precipitation also impact Teton Valley ecosystems and farmers. Summer rains decreased up to 17 percent in the GYA between 1950 and 2018, diminishing the amount of water for crops and aquatic habitats. Late spring and fall precipitation have increased by 20 percent and 24 percent, respectively, so even though annual precipitation has remained constant, less of it falls when farmers need it most. Those changes can result in lots of water when farmers don’t need it, and shortages when they do. Water rights, or the amount that each landowner or entity is allowed to draw from the entire system of rivers, canals, and reservoirs, is based on a complicated hierarchy of priority. At the most basic level, older,

senior rights trump newer, junior ones. So, when the system lacks enough surface water in rivers to fill everyone’s allocations, junior rights holders must turn their diversions off. Producers can also purchase storage allocations from regional reservoirs, which they can use to supplement their allotment. But should reservoirs not fill, those storage allocations may not be available.

“The problem with low snowpack years is we don’t get a full allocation out of the storage reservoirs,” says Tony Olenichak, water master for District 1, which covers the bulk of eastern Idaho.

Before roughly April 15, producers can’t start drawing through their diversions, so any increase in streamflow before then is helpful only in that it helps fill reservoirs. In Teton Valley, where mountain snows stick around longer than in many parts of Idaho, more spring runoff doesn’t equate to more water for crops. Same goes for late-season rain: By the time October rolls around, which since 1950 has seen a 42 percent increase in precipitation, most farmers don’t need the rain. It might even cause problems for harvesting crops or drying hay.

“It isn’t always just the volume of water,” says Carl Allen, president of Trail Creek Sprinkler, an irrigation co-op in the Victor area. “Sometimes it’s the timing of when you get the rain or when you don’t get the rain.”

Trail Creek’s members are junior to water rights lower in the Snake River wa-

tershed, so their water is shut off sometime during the summer. Olenichak’s office decides that date, which changes every year. After that, Allen says, they have storage allocations in Grassy Lake Reservoir, so in exchange for continuing to use water in the upper part of Teton Valley, they release part of the reservoir to fulfill those downstream users’ claims. Across the GYA, valley-level snowpacks have decreased, so it’s possible that Grassy Lake won’t fill enough for Trail Creek to use its allocation.

Sometimes, water in Trail Creek’s area is so low it won’t reach the downstream users, a situation called a “futile call,” and its users can continue to use any remaining water. Should Trail Creek Sprinkler run out of surface water and its Grassy Lake allocation, its members must scramble. “The only time we’ve had any curtailment is when there just isn’t enough flow in the stream,” Allen says. “That has happened a few times, then we have to go on terms.”

In that situation, water users alternate days they use irrigation water, setting up difficult decisions about what to do with crops. “With grains, you just have to cut it for hay if you don’t have enough water to get through,” he says.

“Potatoes are a harder problem because they require water clear until you’re getting ready to harvest.”

Should Teton Valley find itself in that scenario, where irrigators don’t have enough water, aquatic wildlife would also

ABOVE Palisades Reservoir in Swan Valley, Idaho, reached a historic low of 9 percent full in fall 2021. This reservoir provides key irrigation to area farms.

BELOW Amber Roseberry, conservation technician with the Henry’s Fork Foundation, gathers water samples in Island Park.

WATER LEVELS AT GRAND

Teton National Park’s Jackson Lake reached historic lows in August 2021. That summer, Idaho and Wyoming declared drought emergencies for key regions affected by the lack of water.

FARMERS

Those changes can result in lots of water when farmers don’t need it, and shortages when they do.

find themselves hard up. “Flows for fish aren’t [defined as] beneficial uses, so they don’t have any sort of legal framework within the water rights system,” says Dr. Rob Van Kirk, science and technology director at the Henry’s Fork Foundation in Ashton. Less water in the Teton River, especially during the summer’s warmest months, can have deleterious consequences for fish, which rely on cold water for spawning. Shallower water is warmer, and with rising air temperatures (between 2- and 5-degrees Fahrenheit since 1950 across the GYA), atmospheric conditions will continue to heat the river, which could degrade fisheries and deteriorate the quality of local fisheries. By extension, it would also negatively impact the part of the summer tourism economy that depends on anglers.

“For the long haul,” Will Stubblefield says, “if we think in the West it’s going to get warmer, that means rivers are going to get warmer.”

Justupstream of where Highway 20 crosses the Buffalo River in Island Park, Van Kirk and Amber Roseberry slogged through riparian plants to reach the bank. Van Kirk knelt, water seeping up through the soil as his knees compressed the earth. The October sun was shining, with a touch of crisp fall cold in the air. As he watched the screen of his laptop, Amber piloted an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler across the 50 yards of water at a snail’s pace. Three minutes across, and she spun the craft around. Three minutes back.

Using SONAR, the machine gathered information on depth and flow, then beamed it to Van Kirk’s computer, telling him how much water was in the river. Henry’s Fork employees take such measurements in the watershed year-round, hoping to gain a thorough understanding of how much water is available over time. On the Buffalo River, Van Kirk says,

he gains particularly useful information because no diversions or dams impede its flow. Their work is a small part of what he says is needed to adapt to the impacts of drought: precision water management, a tactic that uses available flows for irrigation when needed and conservation aims when possible. Precision water management works within the established system of water rights. Essentially, if a canal company has the right to use water but its members don’t need it, the company can still divert it, allowing it to seep into the ground and replenish the aquifer. Managed aquifer recharge can bring the water table closer to the surface and keep more water in streams later in the summer, helping both fish and farmers.

“It helps keep the wells in this end of the valley and the springs down by the river flowing better in late summer,” says Carl Allen of Trail Creek Sprinkler, which has worked with FTR on its managed recharge program.

That FTR program pays agricultural producers to open their diversions as soon as they can, even if they’re not ready to plant. FTR’s original goal was to replenish 10,000 acre-feet of water into the valley’s aquifer.

“We hit 10,000 acre-feet for a couple years running,” Stubblefield says. The long-term goal is to prove the efficacy of recharge and find a market-based incentive that would replace the grant funding FTR currently uses.

Recharge is just one strategy water managers and farmers are implementing to stave off the worst effects of the changing climate. New agricultural research shows regenerative farming techniques, including cover crops, notill methods, adaptive grazing, and crop

rotations, can improve yields, reduce costs, and serve conservation goals. For example, cover crops—ones planted to improve soil, rather than for harvesting—increase soil health by cultivating healthy bacteria and invertebrate populations. They also reduce fertilizer use, saving farmers money and reducing nitrates, which can produce powerful greenhouse gases, and cut water usage by building better storage capacity in the soil.

“It’s what I call a win, win, win,” says Dr. Erin Brooks, University of Idaho hydrology professor.

According to Brooks, large, multimillion dollar grant programs are underway through his university to encourage regenerative practices across the Snake River Plain. Smaller-scale programs are happening in Teton Valley, as well. FTR, the Henry’s Fork Foundation, the Teton Soil Conservation District, and other local entities have formed the Teton Valley Water Users Association, which is dedicated to developing solutions that help farmers and promote conservation.

“The goal of that is to really get incentives for ag producers to implement best management practices that benefit the health of the watershed,” Stubblefield says. None of these practices on their own will be enough to combat the changes brought on by increased temperatures and altered precipitation schedules. But farmers, nonprofits, and water managers alike hope to build resilience in agricultural and ecological systems. After all, the weather in Teton Valley has always been unpredictable, even before the changes in the past half-century, something farmers know all too well.

“There’s very little that you can control about what happens out in that field other than what you put in,” Allen says.

With these strategies aimed at improving outcomes for farmers, fish, and others, everyone’s just trying to control what they can.

AND RANCHERS are heavily impacted by changes in rain timing. Lately, peak summer remains hot and dry when moisture is needed most, while fall has been wetter.

Summer

Gone Wild

PHOTOGRAPHY AND WORDS

BY LARA AGNEW

WILDFLOWERS in the Teton Mountains are awe-inspiring, layering a vibrant tapestry to the rugged landscape we all recreate in and appreciate. Each spring and summer, wildflowers grow in the damp, sagebrush valley floor, next to creek banks, in shady canopies, on mountain slopes, and in wide open alpine meadows. If you know where and when to look, you may be greeted with reverence.

As John Muir once said, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” Indeed, photographing wildflowers gives me far more than a photograph. It ensures I slow down my pace and notice the various shapes, colors, textures, depths, shadows, striations, and movements. I know that not only will I learn something new by bending down for a closer look, but also if I pick up my head, pause, and observe how it all fits together in nature’s expansive canvas. I am reminded of poet Mary Oliver’s instructions for living a life: “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” Mother Nature—and particularly her magnificent wildflowers—continues to demonstrate how much we have to learn from her fleeting beauty.

