The inspiration for the Teton Regional Land Trust came from a small group of community members who recognized their cherished landscape, with its unique agricultural character and vibrant wildlife populations, was at risk. The Teton Valley Land Trust was founded in 1990, and upon merging with the Fremont Heritage Trust a few years later, became the Teton Regional Land Trust.
Early efforts concentrated on protecting critical habitat and productive farms and ranches in Teton Valley. Since those first days, the Land Trust quickly expanded protection to include six eastern Idaho counties (Bonneville, Clark, Fremont, Jefferson, Madison, and Teton) and portions of Teton County, Wyoming. The Land Trust has matured into a professionally accredited organization that has worked with hundreds of landowners and conservation partners to protect 36,400 acres between 1990 and 2020. By working with willing landowners, the Land Trust has become a valued and trusted community institution. The Land Trust has worked hard to protect some of the most irreplaceable habitats, migration corridors, and working lands of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
This year will be no exception! We have over a dozen incredible projects in the works and look forward to sharing details about these conservation easement acquisitions as the year progresses. Throughout this year, we will highlight our landscape, celebrating the irreplaceable resources of the Greater Yellowstone region that our work protects and is still working to protect. Because it is our 30th anniversary this year we plan to share 30 stories that highlight the people, partnerships, and places that have made our work possible.
30th Anniversary Virtual Celebration
Our 2020 virtual celebration was August 21st through August 27th. The celebration included daily stories and videos featuring landowners who received the 2020 Ed Hill Conservation award, other special award winners, and stories from the land! The videos and a recording of our LIVE online event are still available to view on our 30th Anniversry virtual event page.
CELEBRATING 30 YEARS
Some of our biggest accomplishments.
36,000 ACRES
of permanently protected habitat and working lands
OVER 53 MILES
of the Teton, South Fork, Henry’s Fork rivers conserved
OVER 5,000
acres of protected wetlands
165
conserved properties
132
partner landowners
50 ACRES
of Grain for Cranes annually
22 TRUMPETER SWANS
released
4 PUBLIC
access and trail projects
76
donated conservation easements protecting 13,000 acres
9
North American Wetland Conservation grants protecting 3,775 acres
21
Land and Water Conservation Fund projects protecting 6,900 acres
11
Farm Bill Program grants protecting 3,800 acres
29 million dollars
raised for conservation acquisitions
ACCREDITED SINCE 2008
and first in Idaho
11
Conservation recognition awards