Conservation Easement Protects Teton Valley Farm

A fourth-generation family farm west of the Tetons in Idaho could have been developed into hundreds of homes. Instead, the family chose to protect the farm - and its 869 acres of vital wildlife habitat - forever.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Teton Regional Land Trust and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently announced a new conservation easement on the Garry and MaeDene Jardine farm near Tetonia, Idaho.

A legal agreement that stays with the property even if it changes ownership, the easement prevents residential development from spoiling the land’s agricultural and wildlife values.

"Thanks to the spirit and generosity of the Jardine family, conservation groups were allowed to purchase the easement at a tiny fraction of its value," said David Allen, president and CEO of the Elk Foundation. "The end result is great news for the region’s elk herd, as well as other wildlife." Michael Whitfield, former executive director and founder of the Teton Regional Land Trust, said, "This easement is a tremendous gift to the community and wildlife of Teton Valley. Garry and MaeDene’s gift of the permanent conservation of outstanding wildlife habitat and farmland will benefit generations to come. We would like to thank all the partners involved in the project, especially all of the neighbors and private donors."

"The Jardine easement was a very important project for NRCS. The easement protects important farmland that will be needed for future food and fiber production as more and more farmland is removed from agricultural production," said NRCS assistant state soil scientist Hal Swenson. "The location of the property provides important winter habitat for large game and migratory birds. Working with the Teton Regional Land Trust is very enjoyable. They are professional people who are dedicated not only to the future of Teton County, but to southeast Idaho."

The farm is a mosaic of cultivated fields, grasslands, irrigated hayfields and sagebrush. Biologists from the Land Trust and Idaho Department of Fish and Game have identified important breeding habitat for sharp-tailed grouse and crucial transitional corridors and wintering grounds for migratory elk, mule deer and moose. Up to 140 elk have been documented foraging the Jardine farm, now part of a conservation effort called the West Teton Winter Range Project.

Funding partners include the Elk Foundation, Fred Mugler bequest and anonymous donors through TRLT, US Department of Agriculture Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, neighbors and other private donors and, of course, Garry and MaeDene Jardine.

The Teton Regional Land Trust will steward the property and perform annual monitoring of easement provisions. Teton Valley, located in the southwestern corner of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, is renowned for its natural and agricultural resources. The area is considered a priority landscape for private lands conservation due to its irreplaceable habitat resources and vulnerability to loss. ■