WASATCH BEARDTONGUE

LONGLEAF PHLOX

ELEPHANT’S HEAD

ASPEN FLEABANE

WILD GERANIUM

PAINTBRUSH

SILVERY LUPINE

ASPEN SUNFLOWER

SCARLET TRUMPET

ArtSceneSurge

JASON BORBET, known as Borbay in the art world,stands withtwoofhispaintingsondisplayinhisVictorstudioandgallery.

LOCAL ARTISTS RIDE GROWING WAVE OF CULTURAL ENERGY

BY MOLLY ABSOLON PHOTOGRAPHY BY CODY DOWNARD

The Tetons’ jagged, snow-capped peaks, sparkling alpine lakes, fields of wildflowers, and majestic wildlife have long inspired artists.

That inspiration is well known in Jackson, where a thriving gallery scene and the Fall Arts Festival attract thousands of art lovers to the region. For years, Jackson has also been a focal point for many talented professional artists, but the cost of living there has driven some of those artists west to Teton Valley, where the views are just as spectacular and the rents a wee bit lower. That migration—be it due to the cost of living or a search for a different pace of life—is helping to foster an artistic renaissance on the Idaho side of the Tetons.

Teton Valley’s art scene is not new. Music, painting, and crafts have been part of the community’s fabric as long as people have lived here. Part of that creativity stemmed from the area’s isolation. If you lived here in the winter, you had to make your own entertainment. The valley’s scenic splendor also stimulated a desire for creative expression. But professional artists were relatively scarce. When glass blowers Ralph Mossman and Mary Mullaney set up their studio in the 1980s, they didn’t find much of an art scene in the valley.

“There are places in the country that are art hubs and draw like-minded people,” Mary says. “When we first moved here in 1987, it didn’t feel that way.

But there is more and more art here, and the caliber keeps going up.

“Part of me likes being a little isolated,” she says. “It avoids all our art starting to look the same. But an art community can be inspiring as well.”

Many of the valley’s artists prefer to be a little reclusive. Painter, muralist, and illustrator Helen Seay came out of the “artistic closet” in 2018, after a commission to paint a mural inside the vault toilet at the Bates Bridge put-in for the Teton River gave her the courage to shift to full-time painting. She says she likes to work alone in her home studio.

“The valley has always had artists, but [many of us] are recluses and keep to ourselves,” Helen says. “I think the

recently burgeoning art scene reflects demographic changes. … I personally want to be around more artists, but when it comes down to it, I enjoy creating in my own personal space.”

Not all artists like to be holed up in their home studios alone with the view and their medium of choice. The upper level of the Togwotee Center in Victor is now home to the studios of three professional artists: Contemporary realist painter Dave McNally; Mike Piggott, an impressionist painter whose work focuses on the contemporary American West; and Travis Walker, a contemporary landscape painter and founder of the nonprofit Teton Artlab, an Artist In Residence program based in Jackson.

These artists say they thrive on each other’s proximity and companionship.

“I moved over here from Jackson last July,” Mike says. “This place feels like Jackson in the eighties and nineties when there was a really busy art scene over there. But things just got too expensive, and a lot of artists are moving here, which means there’s more energy on this side now. We’re all kind of surfing on that wave together.”

In addition to Dave, Mike, and Travis, Jackson transplants include Katy Ann Fox, Michele Walters, Linda Swope, and Greg Meyers, among others. Jason Borbet, known in the art world as Borbay, relocated his family to Teton Valley from New York City. All say their move was

THIS PAGE An artist finds inspiration from an old barn during the Plein Air Festival.

OPPOSITE PAGE Allen Brockbank’s painting, Give Us the Greens of Summer, depicts a lush Teton scene. Artist and photographer Linda Swope shows her work at the Saturday art market.

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE A cowboy poses for a plein air artist; Driggs’ Foxtrot Fine Art showcases local and regional talent in the vibrant galley; Teton mugs made by Chelsea Phelps of Chelsea Pottery Co.; Katy Ann Fox, owner and artist at Foxtrot Fine Art, created a space to bring people together.

driven by lifestyle, but they are excited to build on the synergy of a growing community of full-time artists.

“I’ve always worked out of a home studio,” Dave says. “Mike [Piggott] already had a studio in the Togwotee Center and showed me his space. I’ve never really worked in the proximity of other artists. It brings the energy up. I can go see what the others are working on. We talk about painting, give each other tips. It’s great.”

Katy Ann Fox says artists need each other, and she loves talking to other painters about colors, paint, and composition. But she says they also need the community at large. She opened her gallery, Foxtrot Fine Art, in Driggs not only to showcase artists, but also to bring people together. In the year since she first opened her doors, she’s hosted a number of community events designed to start

conversations and build camaraderie.

She says that’s always been her role. She’s a people person, who thrives on building community—a personality trait reflected in the fact that she has been a bridesmaid

“a thousand times,” and has officiated a number of her friends’ weddings. But she’s also a serious artist. At Foxtrot, she sells a carefully curated selection of fine art, representing not only herself but other talented artists.

“Where I grew up [in Grangeville, Idaho], the free Charles Russell calendar hanging on the wall in everybody’s house, that was art,” Katy Ann says.

“Teton Valley is an incredibly creative area. I think the remoteness makes people creative. There are tons of potters, jewelers, leather artists, and photographers here. We need the space and we need each other.”

In Tetonia, Michele Walters opened Tribe Artist Collective in 2020 to help support creativity in herself and others. Michele and twenty-five other artists display and sell their work in a building that was, she says, “a disaster” before she bought it and renovated the interior. Michele says having an art community makes her feel more understood as an individual.

“Finally, someone speaks my language,” she says. “I don’t feel like such an oddball.

“Artists are storytellers,” she adds.

“We are the first ones to challenge stereotypes. That’s what I feel our job is.”

But she feels a little cut off in Tetonia, she says.

“It’s not a question of not wanting an art scene,” Michele says “It’s more a matter of logistics. We are so spread out

Artists

here. Three communities, each separated by eight miles. It would take one person to get everyone together in a space. One person to spearhead things, but it’s hard.” That one person might just be the dynamo Jason Borbet. Since he and his wife, Erin, moved their family from Manhattan to Victor in 2016, he has taken the valley by storm. Besides being a high-end artist, whose paintings sell for tens of thousands of dollars, he plays on various local hockey teams; he’s served as an auctioneer for nonprofit fundraising events; he’s acted in local productions and dance performances; he painted a mural on the grandstand in Victor City Park; and now he is the driving force behind the first Teton Valley Home-Grown Arts Festival, scheduled for September.

are storytellers. We are the first ones to challenge stereotypes. That’s what I feel our job is.”

– Michele Walters

“It occurred to me that we have an incredible, vibrant art community and some incredibly talented artists living here in Teton Valley, so why not have our own arts festival?” Jason says. “We are exploring quick draws, gallery walks, featured artists, open studios—lots of cool things.”

A lot of those cool things have been going on in the valley for years—they just haven’t been under one umbrella. The Downtown Driggs Association works hard to promote community art by way of fostering a thriving and vibrant down-

RIGHT Chelsea Phelps poses with her mugs in progress. BELOW Handmade jewelry like these silver turquoise pieces are available at Tribe Artist Collective.

OPPOSITE PAGE Artist Richie Vios received first place in People’s Choice in the 2021 Driggs Plein Air Festival.

town. Each summer, the nonprofit partners with local galleries and businesses to offer free First Friday Art Walks to introduce people to the galleries and studios around Driggs. The association also presents the Driggs Plein Air Festival in July. Held since 2011, the festival attracts artists from all over to paint together in the shadow of the Tetons. And that’s just a few of the culture-based programs.

In other happenings, artist Teri McClaren’s Wine and Palette classes at Local Galleria in Driggs, and at the West Side Yard in Victor, regularly fill to capacity with community members looking to tap into their creative sides. Teton Arts Council has roughly one hundred and forty members and educates hundreds of kids and adults

through its arts programming. Ralph Mossman and Mary Mullaney usually offer open studios and glass-blowing demonstrations at least once a year. And every Saturday throughout the summer and fall, artists gather in front of the Driggs City Center for the Teton Valley Art Market, where you can find local painters, photographers, woodworkers, glass artists, jewelers, ceramists, and more offering their wares.

“The Saturday art markets are for everyone,” says Teton Valley Magazine contributor, artist, and photographer Linda Swope. Linda says she has only recently begun considering herself an artist. For forty-four years, she was what she calls a “work-a-day” photographer, shooting weddings, sports events, portraits, and

other commercial endeavors. Then she started having artistic visions—images of ways to transform her photographs into surreal interpretations of the world around her. She says she believes those visions and her transformation are directly linked to the influence of the valley’s art scene.

