The inspiration for the Teton Valley Land Trust came from a small group of community members who recognized their cherished landscapes were at risk – and if these landscapes were lost, the unique agricultural character, the vibrant wildlife populations, and the incredible scenic beauty enjoyed by residents and visitors alike would be a distant memory. Early efforts concentrated on protecting critical habitat and productive farms and ranches in Teton Valley. The first project, completed in 1995, involved protecting a property near the confluence of Teton Creek with the Teton River.
Since those first days, the Land Trust quickly expanded protection efforts to include six eastern Idaho counties (Bonneville, Clark, Fremont, Jefferson, Madison, and Teton) and portions of Teton County, Wyoming, and also merged with Fremont Heritage Trust. This expansion resulted in both an opportunity for a landscape scale conservation impact, as well as a name change. Since then, the Teton Regional Land Trust has grown into a mature, professional, accredited organization that has worked with hundreds of landowners, their families, and conservation partners to protect more than 40,000 acres.
By working with willing landowners, the Land Trust has become a valued and trusted community institution. We have demonstrated strong leadership, as well as a voluntary and financially efficient approach to land protection.
- Kim Trotter hired as Executive Director
- Nancy and Blaine Huntsman received Ed Hill award
- Improved parking and interpretive signs along Teton Creek Corridor pathway
- Hamill Family Foundation supported Legacy of Land Campaign with $1,250,000 donation including a $250,000 match
- 6 swan cygnets released
- 183 additional acres on Bitch Creek conserved by the Fosdick family
- 183 acres protected in 2022
- 39, 862 cumulative acres protected
- Joselin Matkins Enduring Spirit Fund created and Joselin Matkins received Ed Hill Conservation award
- TRLT and Huntsman family brought In A Landscape: Classical Music in the Wild to Fox Creek Ranch
- 5 swan cygnets released
- Kearsly family permanently protected 80 acres in south end of Teton Valley
- 130 acre Three Forks property donated between the Teton River and Big Hole Mountains
- 2000 acre easement adjacent to Tex Creek Wildlife Management Area protected
- Bradford family preserved 140 acres, one of the last unprotected areas on Pine Creek Bench
- 2621 acres protected in 2021
- 39,679 cumulative acres protected
- TRLT celebrated 30 year anniversary
- Ed Hill Conservation award given to Conservation Easement Grantors
- TRLT awarded $1,000,000 NAWCA grant to protect wetlands in eastern Idaho
- Teton Creek Corridor pathway construction began
- 6 swan cygnets released
- Two separate easements totalling 127 acres completed on Teton Creek along pathway
- 111 acres protected at Spring Creek Wetland
- 960 acres protected in Horseshoe Creek area of Big Hole Mountains
- Land Trust utilized satellite imagery to conduct annual stewardship visits
- 1286 acres protected in 2020
- 37,058 cumulative acres protected
- Friends of the Teton River received Ed Hill Conservation award
- 3 conservation easements and 2 fee title purchased were completed along Teton Creek Corridor since 2015
- Davis family protected 154 acres on the South Fork
- Cranes in the Classroom education program started
- 35,000 acres milestone reached
- 2089 acres protected in 2019
- 35,772 cumulative acres protected
- Inaugural Greater Yellowstone Crane Festival started in Teton Valley by TRLT
- Greater Yellowstone Crane Initiative and Grain for Cranes programs initiated
- Buxton River Park at Bates Road river access completed
- 4 swan cygnets released
- Teton Full Circle Farm protected 20 acres of farmland
- Lawsons family protected 44 along the Henry’s Fork
- TRLT launched first ever Legacy of Land $10 million capital campaign
- 169 acres protected in 2018
- 33,683 cumulative acres protected
- Partnership with Ducks Unlimited protected 242 acres near Market Lake Wildlife Management Area, critical habitat for many migratory birds
- 4 swan cygnets released
- 311 acres protected in 2017
- 33,514 cumulative acres protected
- 4 swan cygnets released
- Price Family protected 90 acres on the Henry’s Fork
- Laurel Sayer received Ed Hill Conservation award
- 80 acre property encompassing the Bates Road access point to the Teton River was put under conservation easement
- 295 acres protected in 2016
- 33,204 cumulative acres protected
- Teton Regional Land Trust celebrated our 25th Anniversary
- Burton family put 30 acres on the bank of the South Fork under conservation easement
- Brockish family protected 70 acres along Texas Slough
- Land Trust joined Teton Creek Collaborative along with Friends of the Teton River, Teton Valley Trails and Pathways, Valley Advocates for Responsible Development, Legacy Works, and Teton County, ID
- LOR Foundation received Ed Hill Conservation award
- TRLT received reaccreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission
- Joselin Matkins hired as Executive Director
- 839 acres protected in 2015
- 32,909 cumulative acres protected
- Henry Winterfield Family protected 240 acres atop the Pine Creek Bench in Swan Valley
- Conservation Easement on 70 acre iconic property in Teton Canyon donated by Frank and Maryann Russo
- Chuck and Judy Shepard set up a charitable gift annuity to benefit TRLT
- Gay Gilbert and Richard Grundler left planned gifts to TRLT to be used for conservation efforts
- 5 swan cygnets released
- 548 acres protected in 2014
- 32,069 cumulative acres protected
- 30,000 protected acres milestone is reached
- Zollinger Family protected 622 acres in Fremont County
- TRLT partnered with ID Fish and Game, WY Wetlands Society, Trumpeter Swan Society and US Fish and
Wildlife Service to increase nesting trumpeter swans in the Yellowstone Region and specifically Teton Valley - Inaugural swan release in Teton Valley releases 5 cygnets
- Erickson family conserved 814 acres along the Snake River
- 1701 acres protected in 2013
- 31,521 cumulative acres protected.
