Yellowstone National Park reports new records for visitation in June.   There were over 612 thousand recreational visits…up almost 25 hundred from a year ago.   Over 947 thousand visits have been recorded since the first of the year…the 2^nd highest level ever….just behind 2007 numbers.

 

The Grand Teton Music Festival estimates up to ten thousand people could turn out for their 12^th Annual Music In the Hole presentation Friday (July 4). A “land rush” begins at 9 a.m. as folks begin to stake out space for the evening performance.   If you plan to be among them, Festival spokesperson Amanda Fosbach says you should not bring rocks, tents, umbrellas, dogs or plastic tarps.   Instead, bring stakes and twine. As part of the orchestra’s performance of The 1812 Overture…there will be a simulated cannon shot.   If you own animals in the South Park area, you may want to prepare. There will be a test of the cannon at 9 a.m…..a rehearsal with the orchestra at 12:30…and it’ll fire again during the actual performance at around 7:15 Friday night. 

 By the way…the Grand Teton Music Festival’s summer season begins tonight at Walk Festival Hall.

 

By a unanimous 5-0 vote, Teton County, Wyoming commissioners have rejected a proposal to enact a moratorium on commercial development till a new comprehensive plan is in place at year’s end.   Commissioners decided there are enough systems and procedures already in place to deal with employee and affordable housing issues till then. Earlier, the commission approved a moratorium on large scale residential development until the comp plan is complete.

 

Since May, ridership on START busses has risen dramatically….by 55% percent over last year’s record levels.   That translates to about 25 hundred riders a day in Jackson , 135 a day on START’s Alpine commuter service and 90 a day on its Idaho commuter run.    Without new facilities, drivers, and equipment Executive Director Michael Wackerly says that’s rapidly stretching the bus service’s capacity. Some of those needs could be met with a SPET tax issue that’ll go to Teton County voters in August.

 

Western State Governors have agreed to work in concert to deliver recommendations to the next president on a rational federal energy policy. They say it’ll include a diverse mix of fossil fuels, nuclear and renewable resources with a renewed focus on efficiency and conservation. They also want a strategy for power grid infrastructure and tax incentives to reduce the cost of technology development and to promote conservation.   Governors wound up their annual convention in Jackson Tuesday.

 

St. John’s Medical Center opened the doors of its new Community Health Information Center. In partnership with the Teton Wellness Institute, it’s a free community resource with information on traditional and integrative health topics in both English and Spanish. It’s located in the St. John’s lobby.

 

A couple of physicians have committed to establishing new practices at St. John’s Medical Center. Spokesperson Karen Connelly says they include one of the hospital’s highest priorities…Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist Dr. Martin Trott. In fact, St. John’s has purchased Dr. Stan Siegal’s audiology business and will operate it as a hospital service.   The hospital also announced it will hire Family Practice physician Dr. Jim Little.   Trott and Little are the first doctors the hospital has hired as employed physicians.

 

St. John’s Medical Center has created a new board facilities committee.

Spokesperson Karen Connelly says the new board of trustees panel will study a variety of issues ranging from campus redevelopment to affordable housing. Although ahead of most resort communities in meeting those needs, she says the hospital will focus on innovative ways to recruit and retain medical staff. The St. John’s board did approve a purchase for its employee housing program last week.

 

The Western states have much of the nation’s best renewable energy resources…but effectively utilizing them depends on a robust transmission system.   That from Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal during meetings of the Western Governors’ Association Monday. But, Freudenthal says the nation has not adequately invested in research and development or energy infrastructure to tap those resources.

 

A 180 degree change in policy.   That’s how National Wildlife Federation biologist Steve Torbit describes action taken by the Western Governor’s Association in Jackson this week.   Till now, he says the stance had been that wildlife should adjust to development…but the WGA’s new policy is exactly opposite. He says the new focus on preserving the west’s outdoor traditions is equal to energy production in terms of its effects on local economies.