“I met the art community at Teton Arts functions,” Linda says. “I truly believe my visions were inspired by hanging out with other artists and starting to see the world another way. I was 100 percent reinvented.”

The inspiration goes both ways.

“It’s important to be part of a community,” says Travis Walker. “I’m hungry for it. You see it in the music world. Everyone is connected creatively. For art,

diversity is key. The more that is going on, the more chance for dialogue, the more overlap in cultures—that’s when really cool shit happens.”

An art community, or art scene, acts like an invisible magnet, according to Jason Borbet. He sees it pulling things together, serving as a catalyst to push Teton Valley’s art to a new level. He dreams of seeing the valley with its three individual towns transformed into a vibrant art hub that attracts art lovers and artists, and at the same time allows art to be a viable profession for its many talented practitioners.

“I came in here like a wrecking ball,” Jason says. “I wanted to make things happen. The community has been very welcoming. Still, people who live here worry about all the change. I’m not here to make a lot of changes; I want to celebrate what we already have, which is incredible.”

ART EVENTS

DRIGGS PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL

Downtown Driggs Association’s Driggs Plein Air Festival attracts more than seventy artists from around the country for its workshops, quick-draw competitions, and community receptions with live music, food, and hundreds of artworks for sale that reflect the renowned landscape of Teton Valley. July 23–28. downtowndriggs.org

FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK, DRIGGS

During the summer, from 5pm to 8pm on the first Friday of the month, select businesses and galleries in Driggs stay open late, offering refreshments, entertainment, and fun.

TETON

VALLEY HOME-GROWN ARTS FESTIVAL

For the first time, Teton Valley will be hosting its very own Arts Festival from September 9 through 16. Events will include open studios, art walks, art sales, and cultural programming like mini operas with the Colorado Chamber Opera. discovertetonvalley.com

TETON VALLEY ART MARKET

Held every Saturday throughout the summer and fall in the plaza at Driggs City Center, the Teton Valley Art Market showcases the work of between twenty and twenty-five local and regional ceramists, painters, bakers, jewelers, photographers, woodworkers, glass artists, and more. Booths are open from 9am until 3pm. facebook.com/tetonvalleyartmarketdriggsidaho

STUDIOS/GALLERIES

Mountain Light Studio, Dave McNally, Togwotee Center, Victor. Open Monday through Friday 10am to 5pm. davemcnallyart.com

Mike Piggott Studio, Togwotee Center, Victor. Hours vary, stop by and visit. Call (307) 733-0555.

Travis Walker Studio, Togwotee Center, Victor. To visit, call for appointment, (307) 880-6691.

Borbay Studios & Gallery, Victor. Open Monday through Friday 9am to 7pm. The second floor Main Street space is the fine art gallery and studio space for renowned artist Jason Borbet, known in the art world as Borbay. (646) 469-6496, borbay.com

Foxtrot Fine Art, Katy Ann Fox, Driggs. Featuring fine art from Katy Ann and select artists. Fresh new shows start the first Friday of every month. Open Friday through Tuesday noon to 6pm. foxtrotfineart.com

The Local Galleria, Teri McLaren, Driggs. Dedicated to finding the artist in everyone, Local Galleria carries artwork, designer clothing, furniture, jewelry, and art supplies and offers art classes for all ages and abilities. Hours 12pm to 6pm. tetonvalleylocalart.com

Tribe Artist Collective, Michele Walters, Tetonia. Tribe Artist Collective’s mission is to unlock the creativity that’s within everyone. The gallery provides a platform for artists to reach their market and for customers to be inspired by the creativity of featured artists. The collective hosts revolving exhibits and offers art classes. tribeartistcollective.com

Fireweed Shop and Studios, Katie Cooney. Representing the work of many regional makers, Fireweed provides studio space for three, and also hosts workshops and events supporting creativity. Summer hours: Wednesday and Thursday 10am to 5pm and Fridays and Saturdays 9am to 4pm. fireweedshopandstudios.com

Teton Arts provides studio space and art education for all interests and skill levels. tetonarts.org

Driggs City Center Gallery hosts year-round exhibits of local and regional artists. Offerings include Teton Arts member shows, featured artists, and local school and art education exhibits. Run by Teton Arts, the gallery is a public space to be enjoyed for free by all. tetonarts.org/artist-gallery

TRUTH

35 LOCAL PETS BECOME HOMELESS EVERY MONTH IN TETON VALLEY But, what’s the truth about animal welfare in Teton Valley?

PAWS acquired the Teton Valley Animal Shelter in 2022 on the verge of closing. Since then, 600+ animals have come through PAWS’ doors needing care and new homes.

TRUTH

NO OTHER LOCAL ANIMAL WELFARE ORGANIZATION ACCEPTS PETS FROM TETON VALLEY

PAWS is the only open-admission shelter between Victor and Rexburg, Pocatello and Idaho Falls.

10 PAWS SHELTER STAFF MEMBERS CARE FOR 30 - 50 ANIMALS 7 DAYS PER WEEK

Teton Valley shelter pet populations are high compared to our low population. With the volume of animals needing care, PAWS had to increase our staff.

ONLY 18% OF NEEDED FUNDS COME FROM TETON VALLEY DONORS PAWS is funded 100% by donations and grants. We are not tax-funded and are not currently receiving the local support needed to sustain operations.

Your generous support will keep this shelter open today and for future generations of pets in need. WE THANK YOU AND LOCAL PETS THANK YOU!

VERN WOOLSTENHULME and his family have been moving stuff—houses, freight, heavy machinery, farm equipment, and hay—for decades. These days, thanks to a growing movement to save homes from demolition led by nonprofit Shacks on Racks, he’s upping his tally for houses moved.

Perfect Pitch

BY MOLLY ABSOLON PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN DORGAN

Staging a house move is just another day on the job for Vern Woolstenhulme

Vern Woolstenhulme says moving houses is like conducting an orchestra. “There are all these moving parts,” he says. “You have to deal with the phone company, the electric company. You have to call all the utilities, as well as town and county law enforcement.”

If you are moving a house from Wyoming to Idaho, that means law enforcement in both states.

“When you come up through Swan Valley, there are thirty-three power lines that have to be lifted in order for a house to pass under,” he says.

To Vern, the involved process is worth the effort to keep perfectly good, reusable materials out of the landfill. He sees such waste as a “sacrilege” that runs counter to his family’s history. Among Teton Valley’s earliest homesteaders, they took pride in their ability to innovate and make do with very little.

Vern’s family company, Victor-based Teton Transport, has been moving stuff— houses, freight, heavy machinery, farm equipment, and hay—for eighty years, and, he says, no two jobs are ever quite the same. But Vern and his crew like the challenge of figuring things out. That’s what keeps their work interesting.

The Woolstenhulmes are well established in Teton Valley. Vern’s grandmother, Lizzie, was born in 1888 during a blizzard in a trapper’s cabin near Darby where they sheltered out that storm.

Lizzie lived to be a hundred and one, long enough to be a big part of her grandson’s life. He remembers her as always busy: working in a restaurant, raising chickens, tending her garden, gath-

ering watercress in streams for the first greens of the year after months without, and canning food for the winter—not to mention raising her children (she had eight, though three died young).

Vern’s grandfather (his grandparents divorced before he was born) was also versatile in his vocational pursuits. Among his many occupations was operating a livery business. He hauled freight over Teton Pass from the railroad terminus in Victor to Jackson. In the winter, his team used horse-drawn sleighs to pull the loads. They’d stop at the top of the pass and cut down a tree to use as a brake for the steep descent.

Vern says these were the kinds of stories he grew up on, and he thinks that’s part of the reason the idea of moving big things has never intimidated him.

Vern’s father turned his ingenuity into a lucrative career working on tunnels. Using blasting skills he acquired at the old limestone quarry in the mouth of Fox Creek canyon, he landed a highly coveted Depression Era job on the Hoover Dam. His son says he remembers his father saying there were thousands of men lined up trying to secure work, but his familiarity with dynamite made him useful, and he became a tunnel specialist on that job. He spent fifty years working in tunnels around the

VERN

“We show up to houses together, and we figure out how to do it. There’s no handbook.”

world, including stints in New Zealand and all over the United States, including Alaska.

“Whenever someone got in trouble with a tunnel—when there was a disaster or cave in—my father said the guys with the degrees would call him,” Vern says. “I helped on one project in Chicago. I was eighteen, but looked fifteen, so Dad had me work from 7pm until 7am so the boss wouldn’t see me.

