Neighbors to Nature: Cache Creek Study
Launched in the summer of 2018, Neighbors to Nature is a four-way partnership between the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Friends of Pathways and the Nature Conservancy’s Wildflower Watch. This project engages citizen-scientists to help document wildlife activity, plant phenology, and trail use in the Greater Snow King Area with a goal of accurately and scientifically understanding recreational patterns and ecological trends in the land bordering the town of Jackson.
Project URL: https://jhwildlife.org/our-work/nature-mapping/neighbors-to-nature-cache-creek-study/
Geographic Scope: Cache Creek Drainage, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming
Project Status: Active - recruiting volunteers
Participation Tasks: Classification or tagging, Identification, Observation,
Start Date: 06/01/2018
Project Contact: timothy.farris@usda.gov
Federal Government Sponsor:
Other Federal Government Sponsor:
Fields of Science: Animals, Birds, Ecology and environment, Nature and outdoors
Intended Outcomes: The goals and measures of success are: (1) increase the number and diversity of citizen scientists in the community by involving new audiences and providing an easily accessible location for engagement. Track the number of participants who are inspired to become involved beyond the Cache Creek Study, thus increasing citizen knowledge and appreciation of nature throughout Teton County. (2) Achieve a sufficient number of total monitoring observations and total number of field days within the Cache Creek recreation area to paint an accurate picture about existing conditions and establish a baseline for trends. Meet established monitoring requirements for the area through the use of innovative technology to inform decisions that eventually achieve desired conditions. Desired conditions are aimed at this area serving as a model for integrating recreation and conservation – promoting community stewardship, healthy lifestyles, sustainable recreation, and connection with nature. (3) Improve the public dissemination of monitoring observations to illustrate how conditions are changing in Cache Creek and how the Cache Creek study area contributes to larger Nature Mapping Jackson Hole observations and climate data being collected throughout Teton County. This will be assessed by recording the number of people attending presentations, local media coverage, and social media/website hits.