Grand Teton National Park Seasonal Road Closures Reminder

October 26, 2007
07-84

Grand Teton National Park will implement an annual winter closure to vehicular traffic on certain park roads beginning Wednesday evening, October 31, 2007. Jackson Hole residents and park visitors are reminded that vehicle closures apply to the following roads: the length of the Teton Park Road between Taggart Lake parking area and the Signal Mountain Lodge parking lot; and the Moose-Wilson Road between Granite Canyon and Death Canyon trailheads. In addition to the annual road closures, the Moose, Moran and Granite Canyon entrance stations will be temporarily closed during the month of November and early December; motorists will still be able to drive through the entrance stations during this time, however. All entrance stations will reopen December 19 for the winter season.

Annually, the Teton Park Road is not plowed after the first of November. During the time that the Teton Park Road remains free of snow, visitors are welcome to use the roadway for non-motorized recreation such as walking, bicycling, and in-line skating. Once the snow begins to accumulate on the roadbed, winter season activities such as cross-country skiing, skate skiing and snow-shoeing become possible.

Pets are permitted on park roadways; however, pet owners are reminded that dogs must be leashed and under physical restraint at all times. Dog owners are required to clean-up their pet’s waste, and mutt mitt stations are provided for that purpose.

In addition to road closures in Grand Teton National Park, the Grassy Lake Road within the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway will close for the winter season with the first major snowstorm.

—NPS—
www.nps.gov/grte

Fence Removal Project Scheduled

October 18, 2007
07-83

Grand Teton National Park staff will join volunteers from the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation and employees of Cloudveil on Friday, October 19, to remove about a three-mile section of old buck and rail fence which parallels Highway 26/89/191 from Gros Ventre Junction to the south end of Blacktail Butte. This community service project will improve wildlife movement across park lands and reduce costs associated with maintaining an aging and decaying structure.

For the past several years, park employees and volunteer groups have been removing barbed wire fences and other fence remnants from in and around the Antelope Flats area of the park. This scheduled fence removal project continues recent efforts to reduce impediments to wildlife movements across park lands, and eliminates old fencing that no longer serves a purpose for human activities in the area.

Cloudveil and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation have teamed up to assist Grand Teton National Park in completing this landscape improvement project. Volunteers interested in helping with this, or other improvement projects, may contact Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation fence removal volunteer coordinators at 307.733.1582.

Buck and rail fences associated with designated historic districts in the park will remain as part of the cultural landscape. Other buck and rail fences that serve as a point of demarcation for public access, or confine stock animals to authorized grazing allotments, will also remain in place.

—NPS—
www.nps.gov/grte

Live Broadcast to Air for Electronic Field Trip

October, 11, 2007
07-82

Grand Teton National Park initiated a free electronic educational outreach program titled “Tails from the Tetons” in mid September. As part of the online field trip, a live broadcast is scheduled to air on Tuesday, October 16, at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Mountain Standard Time. The live broadcast can be viewed via satellite feed, or online at http://www.bsu.edu/eft/tetons. Satellite coordinates for the live broadcast can be obtained by referring to the online address.

The “Tails from the Tetons” web-based learning experience is designed for teachers, students, and anyone interested in gaining knowledge about plant and animal communities found in the park. The program was developed in collaboration with Ball State University, Best Buy Children’s Foundation, and the National Park Foundation. Teton Science Schools has also become a partner in this educational outreach project, and Journey School students will be participating during the live broadcast.

Teachers who wish to have their students participate in the electronic field trip and live broadcast may go to the Web site http://www.bsu.edu/eft/tetons and simply click on the participate button to fill out the registration form. For free participation, check the Best Buy Children’s Foundation Scholarship icon.

The online course consists of three components: a Web site; several Webisodes; and the live broadcast. The Web site consists of two parts: a teacher site that provides lessons for classroom use that are aligned with national standards in geography, science, social studies and technology; and a student site that contains an interactive learning game that invites the user to become a new wildlife biologist at Grand Teton National Park. Webisodes began on September 17, with a new episode presented each week for a total eight weeks. Webisodes involve a series of online videos where National Park Service rangers present programs with interesting information about Grand Teton’s ecosystem—from geologic forces to plant and animal adaptations. At the end of each episode, rangers help students discover how to identify animals from the signs they leave behind.

For further questions about this learning opportunity, please call the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center at 307.739.3399.

—NPS—
www.nps.gov/grte

Grand Teton National Park Initiates Temporary Closure along Jackson Lake

October 4, 2007
07-81

Grand Teton National Park Acting Superintendent Bob Vogel announced today that a temporary closure has gone into effect to protect archeological resources along the lakeshore of Jackson Lake north of Leek’s Marina. To protect these sensitive resources, a closure area has been established and posted along both the western and eastern shorelines at the north end of Jackson Lake.

The surface waters of Jackson Lake remain open to boating activities. Boat ramps at Signal Mountain and Leek’s Marina are still open for launching; however, conditions are marginal due to low water. Boaters cannot beach their watercraft along any of the exposed shorelines at the north end of the lake. The temporary area closure is posted with “closed to public entry” signs, which specifically prohibits all human entry by any means. Park rangers patrol these areas and provide public information about the closure to assist visitors with alternative lakeshore access. Violation of the closure can result in a citation and prosecution.

The National Park Service reminds visitors that it is illegal to disturb archeological sites and removing any artifacts is prohibited.

-NPS-
www.nps.gov/grte