“The engineers would have no idea what was going on, but Dad would be in the ground looking. He could see things the engineers couldn’t see.”

The young Vern inherited the ability to figure things out on the fly. It’s a skill that comes in handy when he goes to move a house—just one of the many occupations he pursues.

His various money-making ventures include raising hay and wheat, building houses, plowing subdivisions, installing septic systems, hauling freight, and doing excavation work all over the West. But these days, he says, moving houses is taking up more and more of his time.

“I’ve probably moved ninety to onehundred structures over the past ten years,” Vern says. “My family got into it in the forties after my father bought a bunch of construction equipment from the oil fields. When someone in the valley needed a house moved, we’d lift it up with railroad jacks, roll logs underneath it, and skid it over the snow.”

Demand for that kind of work grew, and Vern invested in more specialized equipment to make things easier and allow him to work year-round. He says he can move houses that weigh as much as fifty to sixty pounds per square foot and average 240,000 pounds. He moved six houses over Teton Pass before the 60,000-pound weight limit was implemented. In fact, he says, he prefers Teton Pass over Pine Creek Pass because the road is wider, and he wishes there were no weight restrictions limiting access. Steepness doesn’t matter if you have the right rig, he says.

Vern’s biggest client these days is the Jackson nonprofit Shacks on Racks. Started by Esther Judge Lennox in 2017, Shacks on Racks came about almost by accident. Esther and her husband, Philip Lennox, were nearing the end of what she described as a “really hard winter build” for their home in Teton County, Wyoming, when they learned their contractor’s next job was a house demolition.

“We couldn’t wrap our heads around how hard it was for us to build this square box that was our new home when there were houses going to the trash,” Esther says.

“I grew up in Jackson. I remember walking past properties and suddenly the home wasn’t there anymore,” she says. “I had connected they were going in the trash. I don’t think we as a community have connected where these places are going.”

Esther Judge Lennox, Shacks on Racks

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Vern and team situate a log home on railroad beams before transporting it; a caravan led by Vern makes its way through Swan Valley; Esther Judge Lennox of Shacks on Racks walks alongside a house on the move.

“My impression is that he is a pretty chill, can-do guy doing some pretty complex, stressful things.”

VERN IS SHACKS ON RACK’S go-to house mover. His personal frugality and inventiveness align with the nonprofit’s mission to prevent waste, provide housing, and save historic structures.

Esther and her husband ended up relocating that proposed demolition onto their property—an idea she says had its seeds in watching a mansion be relocated from Ted Turner’s ranch in Dillon, Montana, to the University of Montana Western’s campus in 1998. This experience sparked her crusade to move rather than demolish homes as a way not only to conserve resources and preserve historic structures, but also to provide affordable housing. The medium listing price for a home in Jackson Hole was $2.7 million in December 2022, and the cheapest listing available that month was a 608-square-foot, attached, one-bedroom unit priced at $650,000. In Teton Valley, although not as steep, an increase in home prices is sending hopeful homeowners to look for more creative routes as well, like relocating a home from Jackson. Moving a home, although not cheap, can be done for far less than the cost to build or buy on either side of the Tetons, according to Esther. Vern, whose personal frugality and inventiveness align with the Shacks on Racks mission to prevent waste, provide housing, and save historic structures, has become the nonprofit’s go-to home mover.

“Vern has truly been such a mentor,” Esther says. “We show up to houses together, and we figure out how to do it. There’s no handbook. It takes people who are willing to be inventive, and Vern is one of those.

“All the Woolstenhulmes show up with a lightness in their attitude that makes a world of difference,” she says. “I find everything stressful. We never have enough time. We never have enough help. But Vern’s internal vibe radiates the exact opposite, which is a breath of

fresh air under stressful circumstances.”

Katie Knipe Blakeslee is one of the recipients of a Shacks on Racks home. She bought property in Teton Valley in 2016, but the skyrocketing cost of building quickly made it apparent that her budget was inadequate for new construction. Then an associate told her about Shacks on Racks. She checked out the website and found “the perfect little house.”

Vern’s team moved that perfect house from Jackson to Teton Valley last summer, providing Katie and her husband, Matt, with a new home for a third of what it would have cost to build one from scratch.

To further cut costs, Katie says, the process was a team effort. She crawled around raspberry bushes in the winter to take measurements and save on engineering fees. She and Esther, as well as Vern’s family, were part of the caravan escorting the house—a 1,000-squarefoot structure, plus a 600-square-foot garage, that was cut into three pieces for the move—as it made its journey down the Snake River to Alpine, along Palisades Reservoir to Swan Valley, and then over Pine Creek Pass.

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To Vern, the involved process is worth the effort to keep perfectly good, reusable materials out of the landfill.

ervoir,” Katie says. “There were guard rails on both sides, and no room to pass. This big gasoline truck going downhill way too fast comes barreling around the corner barely in control. Obviously, the driver had totally ignored all our warning signs and escort cars.

“I was in one of the following cars, and I felt like I had to duck. I was sure the gasoline truck was going to hit the house and explode. Vern just said something funny over the radio like, ‘Well, that was close.’”

Vern’s unflappability is an important trait in a field that requires both precision and power. He approaches every project with a fresh perspective, assessing the best way to segment, lift, load, move, and unload each unique structure. Katie says she was amazed at the process.

“On the one hand, I watched as they were literally moving the house one inch at a time in either direction to get it centered on the foundation walls that are only around four or five inches wide,” she says. “At the same time, they had to put huge beams in the house and push it with a giant machine to get the house onto the trailer.

“My impression is that Vern is a pretty chill, can-do guy doing some pretty complex, stressful things.” Indeed, the right rhythm and tempo can result in harmony on the move.

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KATIE KNIPE BLAKESLEE worked with Vern and Shacks on Racks to move her home to Victor. She describes Vern as a relaxed and capable person, even in complex situations.

BY KRISTEN POPE PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIE ELLISON

Welcome to the City

City of Rocks National Reserve beckons lovers of the outdoors

While Teton Valley is its own version of paradise, many residents like to hit the city from time to time. For some, this means heading to bustling coastal metropolises or international destinations.

For others, it means driving three and a half hours southwest to a megalopolis of granite skyscrapers in City of Rocks National Reserve. You don’t have to pack a nice outfit for dinner—campfire attire will more than suffice—but you’ll likely want to bring your mountain bike and climbing gear.

Located outside of Almo, Idaho, just north of the Utah border, City of Rocks is known for its rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking, camping, and incredible dark skies. In fact, at the start of 2023, the International Dark-Sky Association officially recognized City of Rocks National Reserve as an International Dark Sky Park, a rare distinction shared with just over two hundred other places around the globe.

Sleep below the towering granite spires in one of the campsites scattered along dirt roads among the sagebrush. The reserve is dog-friendly and conveniently located right next to Castle Rocks State Park, which offers climbing, hiking, biking, camping, and more. Camping isn’t required, though—a couple of small towns nearby offer a few lodging and restaurant options. Spring and fall are popular times to visit, as is summer, though it can be quite warm. Temperatures regularly

reach into the upper 80s, and occasionally up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, often with afternoon thunderstorms. Nights can be chilly to cold, and winter brings freezing temperatures and snow. Be sure to check conditions before venturing out and come prepared for weather extremes.

City of Rocks is full of fascinating geological features like joints, tafoni, arches, panholes, intrusions, xenoliths, and grus. It’s also home to mule deer, yellow-bellied marmots, mountain lions, moose, elk, coyotes, lizards, snakes—including western rattlesnakes—and even the boreal chorus frog, the reserve’s only amphibian. Bird watchers have recorded one hundred and eighty species throughout the reserve and greater Almo Valley.

Jed Porter is a mountain guide who has been visiting City of Rocks since 2016, averaging two or three trips a year. Sometimes he’s guiding, and other times he’s just there to enjoy the otherworldly scenery. While he frequents the national reserve typically from May through October, Jed prefers fall. September and October are his favorite months.

He loves climbing the granite, and enjoys the highly varied routes, includ-

THERE’S NO SUCH THING as a bad campsite in the City, it seems. The views and proximity to ample hiking and climbing are stellar at each spot.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Cody

Kaemmerlen and Atim Enyenihi walk between sculpted pools on top of rock formations in City of Rocks; Nikki Smith climbs as Janelle Elias takes photos from below; Jaylyn Gough and Izzy Lazarus prepare to rappel down Elephant Rock; former mountain guide Izzy Lazarus climbs Intruding Dike in the Breadloaves area.

ing single-pitch and multi-pitch routes. But his favorite part is what he calls the “vacation vibe.”

“I go there for work, and even when I’m there working as a guide, it feels as close to a vacation as work can get,” Jed says.

