Jackson Hole Land Trust

Reserved Rights and Approvals
Each conservation easement is different and has different permitted and prohibited uses. The Land Trust is solely concerned with how use of the property interfaces with the overarching conservation values identified in the easement and is not involved in any private land ownership rights that are not addressed in the easement. It is beneficial to both the landowner and the Land Trust if clear communication exists regarding use of the property. If a landowner is planning changes for their property, it is beneficial to contact us and receive written confirmation that the proposed changes are approved. Some changes can be approved at a staff level and some require the approval of the Stewardship Committee.

Steps to granting approval for land use actions:

Landowner submits verbal or written request to the Land Trust. Most projects require that plans and drawings be submitted for review.
Land Trust staff reviews request alongside easement to determine if use is permitted and supports the conservation goals of the property.
If approved by either the staff or the Stewardship Committee, written approval is sent to the landowner.

Amendments
Because conservation easements are voluntary agreements with landowners, the success of the program depends upon the confidence of these owners that the Land Trust will meet its obligation to monitor and enforce the agreements in perpetuity. This confidence would be seriously eroded if the Land Trust were to allow indiscriminate modification of our conservation easements. Furthermore, amendments to conservation easements can raise serious problems with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. An easement donor who has claimed a charitable deduction for the donation of an easement may lose that deduction if the easement is amended improperly. For these reasons and others, it is the policy of the Jackson Hole Land Trust to hold and enforce our conservation easements as written. Amendments to conservation easements will be authorized only in exceptional circumstances; authorization requires a lengthy approval process.

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Defensible Space
Recent fire seasons in the West have highlighted the importance of having a defensible space around residential structures. While fire is a necessary restorative ecological process, the Jackson Hole Land Trust’s conservation easements support management that increases the ability of the local fire authority to defend residential structures in the event of wildfire in the wildland/urban interface. Previous collaboration between JHLT and the Wyoming State Forestry Division to implement defensible space on easement acreage has followed a three tiered guideline where management action decreases with distance from a residential structure: zone 1 – 0-30 ft., zone 2 – 30-50 ft., and zone 3 – 50-100 ft. In the event that a wildfire threatens a residence on private land, our local Fire Department crews will rarely extend their activities beyond the immediate vicinity of a structure on private lands.

IBHS – Creating a Survivable Space for Your Home (downloadble PDF)

Ecological Value of Dead Wood in Forests
It is widely understood by scientists that forest biodiversity and ecological function is greatly enhanced by dead woody debris, both as standing snags and wood on the forest floor. The deadwood component of a forest adds a variety of microsites that provide habitat for wildlife and promote microorganisms that facilitate decomposition, nutrient recycling, and moisture retention in the soil. Clearing downed and dead woody debris for fire prevention or aesthetic purposes needs to be appropriately balanced with the countless benefits that result from decaying timber. If deadfall management in decadent forest stands is necessary, JHLT recommends that 25-35% of the dead woody debris remain for wildlife habitat, for promotion of structural diversity and for purposes of nutrient recycling and retaining moisture necessary for new plant growth. Overall, the focus of the Land Trust is to help landowners promote the regeneration of young trees that will replace old trees, and thus maintain forests with a variety of tree age classes that are resilient to environmental changes over time.

Teton County Wildlife-Habitat Assessment: Benefits of Snags and Deadfall (downloadable PDF)
Aspen Nurseries article from Wyoming Wildlife Magazine (downloadable PDF)
World Wildlife Fund, Deadwood – Living Forests Study (downloadable PDF)

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Habitat Enhancements: Guiding Principles
NOTE: the below information is solely to guide habitat enhancement planning and does not constitute approval.

The Jackson Hole Land Trust strives to work with landowners to implement habitat enhancements that benefit the overall ecological function and productivity of the natural systems on conservation properties. JHLT begins the review and approval process for all habitat enhancements by first assessing whether a proposed action is bona fide based upon the terms and conservation purposes of the easement.

Forest Enhancements
JHLT supports the position that a healthy forest is one that is comprised of a diversity of trees species and associated plants of various ages and stages of health. In addition, there is a wide range of on-going ecological, successional, and evolutionary processes at play over time that are important to maintain. In other words, healthy forests are diverse in several ways and are ever-changing due to processes that occur on the land through time. It is important to conduct tree removals for appropriate reasons and at appropriate intensities so that natural and necessary processes are stimulated to sustain forest health. Managing a forest in a way that arrests the successional processes, or decreases diversity, or is driven by aesthetic or visual preference must be done with care. Safety is often an overriding need, but this exception must be reasonably applied or conservation values intended to be conserved can be lost.

Stream Enhancements
Working from the perspective that streams are connected to the surrounding landscape and aquatic systems, JHLT seeks to balance the needs of trout to reproduce with other wildlife that comprise the aquatic community. As part of fishery enhancement proposals, we look for the inclusion of a variety of aquatic habitat types in appropriate ratios that will support all trout life stages: spawning, eggs, fry, juveniles, as well as adult fish with both holding and foraging waters. It is understood that stream enhancements will not be implemented at the total expense or detriment of the insects, amphibians, birds, and their supporting vegetative communities. Both emergent and riparian vegetation are also required to assemble a diverse, sustainable, and productive aquatic system.

Pond Construction and Enhancement
Similar to what we look for with other habitat enhancements, biodiversity in ponds and their associated riparian areas is achieved by having a diversity of habitat types and structural features within proposed enhancements.

JHLT Pond Construction and Enhancement Considerations (downloadable PDF)
Wyoming Game and Fish Department – Swan Pond Design Standards (downloadable PDF)

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Plant and Vegetation Resources
Protected property owners often seek to restore or improve plant productivity and diversity. Full consideration of plant community changes is important particularly here in Jackson Hole, which still holds a full compliment of wildlife species as part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In addition, many properties and the plant communities present were historically converted for agricultural productivity. Complex irrigation systems have influenced the presence or absence of some plant communities on properties for many decades. Changes to such communities must be conducted with care to avoid unintended consequences and dependence upon human-contrived artificial systems.

Teton County Conservation District – Native Species List (link to TCD website)
Plants Unattractive to Big Game (downloadable PDF)
Fertilizing Trees and Shrubs (downloadable PDF)

Weed Management
Invasive and noxious weeds are a threat to the native plant communities that make Jackson Hole unique. These non-native plants tend to reproduce at high rates and compete with native species for water and nutrients. Spreading across the landscape by means such as vehicle tires, the fur of wildlife, and through waterways, noxious weeds are a threat to the conservation values that were intended to be maintained on protected properties. Teton County has made weed control a priority and the Land Trust supports the management and eradication of noxious weeds. Several weed control programs are in place through the Teton Conservation District, Teton County Weed and Pest District, and the Jackson Hole Weed Management Association. JHLT encourages landowners to be diligent about weed management and to participate in the programs offered through the county: treatment cost-sharing, weed mapping, and vegetation identification services.

Teton County Conservation District – 2008 Weed Cost-Share Project Application (downloadable PDF)
Contractor List (downloadable PDF)
Teton County Weed and Pest District – Weed identification and Fact Sheets (link to TCWP website)

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