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Following a three-month investigation by Grand Teton National Park, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has decided not to press charges against three hunters who shot and killed a grizzly bear on Thanksgiving morning.

The investigation found that the hunters — David Trembly, 48, of Dubois, and his two sons, ages 20 and 17 — hit the bear with bullets and pepper spray “at nearly the same instant,” according to a park release. The report, made in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, concludes the three acted in self-defense, and the encounter lasted fewer than 10 seconds.

The bear was a male, estimated to be 18 to 20 years old, and weighed 534 pounds. It had been feeding on an elk carcass nearby and likely was defending its food, biologists said.

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Posted under Crime, Environment, Politics, Sports

Tags: bears, grand teton national park, hunting, snake river, wildlife

The Trust for Public Land announced today it has raised the $8.75 million needed to buy drilling leases and protect 58,000 acres of the Wyoming Range south of Jackson from oil and gas development.

The deal ensures that fracking will not occur in some of the headwaters of the Hoback River, and up to 136 wells will not be drilled in a pristine area prized for hunting, fishing, hiking and horseback riding.

The trust had been racing a Dec. 31 deadline to raise the necessary funding, which will be paid to Plains Exploration and Production of Houston, the company that owned the drilling rights.

“I can’t think of a better way to start off the New Year. This solution honors the wishes of the people of Wyoming and protects a vital corner of Greater Yellowstone for generations to come,” said Will Rogers, TPL president and CEO.

The largest donation came from Hansjörg Wyss, a Wilson homeowner who contributed $4.25 million through his charitable foundation. Joe Ricketts, the TD Ameritrade founder and part owner of the Chicago Cubs who owns a home near Bondurant, gave $1.75 million, including an eleventh-hour gift of $750,000 that pushed the campaign across the finish line, the trust said in a release.

Posted under Environment, Politics, Sports

Tags: conservation, fishing, hunting, national forest, oil and gas, river running

The killing of a grizzly bear in Grand Teton National Park on Thanksgiving morning has federal officials under fire for continuing to allow the controversial elk hunt.

The incident was the third conflict in little over a year between hunters and grizzly bears in the Snake River bottom near Schwabacher’s Landing. In October 2011, a Jackson hunter was mauled by a griz but survived, and in October of this year a hunter from Cody lost his elk carcass to a family of four bears.

The killing, which came after the bear charged a man and his two sons, is the first ever by a hunter inside the park. Grand Teton is one of only a few national parks to allow hunting; known by the euphemism “elk reduction program,” the hunt was part of a compromise worked out to expand the preserve in 1950.

As grizzlies, protected under the Endangered Species Act, have pushed farther and farther south from Yellowstone in recent years, critics have called on the park to end the program, especially in the river bottom. Jackson resident Aaron Feuerstein has started a petition at change.org asking the federal government to stop the hunt. The petition had 81 signatures as of this morning.

(Photo by Sue Cedarholm)

Posted under Deaths, Environment, Politics, Sports

Tags: bears, grand teton national park, hunting, wildlife

Hunters, hikers, kayakers and anglers are about to celebrate, as a conservation group has reached a deal to buy the last remaining oil and gas leases in the Wyoming Range south of Jackson.

A source last night said the drilling company finally agreed to sell the leases, ensuring that the pristine mountain range and headwaters of the Hoback River will be spared fracking and other development. The Associated Press confirmed the deal this morning. A full press release appears after the jump.

The Trust for Public Land will purchase the leases from Houston-based Plains Exploration and Production Co. for $8.75 million, AP reported. The group still must raise half the money by the end of the year.

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Posted under Economy, Environment, Politics, Sports, Wyoming

Tags: conservation, fishing, hunting, national forest, oil and gas, river running, snake river

After several weeks open only to archery, elk hunters are set to stalk the forests around Jackson Hole armed with rifles. Hunt area 71, Pacific Creek, opens today, while many more areas open Sept. 26.

Elk are ready to duck and cover, as the above photo suggests.

The grassy area in front of Pearl Street Bagels in Wilson occasionally serves as a stage to make a statement, at least forcing drivers on Highway 22 to do a double-take while returning from Teton Pass or breakfast at Nora’s. Last winter, for instance, “flowers” began blooming suspiciously early on the island.

Either the spot is curated by someone with a good sense of humor, or this adornment of the elk is part of Suzanne Morlock’s latest “Yarn Art” project, in which senior citizens are knitting accessories for statues around the valley.

Update: Artist Morlock did have a hand in bedecking the statue but credits Lisa Ridgway for the idea and doing most of the knitting. Morlock writes about the project on her blog and will discuss the artist’s role as instigator at the next Culture Front forum Sept. 27.

Posted under Art, Humor, Sports

Tags: elk, hunting, wildlife