Local photographer Lara Agnew, whose images frequent the pages of Teton Valley Magazine, first started going to City of Rocks around twenty years ago, before she lived in the Tetons. She would spend a few days or a week camping and climbing. Now, she aims for an annual long weekend there with her husband; sons, ages nine and twelve; and a group of friends. Everyone gathers to enjoy climbing, mountain biking, camping, and each other’s company.

“We’re really there to be together in a beautiful place, and it’s just wonderful that there’s great climbing, too,” Lara says.

Jed relishes the family climbing opportunities, as well, and says he brought his ten-month-old there last fall, though she wasn’t climbing any routes quite yet. “It’s very special, the family climbing atmosphere for kids of all ages,” he says. City of Rocks is internationally renowned among the climbing community for its more than six hundred routes featuring a wide range of difficulties. Visitors are free to climb established routes, but to place permanent anchors, a permit from the National Park Service is required.

was camping in the area, and no one was paying too much attention to the weather. They crawled into their tents and slept, waking in the morning to a fresh—and unexpected—blanket of white. She was mesmerized by how the City looked under the fresh flakes. “It still carries that magic,” she says.

Whether coated in glistening snowflakes or just gorgeous bare granite, the splendor entices Lara and draws her back year after year.

“The beauty of the place is what drives me in first,” she says. “And then second are the recreational opportunities.”

The logistics and layout also make it very convenient for her friends and their families to share the adventure.

“It just has endless opportunities for people who like to climb, and then you can always find something else to do and the camping is beautiful,” she says. “You can accommodate different families, and everybody can kind of join in at different campsites throughout the day, which is great.”

To learn more, visit nps.gov/ciro.

A Guide’s Tips for First-Time Visitors

Weather is a consideration for outdoor activities anywhere in Idaho, and City of Rocks is no exception. Jed says the coldest visit he’s experienced was close to the summer solstice in late June when he encountered snow. Years ago, before she had a smartphone, Lara

“We’re really there to be together in a beautiful place, and it’s just wonderful that there’s great climbing, too.”

Lara Agnew

Mountain guide Jed Porter shares his go-to tips for City of Rocks neophytes:

• P lan for enough time, especially since City of Rocks is a three- to four-hour drive from Teton Valley.

• Stay longer than you think you’ll want to. Be there for long enough to make it worthwhile.

• Spend time exploring different areas within the City of Rocks. Make sure to wander around. Climbers, generally speaking, might explore a single rock or a single wall for the whole day City of Rocks is set up to visit multiple cliffs every day, and that takes a little mental shift for climbers who are not accustomed to exploring other climbing destinations in one trip.

• Unplug and lea ve your laptop at home. It’s not necessarily a great place to work remotely The signal is poor, which is one of the nice things about it—you’re off the grid.

UNITING CRAFT + PLACE FOR MOUNTAIN MODERN LIVING

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Tiffany Blount ascends a fixed line on Elephant Rock; Cody Kaemmerlen and Atim Enyenihi search the guidebook for tomorrow’s routes back at camp; Bree Robles has some fun at the campsite; and Cody and Atim enjoy the sunset.

BY JEANNETTE BONER

No Drama with Llamas

Historic pack animal provides wilderness access for the young and young at heart

It started as a Christmas gift. Nick Beatty had some experience heading into the backcountry using llamas as pack animals to haul gear and supplies.

As the program director for nonprofit Teton Valley Trails and Pathways, Nick had recently started working with Beau Baty and Wilderness Ridge Trail Llamas to haul supplies deeper into the backcountry for trail work.

“When you can get volunteers five to ten miles into the backcountry to work on trail projects, it’s amazing how much work you can accomplish without having to haul a lot of the gear yourself,” Nick says. So, when a fundraiser offered an opportunity to bid on a llama “rental,” Nick took a chance and won the prize. He then gave his wife, Anna Lindstedt, the llama rentals as a gift.

“I thought, ‘Llamas?’” Anna says of her reaction to the gift that holiday. “I don’t have any experience with stock animals and I’m not a horse person. But I’m a llama convert. I love llamas. They have personalities and kids can totally handle them.”

For thousands of years the llama has been carrying the load. And today, more people are using the sturdy pack animal known for its gentle and calm personality along paths in the Tetons to earn deeper access to the celebrated wildlands of the Rocky Mountains.

“It’s very doable for someone who doesn’t even have a cat,” says Beau

Baty, of navigating a journey with a llama in tow. He and his wife, Kirstin, own and operate Wilderness Ridge Trail Llamas based in Idaho Falls, just over Pine Creek Pass from Victor. Business, he says, is booming.

While the global pandemic changed the way people move and travel in the world—many of whom now seek out experiences in the great outdoors—the llama is gaining traction for its ability to take novice explorers, younger families, and older folks further into the hills and highlands. Horses and mules can carry more weight, but a llama, says Beau, does not require the kind of training needed when it comes to caring for pack animals.

“There are the golden rules for using llamas, whether you are a guide, an outfitter, or a first timer—get the saddle on right, take care of the llama like you take care of yourself, and the last rule is to have fun,” he says. “When you take care of the llama, they are going to take care of you.”

Paul Forester agrees. He’s been hiking Idaho’s big country for decades. When he became a father, the weight of, well, all of it, was a lot to carry, he says with a laugh. He and his then-wife were horse people, but he started using llamas

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAMRIN DENGEL

AFTER COMPLETING the 4-H llama class, Ava Beatty and her parents rented Paul Forester’s llamas and explored Teton Canyon as a family.

PAUL FORESTER (pictured left, with partner Mac Sullivan) teaches a kids llama packing course with 4-H and also runs his own llama rental business. Llamas, he says, react well with children and children can also manage the large animal well.

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“I’m a llama convert. I love llamas. They have personalities and kids can totally handle them.”

Anna Lindstedt

when his sons were young to help them explore further into the backcountry.

“We just loved being out in the mountains, but it was my responsibility to carry everything,” Paul says. He raised three boys in Idaho and credits the llamas with helping to continue their adventures. “I couldn’t do it anymore, so I got two llamas and I thought, ‘Wow! These are awesome helpers.’ I think llamas are wonderful teachers, so I have had llamas for thirty years.”

Wanting to continue to share his love for the llama, Paul says he visited the University of Idaho Extension office in Teton County one day and asked how he could start a 4-H class with the unexpected pack animals.

“I knew nothing about the 4-H program and walked in and said, ‘Hey, my name is Paul and I would like to get involved.’” he says. “I was blown away by

the number of programs they are running down there. “

This will be Paul’s second year hosting the llama 4-H program. He had twelve students signed up in his inaugural year and he is excited about the enthusiasm from both the students and the parents.

Outside of the 4-H program, Paul also runs a llama rental business called Wynfromere Farms. After completing the day-and-a-half certification program, the aspiring packer can rent llamas, equipment, and a trailer from Paul. The season typically runs from June through October and Paul offers a special rate for full-time residents.

Both Beau and Paul breed and use Ccara llamas, a kind of llama specifically used for pack trips. The breed is known for its personality, says Beau, and its ability to hike for a full day with sixty to eighty pounds on its back. The llamas, Paul says, are also a master’s class in social-emotional learning, and act as a mirror into the souls of those they are around.

Nick Beatty and Anna Lindstedt’s

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CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE A 4-H student feeds a llama; Nick Beatty takes his family on a backcountry adventure; Paul Forester teaches a student how to care for the large, gentle animals.

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daughter, Ava, completed the inaugural class last year and plans to saddle up for another course this year.

The family used Nick’s Christmas gift and took three llamas along with another family to Green Mountain Lakes in the Teton Range. The trip was a blast, the llamas were a hit, and the

adults found that they could take a lot more sleeping gear and good food to the hills than they could just using their own backs.

“At the time, Ava was six and we hadn’t been getting into the backcountry that much,” says Nick. “With a llama, we were able to bring our kid further into the backcountry and really open her eyes to what the mountains are all about. And that was special.”

After Ava completed Paul’s program, they again rented a llama and headed to Teton Canyon as a family.

“The trip was really fun and it’s great, too, that Ava feels comfortable around the llamas and has gained confidence around a large animal,” Anna says.

As for topping that four-legged Christmas gift? Well, says Nick, that may be a tall order.

Yellowstone Bandit Ranch

Never before offered on the open market! 2320 acres sitting in the foothills of the Big Hole Mountains with stunning views across Teton Valley of the entire Teton Range along with views all the way to Yellowstone National Park! Bordering the 2.3-million-acre Caribou National Forest for several miles, the land rolls through beautiful meadows with stands of aspen groves scattered throughout the ranch that makes this property a true wildlife sanctuary with a park-like setting. The ranch has a year around creek flowing through the property with excellent water rights for agriculture use and the creation of a private lake. All accessed by a new county road. The possibilities are endless!

