"It's one of the most wildlife-rich and ecologically rich areas of Grand Teton National Park because of the different types of habitats that mix with each other here," says Jackie Skaggs, public affairs officer for the park, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. "It also sits right in the heart of a really important wildlife corridor."
The new preserve has an eco-friendly visitors center with wonderful sensory exhibits and eight miles of walking trails that link to the national park's trail system, making the area more accessible than ever.
The property had been in the Rockefeller family for nearly 80 years, ever since Laurance's father, John D. Rockefeller Jr., purchased 35,000 acres throughout the Jackson Hole Valley in an attempt to protect the region's natural treasures. He donated most of this land to the National Park Service in the 1950s, but held onto 3,000 acres as a summer getaway spot. Over the years, members of the Rockefeller clan have come here to relax, hike, fly-fish, horseback ride, and even honeymoon.
Laurance Rockefeller eventually inherited the land and donated 2,000 acres of it to Grand Teton National Park in the 1990s. Before officially turning over the remaining acres in 2007, Rockefeller (and, after his death in 2004, his estate) oversaw the removal of roads, utility lines, and 30 buildings including family cabins, a boathouse, and structures from its previous life as a dude ranch. His goal was to return the land to its original, natural state.
Today, the only structure on the property is an eco-sensitive visitors center that is made from recycled materials and was constructed so that its roofline mimics the Teton mountains. It is the first building in the National Park Service to have received platinum-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, status, meaning it meets very high standards for environmental sustainability.