 

States need the federal government as a partner in protecting areas critical to the migration of wildlife in the West.   That was the message from Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal to the Western Governor’s Association meeting in Jackson Sunday. He outlined how Wyoming is setting aside mineral wealth to create a wildlife trust fund enabling the state to purchase privately held habitat lands.   He also called on the federal government to ensure that the energy industry follows up on promises to reclaim and mitigate impacts to wildlife habitat. Governors agreed to create a new Western Wildlife Habitat Council to work on wildlife habitat issues…including habitat loss and fragmentation in the west.

 

Jackson’s efforts to control underage drinking will get some help from a ten thousand dollar grant through Wyoming Communities in Action. Police Chief Dan Zivcovich says it’ll be used to bolster programs his department is already enforcing…including compliance checks and “party patrols”. With a zero tolerance policy, he says the objective is to get underage drinkers into the system and re-direct their behavior. He believes the community can cut the percentage of adult alcoholism and drug dependency by 40 percent by keeping it out of the hands of teenagers.

 

The Wyoming Air National Guard has deployed around 30 personnel and two C-130 aircraft to support fire fighting operations in California.   The planes are equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System…capable of dropping three thousand gallons of fire retardant in eight to ten seconds.   The team was dispatched to Sacramento Friday and will be there for approximately 30 days.                     

 

The Governors of 14 western states will be meeting at Teton Village this Sunday thru Tuesday.   The Premiers of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia will also attend.   Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne will keynote opening meetings Sunday with presentations from GE CEO Jeff Immelt scheduled on Tuesday. Agenda topics will include energy, climate change, wildlife corridors and water policy.

 

The US Supreme Court has struck down a 32 year old ban on hand guns in Washington DC. It acknowledges Second Amendment rights extend to individuals to own and use guns for hunting and self-defense…not just militias. 

Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi praised the decision, saying that if Wyoming residents can legally own handguns then Washington DC citizens should have the same right. 

 

The Bridger Teton National Forest unveils a new interpretative sign Saturday denoting the migration route of the pronghorn antelope. Spokesperson Mary Cernicek says it’s follow-up to a forest plan amendment signed by Forest Supervisor Kniffy Hamilton earlier this month. Since then, she’s secured additional pledges from the National Elk Refuge and Park Service to follow similar actions and is now working towards agreements with private landowners.   The new sign will be located a tenth of a mile beyond Red Rock Ranch at the intersection of the Gros Ventre Road and Slate Creek Road.

 

The University of Wyoming awarded degrees to the following students from Teton County at the completion of the 2008 spring semester.
     The following degrees may be included on this list: BA (Bachelor of Arts); BS (Bachelor of Science); BSME (Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering); CERT (Certificate); MS (Master of Science).
     Students are:                        
     Jackson    

Andrew P. Byron     BS
          Katherine V. Clark     BA
          John Gunnels Daily     MS
          Emily Rose Feuz     BS
          William John Jaeger     BS
          Christopher S. Livingston     BA
          Anita S. Moose     MA
          Michelle F. Nicholson     BS
          Robert Lorado Reetz BS, CERT
          Wesley B. Stoker     BS
     Teton Village    

Forrest George McCarthy     MA

Bowling R. Miller     MA
          Bryon A. Riotto     BSME

 

Authorities have released the names of the two Belgian tourists killed in a Grand Teton National Park crash earlier this week.   They were, driver, 64 year old Nicole Goosens and, passenger, 71 year old Marc van Turenhoudt.   They rented a car in Denver.  It crashed into a semi truck near Moose early Monday evening. Investigation is continuing.

 

Teton County, Wyoming planners are initiating a new phase of public participation into a comprehensive plan update.   County staff planner Alex Norton says a series of community meetings have been set beginning tonight. The town of Jackson will hold a neighborhood meeting at Colter Elementary…and the county at the Grand Targhee Lodge Rendezvous Conference Room in Alta…both from 6 to 8 tonight (June 26). Look for more meeting details on the Jackson Hole Q-Munity Calendar page

 

Fearful of another outbreak of brucellosis, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana state veterinarians are meeting in Helena tomorrow to talk about strategies for containing the livestock disease in the greater Yellowstone area. Herds in Wyoming and Montana tested positive earlier this month.