Location

The Yellowstone Bandit Ranch has total privacy and yet it is only 11 miles to the town of Driggs, Tributary Golf Resort, Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport and only a short drive to Grand Targhee Resort! Additionally, you are 5 miles away from casting a line in the famous Teton River, and less than an hour to the South Fork and Henry’s Fork of the Snake River.

Large intact ranches of this quality and location are next to impossible to find any more. It truly checks all the boxes for those seeking a true legacy ranch in a world class Rocky Mountain ski town location! List Price $35,000,000

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Have a howling good time at The Royal Wolf

Mouthwatering eats and lip-smacking beverages are key ingredients of a Teton Valley night done right mingling at ‘the Wolf.’

A favored staple among the local hangouts in Driggs, the Royal Wolf (or the Wolf, for short) serves up satisfying, hometown fare with just the right pinch of sauciness to ensure a feelgood evening.

The Royal Wolf is a unique experience for travelers at any time of the year, according to the management team. It has been a standout establishment in Teton Valley for twenty-five years. During the summer it attracts anglers, floaters, and adventurous hikers. Come winter, it’s a mainstay among the ski community.

To walk in for the first time, or every time, feels like happy hour at your homeaway-from-home spot. Warm laughter from the corner, the crack of billiard balls at the back; it’s all as familiar as burgers-‘n’-fries (and the Wolf’s got you covered on that front).

Guests can expect a lively atmosphere, aided by an ever-changing rotation of exciting cocktails, brews, and spirits. A night spent here is a peek into the tales

of local life in the Tetons. There’s never a dull moment at good ol’ Royal Wolf. Local or visitor, everybody seems to know of the Wolf. Expect its name to be synonymous with a spirit as genuinely wild as the Teton Mountains themselves.

Once inside, it’s difficult to find a table without first enjoying a friendly conversation or two. And the restaurant’s

To walk in for the first time, or every time, feels like happy hour at your home-away-fromhome spot.

warm and inviting staff? Expect nothing short of a classic Western welcome from this wolf pack. The staffers are also a sure-fire resource for brainstorming adventures or helping you select the evening’s meal from a delectably eclectic menu.

A plate heaped high with ravioli steaming under melted cheese does wonders after a day enjoyed outdoors. Another savvy selection from the Wolf’s menu is a tasty beauty known simply as the Porcini Pork Sausage Pita. This dish packs a one-two ‘local’ punch as the sausage is made just around the corner at Driggs’ very own Teton Valley Meats.

Appetizers at the Wolf more than hold their own. Wonton-wrapped pork potstickers pour on the flavor, while enticing the appetite to be ready for more. Think truffle fries or nachos. And yes, salads, too. But a word to the wise: While a southwestern fajita salad may technically be a dish of leafy greens, at the Wolf it packs a wallop.

At this establishment, it’s all about family, friends, and upbeat atmosphere. The Royal Wolf howls to life in the center of Driggs on Depot Street. For hours and more info, vist theroyalwolf.com.

Scenic Flights

Picture an endless sea of brilliant blue sky while soaring so close to the Tetons it feels like you could almost touch them...

Airplane Scenic Flights

Your visit to Teton Valley is not complete until you have experienced the surroundings from the air. Teton Aviation offers scenic flights that cater to the customer’s interests.

Learn to Fly in the Tetons

Turn your dream of flying into a reality! Flight instruction offered with the Teton Mountains as your training ground.

Warbirds Restaurant

Agave

310 North Main Street

Driggs, ID 83422

208-354-2003

Open Daily 11am–10pm

From the owners of El Abuelito in Jackson comes Agave, Teton Valley’s very own family Mexican restaurant! Serving fajitas, burritos, and all of your Mexican favorites, cooked to perfection seven days a week, with lunch specials from 11am to 3pm daily. Bienvenidos amigos, mi casa es su casa! [p. 38]

Barrels & Bins

36 South Main Street

Driggs, ID 83422

208-354-2307

Open Daily 8am–7pm barrelsandbins.market

Teton Valley’s source for all-natural and organic products including local and organic produce, meats, cheeses, and bulk food; 460 Bread baked fresh daily; beer and wine; nutritional supplements; health and beauty products; all-natural pet foods; and much more! Juice & Smoothie Bar is open 9:30am to 1:30pm daily. Check in for sandwiches and salads, as well as other grab-and-go takeout options. [p. 108]

Broulim’s Fresh Foods

240 South Main Street Driggs, ID 83422

208-354-2350

Open Mon–Sat 7am–11pm broulims.com/driggs

Order sandwiches to go made from your choice of Columbus meats and cheeses. Breakfast sandwiches and paninis made fresh daily. Our deli has hot baked or rotisserie chicken, take-and-bake pizza, and other meals to go. Check out our display of hand-cut specialty cheeses! Freshly prepared salads, our own Sushi Bar, and hot Asian food. Daily specials of smoked meats available. Inquire at the deli for catering services. New coffee bar. [p. 43]

Butter

57 South Main Street

Victor, ID 83455

208-399-2872

Visit website for menus, hours, and online ordering butterinvictor.com

Life is better with butter, that is the true belief of husband-and-wife team Marcos Hernandez and Amelia Hatchard. Stop in or order your to-go online for a delightful spin on brunch classics, such as al pastor hash, biscuits with poblano sausage gravy, or our Mexican grilled cheese. Whether you are craving tacos at 8am or eggs at 2pm, we are here for all your brunch needs. Follow our Instagram @butterinvictor for specials and updates. [p. 49]

Citizen 33 Brewery & Restaurant

364 N Main St, Driggs, ID 83422

208-354-2073

Open Daily 4pm–9pm citizen33.com

From the team behind Forage Bistro and Tatanka Tavern, Citizen 33 Brewery & Restaurant in Driggs is dedicated to serving fresh, delicious, and locally sourced food and beer from the Main Street pub. Enjoy ever-changing brews on tap by Brew Master Nick Farney and a delicious menu by Chef John Perry featuring elevated bar bites like local fried cheese curds and fried pickle chips, burgers, and flavorful entrees. Citizen 33 was built for the community and visitors of Teton Valley to come together and celebrate this amazing place with delicious food and cold craft beer. Cheers to the citizens, “a native or inhabitant,” of Route 33! [p. 23]

Forage Bistro & Lounge

285 Little Avenue, Suite A Driggs, ID 83422

208-354-2858

Open Daily 4pm–9pm Reservations Recommended forageandlounge.com

Forage Bistro, specializing in seasonal regional cuisine with an emphasis on local ingredients, offers creative, chef-inspired dinner seven days a week. Enjoy half-priced bottles of wine every Wednesday. Amazing burgers, steak, trout, market fish, pasta, homemade desserts, and more made from scratch. Our open kitchen with nothing to hide offers diners a unique experience in Teton Valley. [p. 23]

Grand Targhee Resort

3300 Ski Hill Road Alta, WY 83414

800-TARGHEE (827-4433) grandtarghee.com

This summer come check out the Powder Cache Bar & Grill. When you join us for a meal, you’ll see why Powder Cache is one of the best-kept secrets in Teton Valley. Our warm, welcoming atmosphere and excellent service allow you to sit back, relax, and take in the incredible views from our floor to ceiling windows or expanded summer patio. Our culinary team offers fresh, local, and sustainable ingredients to create our American West-inspired mountain comfort dishes. At the Trap Bar and Grill, enjoy a wide selection of local microbrews on tap, great food like the famous Wydaho Nachos, and HD TVs with your favorite sports teams! Snorkels is your slopeside bistro; enjoy grab and go options to fuel you up before you hit the trails. [BC]

Grand Teton Brewing

430 Old Jackson Hwy Victor, ID 83455 grandtetonbrewing.com

Grand Teton Brewing is proud to introduce Otto’s Kitchen. Along with our wide selection of hand-crafted beers, Otto’s Kitchen will serve beef and veggie burgers, fries, and salads. Enjoy a pint, food, and mountain views on our expansive lawn. [p. 32]

Linn Canyon Ranch

1300 East 6000 South Victor, ID 83455

208-787-LINN (5466) linncanyonranch.com

Whether you are staying at Linn Canyon Ranch or just want to join us for dinner, the Sunset Dinner Ride is not to be missed! Friendly mountain horses will be waiting to take you for a leisurely guided ride through the foothills of the Tetons, winding through aspen groves and fields of wildflowers. After your ride, members of the Linn family will welcome you back to an elegant western evening at our historic lodge. Appetizers and music on the porch precede a gourmet dinner, after which we’ll gather around the bonfire to roast marshmallows and stargaze. [p. 48]

Refuge Taphouse

2 North Main Street Victor, ID 83455 Sun–Thurs 3pm–9pm; Fri–Sat 2pm–10pm @refuge_taphouse

Stop by Refuge Taphouse on Main Street in Victor for craft beer and wine by the glass. The new Biergarten is opening this summer. Enjoy twelve constantly rotating taps from top-tier local, regional, and international craft breweries and cideries. Take happy hour home with an eclectic selection of to-go beer and wine. Ages twenty-one and over. Menu features light bar snacks, and outside food is welcome. Refuge Taphouse is the place for summer aprés after your bike, hike, float, and more. [p. 98]

Rise Coffee House

40 Depot Street, Driggs, ID 83422

208-354-RISE

Open Daily 7:30am–2pm Live music weekends (summer) 9am–12pm risedriggs.com

Rise Coffee House is a place where our community gathers and connects with one another. If you are looking for a beautifully crafted espresso drink, breakfast, or mouth-watering baked good, you’ll be sure to find it here. Come enjoy culture, community, and excellent coffee. Voted best coffee in Teton Valley 5 years in a row. Cheers!