- Delbert and June Winterfeld protected 160 acres on the Pine Creek Bench. With this addition, 46% of the private ground on the bench overlooking the South Fork is protected
- South Fork Conservation Partnership (TRLT, the BLM, the Conservation Fund and the Nature
Conservancy) received national award for conservation efforts along the South Fork of the Snake River - Three Forks Ranch conserved, reaching a 10,000 acre milestone in Teton Valley
- Nancy Hamill Winter received Ed Hill Conservation award
- 555 acres protected in 2012
- 29,820 cumulative acres protected
- TRLT honored by the Public Lands Foundation (PLF) with a Landscape Stewardship award
- Two conservation easements completed in 2011
- 361 acres protected in 2011
- 29,265 cumulative acres protected
- TRLT celebrated 20 year anniversary
- Woods Creek Fen dedicated, honoring longtime Valley icon Fred Mugler for his support in Teton Valley and the Woods Creek Fen Outdoor Classroom. The viewing platform dedicated to former Land Trust employee and Teton Valley legend, Wray Landon, IV
- Third generation Koon family conserved land along the South Fork, keeping the land in their family
- Robert Cavallaro received Ed Hill Conservation award
- Chet Work hired as Executive Director
- 2095 acres protected in 2010
- 28,904 cumulative acres protected
- TRLT became the first land trust in ID to become Nationally Accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission
- Breckenridge Family protected 198 acres along the Teton River
- Jeff Klausmann received Ed Hill Conservation award
- 125 Conservation Easements completed
- 1153 acres protected in 2009
- 26,809 cumulative acres protected
- 25,000 protected acres milestone is reached
- Kiosk for public created on Six Springs Ranch
- Hal K. Swenson Natural Resources Conservation Service received Ed Hill Conservation award
- 823 acres protected in 2008
- 25,656 cumulative acres protected
- Staff, partners, and many volunteers advanced 8 restoration projects
- TRLT coordinated with Henry’s Fork Foundation to host day long education programs for fifth grade students in Fremont County
- Huntsman Family protected 120 acres in Lower Fox Creek
- US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Lower Snake River Office received Ed Hill Conservation award
- 1698 acres protected in 2007
- 24,832 cumulative acres protected
- TRLT hosted Conservation Planning Seminar in Teton Basin
- Fred Mugler, cultural icon, left TRLT a legacy gift for the “protection, restoration, and stewardship of land in Teton Valley”
- Milestone 100 conservation easements completed
- Hollingshead Homestead on Mohr family conservation easement listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative and Bonneville Power Administration received Ed Hill Conservation award
- 2345 acres protected in 2006
- 23,134 cumulative acres protected
- 20,000 protected acres milestone is achieved
- TRLT celebrated 15th anniversary
- TRLT projects conserved 33 miles of river corridor, nearly 5,000 wetland acres and 15,700 acres of working farms and ranches in the Upper Snake River Watershed in the last 15 years
- The Conservation Fund (TCF) and TCF’s Mark Elsbree received Ed Hill Conservation award
- 10 staff members
- TRLT has helped 76 families complete 93 projects to date
- 1068 acres protected in 2005
- 20,789 cumulative acres protected
- Ecological Monitoring Program began to track effect of TRLT conservation work
- Major restoration projects completed on Teton Creek and Teton River
- John and Sheila Nedrow received Ed Hill Conservation award
- 1388 acres protected in South Fork area
- 2132 acres protected in 2004
- 19,721 cumulative acres protected
- TRLT restored major spring creek and wetland complexes in Warm Creek and Foster’s Slough in Teton Valley
- Jim and Treva Dewey received Ed Hill Conservation award
- Record setting 3670 acres protected in 1 year including 2656 acres in the Sand Creek/ Middle Henry’s Fork area
- 8 staff members
- 3670 acres protected in 2003
- 17,588 cumulative acres protected
- First North American wetland grant received to protect and restore lands along the Henry’s Fork
- John and Sheila Nedrow completed Idaho’s first farmland protection project
- TRLT recipient of the John Nagel Award from the Intermountain West Joint Venture for commitment to wetland conservation
- Ed Hill Conservation award went to Boyd and Jill Smith
- 1213 acres protected in 2002
- 13,919 cumulative acres protected
- 10,000 protected acres milestone was reached
- TRLT received first Farm and Ranch Lands Protection grant in ID to protect prime farmland along the Henry’s Fork
- A record 14 conservation easements and one conservation land purchase completed
