Teton County, WY

Teton County, located in northwest Wyoming, is mountainous and heavily forested, with several broad river valleys, the most well known containing the Snake River. At the center of the county is the town of Jackson, which is world renowned for its stunning scenery. Teton County also has a high concentration of critical wildlife habitat. At an average elevation of well over 6,000 feet above sea level, winters are long and cold in most of the county. Its lower valleys provide wintering ground for a wide range of wildlife.

The rise of Teton Range, as well as the erosion caused by eons of glaciation, has created the conditions that allow several plant communities to thrive—from ribbons of green riparian plants bordering rivers and streams, to sagebrush flats, lodgepole pine and spruce forests, subalpine meadows, and alpine stone fields. The wide range of plant communities in turn creates habitat for a variety of wildlife, including larger mammals such as black bear, grizzly bear, elk, moose, deer, and bison. Teton County’s elk herd is one of the largest in North America, with approximately 15,000 animals. Teton County is also home to approximately 215 trumpeter swans, a threatened species. The highest elevation is Grand Teton Mountain, at 13,770 feet above sea level, and the lower elevations are at 6,200 feet. Average annual rainfall is 17 inches, and snowfall is 150 inches. The county encompasses a portion of Yellowstone National Park and all of Grand Teton National Park. All told, the federal government owns 97 percent of the county. As a result, the scarce remaining private land is under intense development pressure. Population has also risen dramatically. From 1990 to 2000, the county’s population increased by approximately 63 percent to 18,250.

Wildlife resources are an essential component of the county’s primarily tourist-based economy as well as a profound element of community character.

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