Pinky G’s Pizzeria

37 S. Main Street Victor, ID 83455

208-787-PINK (7465)

Open Daily, 12pm–9pm Delivery, 5–9pm in Victor City Limits order at pinkygs.com

Pinky G’s is bringing a taste of the Big Apple to Wyoming, Montana, and now Victor, Idaho. Founded by Tom Fay in Jackson Hole in 2011, Pinky G’s rocketed to fame a year later, when Guy Fieri shot an episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” there and was blown away by their hand-tossed New York-style pizzas. Stop by the new downtown Victor location for take-out. Delivery within the Victor city limits. Enjoy house-made dough and marinara made from scratch daily, with pizzas like the Abe Froman, topped with spicy Italian sausage, buffalo mozzarella, fresh chopped basil, and a balsamic drizzle; or try Guy’s Pie invented by Guy Fieri himself. [p. 25]

Open for dinner. Pizzeria

Pizzeria Alpino

165 North Main Street Driggs, ID 83422

208-354-8829

Open for dinner. pizzeriaalpino.com

is proud to offer Teton Valley fresh and delicious Italian

Mountain fare. We are grateful to

made pasta and pizza using seasonal locally grown products. Please come join us. Reservations are recommended.

Tatanka Tavern

18 North Main Street, 3rd Floor of the Colter Building, Suite 315 Driggs, ID 83422

208-980-7320

Open Daily 4pm–9pm tatankatavern.com

Amongus for dinner daily. [p. 23]

Teton Thai

18 North Main Street Driggs, ID 83422

208-787-THAI (8424)

Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30am–2:30pm; Dinner Daily 4pm–9pm tetonthai.com

Voted Teton Valley’s favorite restaurant, Teton Thai offers something for everyone. Enjoy a variety of our family’s favorite recipes like our homemade crispy egg rolls, coconut milk curries, or savory wok seared noodles. Stop by our taproom located down the hall from Teton Thai. Serving old-world beers along with a menu from Teton Tiger, our sister restaurant located in Jackson, Wyoming. Dine in or take out. [p. 24]

The Royal Wolf

63 Depot Street Driggs, ID 83422

208-354-8365

Visit website for hours; serving lunch and dinner 11am–late theroyalwolf.com

Since 1997, locals and visitors alike have enjoyed discovering this off-Main Street establishment offering a diverse menu of sandwiches, burgers, salads, appetizers, and entrées served in a casual, smoke-free, pub-style environment. Complementing our menu is a full bar serving all your favorite beverages, including cocktails, wine, and a selection of regional microbrews on draft. Enjoy outdoor dining on our spacious deck during the summer. Daily food and beer specials, WiFi, and billiards. Stop by to meet old friends and make new ones. Snow sagas and fish tales told nightly. (Hours and menu subject to change.)

Tatanka Tavern offers wood-fired artisan pizza, salads, and the finest of craft beers and wines. Bring in the family for a night out or grab a seat at the bar and watch the game. Enjoy local favorites like the Fungus

Alpino

inspired Rocky

showcase house

Three Peaks Restaurant & Catering

15 South Main Street Driggs, ID 83422

208-354-9463

Open Thurs–Sun 4pm–9pm threepeaksdinnertable.com threepeakscatering.com

Enjoy classic Italian dishes with a wild western flare: Elk Meatballs, Spicy Pork Sausage Lasagna, and Idaho Rainbow Trout, just to name a few. A great downtown Driggs restaurant close to the stoplight. Boutique wine selection available for takeout or on-site enjoyment. Plenty of gluten-free and vegetarian options. Private inhome or on-site catering and cooking classes available. We feature locally made artwork in our unique, circa 1940s building. Visit our website or call for reservations. [p. 50]

Victor Emporium

45 North Main Street

Victor, ID 83455

208-787-2221

Open seven days a week

Over one million served! For more than sixty-five years, the Victor Emporium Old Fashioned Soda Fountain has served delicious milkshakes, including the World Famous Huckleberry Shake. Gourmet coffee and espresso served daily. The Emporium is also a great place to pick up those unusual gifts. Where the locals meet before enjoying the great outdoors here in Teton Valley. [p. 98]

Victor Valley Market

5 South Main Street

Victor, ID 83455

208-787-2230

Open Daily 7am

Victor Valley Market is your local grocer and the place to get fresh seafood and choice meats in Teton Valley. Offering a unique selection of groceries, from organic and specialty items to your everyday needs, including a full selection of wine and beer. Our gourmet deli counter offers delicious house-made takeout dishes, along with sandwiches made with locally baked bread, fresh salads, housemade soups, and so much more! Victor Valley Market has all that you need to make a delicious meal, whether for eating in or picnicking out. [p. 10]

Wildlife Brewing

145 South Main Street

Victor, ID 83455

208-787-2623

Open Wed–Sun 4pm–9pm wildlifebrewing.com

Since 2003, Wildlife Brewing has been a cornerstone of Victor’s restaurant scene. Locals and visitors alike visit daily to enjoy awardwinning microbrews and freshly made hand-tossed pizza. With a large family-friendly seating area and a unique stainless-steel bar, Wildlife is the perfect place to enjoy a quick brew after a fun-filled day, or bring the whole family to enjoy the best pizza in the valley. Come on in and ‘Live the Wildlife!’ [p. 112]

C & C HomeServices

57 South Main Street

Victor, ID 83455

307-201-1861

cchsjacksonhole.com

C&C HomeServices provides luxury vacation rentals as well as vacation rental representation and premium home management services to homeowners in Jackson Hole and Teton Valley. We stand by uncompromising standards designed to overachieve the expectations of our owners and guests alike. Homeowners and rental guests enjoy meticulous attention to detail and twenty-fourhour service. We offer services, including short-term rental management, long-term rental management, caretaking, housekeeping services, snow removal, and lawncare. It is our pleasure to care for our clients’ homes and provide our guests the best in comfort and convenience. [p. 6]

Grand Targhee Resort

3300 Ski Hill Road

Alta, WY 83414

800-TARGHEE [827-4433] grandtarghee.com

After a day ripping single-track or taking in the views from the top of the mountain, it’s time to relax with the family in one of a variety of western-style slopeside accommodations that invite you to relax in the high alpine setting with a quaint mountain village that offers dining and shopping. Rooms vary in size and budget, from sleeping four to ten guests. The Sioux Two Bedrooms offer a small kitchenette and are perfect for your next resort getaway. The resort is dog friendly and offers pet friendly rooms. Call 800-TARGHEE to book your stay. [BC]

Hansen Guest Ranch & Event Venue

956 Rainey Creek Road Swan Valley, ID 83449 208-483-2305 hansenguestranch.com

Hansen Guest Ranch & Event Venue offers Western-style accommodations perfect for individuals as well as large groups. The property is situated on 18 scenic acres and features a historic 125-year-old renovated barn, private cottages, creekside cabins, and cozy bunkhouses with porches and vaulted ceilings. Whether you’re looking for a quiet getaway or a full buyout of the ranch for your retreat, wedding, camp, or family reunion, Hansen Guest Ranch & Event Venue is the perfect setting. The property has a full outdoor cooking area, pickleball courts, horseshoe games, creeks, a fire pit, and more. Activities such as fishing, horseback riding, hunting, hiking, and more are all nearby. Enjoy convenient access to the national parks and Jackson Hole. [p. 22]