- Ed Hill Conservation award went to North American Wildlife Wetlands Conservation Council
- 3270 acres protected in 2001
- 12,705 cumulative acres protected
- TRLT hosted Teton River community forum and workshops to discuss water quality and fisheries in the Teton River
- Bureau of Land Management awarded Ed Hill Conservation award
- David and Linda Eckhoff donated a 40 acre property on the bench north of Packsaddle Creek in Teton Valley to TRLT
- Land Trust celebrated 10 year anniversary and created a strategic plan and renewed vision of the mission and guiding principles of TRLT
- 5 staff members
- 1738 acres protected in 2000
- 9,435 cumulative acres protected
- Henry’s Fork Ag Corridors Project initiated to protect vital open spaces along the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River
- Lew Mithun donated conservation easement protecting 347 acres at Six Springs Ranch
- Easement tours conducted in Teton and Fremont counties to show community members the public benefit of conserving land
- Seely Family awarded Ed Hill Conservation award
- TRLT awarded its first $1 million dollar grant from North American Wetlands Conservation Council for Teton Basin
- 1615 acres protected in 1999
- 7,697 cumulative acres protected
- Teton Regional Land Trust (TRLT) was formed to encompass the entire Upper Snake River Watershed, including six counties and a small portion of Wyoming
- 5,000 protected acres milestone reached
- The first Madison County conservation easement was completed by the Archibald family
- Lew Mithun awarded Ed Hill Conservation award
- TRLT took up residence at Six Springs Ranch, just south of Driggs
- Over 1000 acres protected in Teton Basin
- 1525 acres protected in 1998
- 6,082 cumulative acres protected
- First discussions on developing a regional land trust took place with TVLT Board and Fremont Heritage Trust Board
- Kruse Family signed first conservation easement in Bonneville County on Pine Creek Bench
- Taste of the Tetons was created where local establishments provided tastes of their specialties, 21 businesses participated
- Henry’s Fork Watershed Council awarded Ed Hill Conservation award
- 3 staff members
- 1326 acres protected in 1997
- 4,557 cumulative acres protected
- Lee and Seely families donated first conservation easement in Fremont County
- 80 acres of forested property on Drake Creek in Teton Valley was protected
- Goble Family signed first conservation easement in Clark County of 2617 acres
- Woods Creek Fen was purchased by TVLT funded by local donors to provide an educational field station for local students and adults
- Jo Ann Kay awarded Ed Hill Conservation award
- 2932 acres protected in 1996
- 3,232 cumulative acres protected
- Administration of Land Trust is redefined with greater board involvement. Board Committees were formed
- Focus on education and outreach gained momentum
- 1st Conservation easement signed with Lew Mithun on Teton Creek
- 2 staff members
- Steve Ray awarded Ed Hill Conservation award
- 300 cumulative acres protected
- TVLT created a partnership with Idaho Department of Fish and Game & the Natural Resources Conservation Service for cooperative conservation work
- Stories from the Land with Teton Valley old-timers sharing their memories began
- First strategic planning was completed
- Dale Breckenridge awarded Ed Hill Conservation award
- Summer picnic recognized families who have been in Teton Valley for 100+ years
- Winter series of monthly wildlife seminars started
- Summer series of field trips began and a program for 5th grade students was started
- Michael Whitfield became Executive Director
- Dick Clark was awarded Ed Hill Conservation award
- First Executive Director, Gretchen Notzold hired
- First TVLT newsletter published
- Ed Hill Conservation award created and was awarded to Ed Hill
- TVLT’s Wildlife Project started
- Debbie McGregor hired as Executive Director
- Founding Board of Directors formed at Little Max’s Café in Tetonia
- Teton Valley Land Trust (TVLT) was officially incorporated on August 20, 1990
- First member meeting held at Teton Ridge Ranch
- First annual summer picnic held at Ed Hill Ranch on the Teton River
- Initial funding sought to hire first Executive Director
“Most importantly, the easement enables my family to save a natural resource and cultural heritage from development pressures. The Kruses are still able to own and enjoy the land which has been in my family for four generations. For this, I am truly grateful.”
– Natalie Kruse
Connect with Us
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 247
Driggs, ID 83422
Physical Address
1520 S. 500 W.
Driggs, ID 83422
208-354-8939
info@tetonlandtrust.org
