National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 192 | The Grand Teton National Park Foundation

By Jess Repanshek - October 16th, 2022

If you’ve spent time in the National Park System, you’ve seen a mix of conditions in terms of a park’s infrastructure. Some are in great condition, some not so great. Recently my wife and I had the opportunity to stop by Grand Teton National Park and the Jenny Lake area. The trails that lead around the lake and up onto the flanks of the Tetons are in wonderful condition. But it wasn’t always so.

When the Civilian Conservation Corps built the original trails and overlooks, they weren’t expecting millions of feet to pound them each year. Fortunately, the Grand Teton National Park Foundation stepped up to help the National Park Service raise millions of dollars to pay for projects at the Jenny Lake area as a gift for the National Park Service’s centennial. But that’s just one example of how the foundation has been able to help Grand Teton National Park. This year is the foundation’s 25th anniversary, and we have President Leslie Mattson with us to discuss the work the foundation has accomplished.

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
1:32 Black Woods - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
1:50 Traveler Promo
2:03 Grand Teton National Park Foundation
2:29 Interior Federal Credit Union
3:06 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
3:28 Kurt Repanshek and Grand Teton National Park Foundation President Leslie Mattson discuss the foundation's accomplishments over the past 25 years.
15:10 Amaranth - Bill Mize - The Sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains
15:25 Potrero Group
15:51 Washington’s National Park Fund
16:25 The Everglades Foundation
16:37 Leslie Mattson and Kurt Repanshek continue their discussion.
24:33 Wabanaki - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
24:50 Friends of Acadia
25:14 Yosemite Conservancy
25:35 Great Smoky Mountains Association
25:58 Leslie Mattson and Kurt Repanshek continue their discussion about the Grand Teton National Park Foundation's many accomplishments.
40:46 Whispering Winds - Grant Geissman - Sounds of the Caribbean
41:14 Episode Closing
41:47 Orange Tree Productions
42:18 Splitbeard Productions
42:28 National Parks Traveler footer

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Grand Teton National Park

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Submitted by Bill Baehr on October 17, 2022 - 9:56pm.

Bridger Teton National Forest, BTNF, borders much of Grand Teton National Park, GTNP. The BTNF helps carry much of the GTNP visitor camping load as well as being the home of many of the grizzlies and black bears that also frequent GTNP. BTNF receives no camping fee money from GTNP visitors because dispersed camping is free, however, the BTNF has responsibilities and costs because of the visitors from GTNP. There is The Friends of Bridger Teton organization that tries to help the BTNF with the visitor expenses.

How about a project from the Grand Teton National Park Foundation to help the BTNF through the Friends of Bridger Teton? More bear boxes are great in GTNP but if the neighboring BTNF lands aren't as well covered by bear boxes, bears may still die due to food storage issues in the BTNF rather than in GTNP.

Submitted by A. Johnson on October 18, 2022 - 10:27am.

The BTNF has scores of fee campgrounds. Yes, there's plenty of free dispersed camping within the NF, but the type of person or family whose primary goal is to visit GTNP are less likey to boondock without piped water and a toilet.

Submitted by Bill Baehr on October 18, 2022 - 12:01pm.

Nope, there are not scores of fee campgrounds in BTNF. Try five. A score is a group of twenty.

Submitted by A. Johnson on October 18, 2022 - 4:26pm.

Well, there are scores of campgrounds in the BTNF:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/btnf/recreation/camping-cabins/?recid=7...

Sorry, facts matter.

Submitted by Bill Baehr on October 19, 2022 - 12:51pm.

There are not scores of campgrounds in the BTNF around GTNP. The discussion was in regard to GTNP. so relevance of facts matters.

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