Linn Canyon Ranch

1300 East 6000 South Victor, ID 83455

208-787-LINN [5466] linncanyonranch.com

Our lodging combines the best of luxurious accommodations with nature’s simple pleasures. Sleep peacefully in one of our luxury platform tents, or indulge yourself in creature comforts and rustic elegance in our artisan-built timberframe cabin. Our guests feel relaxed and inspired in our cozy mountain sanctuary. When you make your lodging reservation, we will also book your riding and dining activities at the ranch. We are also happy to help you reserve off-site adventures such as floating, fishing, hiking, and sightseeing. [p. 48]

Teton Homestead

18 North Main Street #105

Driggs, ID 83422

800-746-5518

mail@tetonhomestead.com

tetonhomestead.com

You’ve known Grand Valley Lodging for more than thirty years as the premier property management company in Teton Valley. Now, under new local ownership, we are ready to turn things upside down. Introducing Teton Homestead—It’s time to reset your expectations of what to expect in a property management company. Vacation homes, long-term rentals, caretaking, and housekeeping. Teton Homestead— Expect more. [p. 37]

Teton Valley Cabins

34 East Ski Hill Road Driggs, ID 83422

208-354-8153 or 866-687-1522 stay@tetonvalleycabins.com tetonvalleycabins.com

Nestled in the heart of Teton Valley, our family owned cabins welcome you for special getaways, vacation home base, family or group reunions, and more. Quaint charm, rustic cabins, and affordable rates await! Enjoy locally owned restaurants and shops, along with easy access to Yellowstone National Park, Grand Targhee Resort, and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Staying at Teton Valley Cabins means you don’t have to leave your furry friends behind. We offer various room types equipped with microwave, fridge, satellite TV, WiFi, and pet friendly room accommodations. Check out our website for trip planning and activities in Teton Valley. We can’t wait to see you! [p. 10]

Teton Valley Property Management

253 South Main Street

Driggs, ID 83422

208-354-3431

info@tetonvalleypm.com tetonvalleyvacationrentals.com

Allow us to find that perfect home or condo to make your vacation memorable. All our homes are nicely furnished, meticulously maintained, and fully equipped to accommodate your group at a fraction of what you would pay for hotel rooms. All homes come complete with linens, kitchen necessities, smart TVs or satellite TV service, high-speed internet, soaps, and paper products. Book online and receive all the conveniences of home, away from home. [p. 8]

Teton Science Schools – Mountain Academy

Grades: Preschool–12 307-733-1313

mountainacademy.org

At Mountain Academy of Teton Science Schools learning is in our nature. We are a National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) accredited independent day school serving students eighteen months through 12th grade. We are one program of Teton Science Schools, which also includes a field education program for schools and visitors from around the world, educator professional development, and a graduate program. [p. 111]

Teton School District 401

District Office: 208-228-5923

tsd401.org

Empowering our students to reach their full potential—Teton School District 401 provides a safe and exceptional learning environment where career and college readiness are the academic cornerstones of a relevant and progressive education. [p. 44]

Teton High School

Grades 9–12 | 208-228-5924

tsd401.org

Teton High School strives to recognize the uniqueness of the individual in preparing for a lifetime of learning. THS provides a safe and academically focused learning environment, where students are challenged for career and college readiness.

Basin High School

Grades 9–12 | 208-228-5928

tsd401.org

Basin High School is an alternative for students who meet the state criteria for enrollment. Students obtain credits through a stateapproved independent-study format, with assistance from certified staff.

Teton Middle School

Grades 6–8 208-228-5925

tsd401.org

The mission of TMS is to be a safe and innovative organization that empowers each student and staff member to develop a foundation of self-efficacy, build relationships, overcome challenges, stretch their grit and resilience, and recognize their potential.

Rendezvous Upper Elementary

Grades 4–5 Driggs 208-228-5926

tsd401.org

Rendezvous’ mission is to create a caring community of learners who inspire each other to embrace curiosity, value others’ opinions, and develop a foundation of self-efficacy.

Teton K-3 Elementary Schools

Victor 208-228-5929 Driggs 208-228-5927 Tetonia 208-228-5930 tsd401.org

The mission of the TSD 401 elementary schools is to be integral in the partnership between school, home, and community in nurturing and encouraging all children to become productive citizens and lifelong learners.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Teton Valley is home to three meetinghouses of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Visitors of all ages and backgrounds are welcome.

Sunday worship services are held in Victor (87 East Center Street; 9am, 10:30am, and 12pm), Driggs (225 North 1st Street; 9am, 10:30am, and 12pm), and Tetonia (209 South Main Street; 9am and 10:30am).

Worship services are centered on the partaking of the bread and water of the sacrament. This one-hour meeting includes congregational hymns, prayers, and brief sermons focused on the love of God and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Following this meeting, visitors of all ages are invited to attend a one-hour Sunday School class, divided by various age groups. Additional information can be found by calling Zane Calderwood (208-317-3325), Wade Treasure (208-351-4480), or by visiting ChurchOfJesusChrist.org.

Grandview Baptist Church

2301 North Highway 33 | Driggs, ID 208-220-0351 grandviewbaptist.org

As an Independent Baptist Church, we believe in traditional hymns and use only the King James Bible for all services and Bible studies. Join us Sunday mornings at 10am for Sunday School followed by a service from Pastor Daniel McDonald at 11am. A children’s program is available during service times. We also offer a Thursday night (7pm) prayer meeting, Saturday night (7pm) men’s prayers, and a Sunday evening (5pm) service. Visit our website to learn more about our Christian Homeschool Co-op, Kids’ Club (fall and winter), and Vacation Bible School Camp (summer). We provide transportation to all services with our van route ministry, just call for a pickup. Come join us in God’s Word and make the world a better place!

Headwaters Calvary Chapel

500 Ski Hill Road | Driggs, ID 83422 | 208-354-WORD [9673] headwaterschurch.fun

Our vision is to simply teach the Bible simply—and thus, our pattern of study is verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book, right through the whole Bible. Sunday service starts at 10am; dress is nice casual. Wednesday Bible study starts at 7pm; dress is casual. From the stoplight in Driggs, head east on Ski Hill Road and the church will be on your left as you round the turn.

St. Francis of the Tetons Episcopal Church

20 Alta School Road | Alta, WY 83414 307-353-8100 sftetons@silverstar.com stfrancis.episcopalidaho.org

Join us for Sunday morning worship beginning at 10am. St. Francis of the Tetons Episcopal Church welcomes worshippers of all walks of faith. In the shadow of the Tetons, this historic church offers an opportunity to experience God’s presence and join in fellowship, spiritual renewal, and service to others.

Teton Valley Bible Church

265 North 2nd East | Driggs, ID 208-354-8523

tetonvalleybiblechurch.org

Teton Valley Bible Church exists to glorify God and exalt Jesus Christ as Lord through Holy Spirit-empowered living and worship. Our mission is to make disciples through gospel-centered outreach, the spiritual building-up of believers, and living in loving fellowship with one another. We gather together to worship the Lord on Sunday mornings; please visit the website for service times. Pastor Jim Otto (MDiv) is committed to expositional preaching and Biblical theology. Childcare is available and all are welcome. [p. 106]

Good Shepherd Catholic Church

2559 South ID-33, Driggs, ID 208-354-1771

uppervalleycatholic.com

Good Shepherd is a Roman Catholic Church serving the needs of the faithful in Teton Valley. As an ever-growing parish, we welcome all in participation in our liturgies, devotions, ministries, and activities. Mass times on Sunday include a 9am mass in English and an 11am mass in Spanish with Confession after each Sunday mass. In addition, there is Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Wednesdays from noon to 5pm, followed by bilingual mass. Confession is offered Wednesdays 3:30-4:30pm. Preparation is offered for all the Sacraments. The church is open for prayer during the day, and we would love for you to join our Catholic community.

A Dazzling Display

THIS SPRING, ONLOOKERS WERE DAZZLED by a celestial wonder in the northern sky: the aurora borealis or northern lights. The purple and green dancing lights made an appearance thanks to a rare, strong geomagnetic storm on the sun that ejected both plasma and magnetic field toward Earth at just the right time, Teton Valley’s weatherman Bruce Mason explained.

“But to those of us who saw it, it was simply another of the magical gifts from nature of which Teton Valley is so blessed,” Bruce says.

PHOTO BY CHASE KRUMHOLZ

SOLD SOLD

$8,750,000 |

$7,750,000 |

$2,975,000 |

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Alta, WY

Alta, WY

$2,750,000

Driggs, ID

$2,500,000

Tetonia, ID

Victor, ID

$1,450,000

Tetonia, ID

$1,395,000

Victor, ID

$2,000,000

Tetonia, ID