GTNP gains 1,106 acres with gift of LSR Preserve

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

By Sam Petri

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-On Tuesday, Grand Teton National Park officially grew by 1,106 acres.  The land is valued at $160 million, according to GTNP spokes person Jackie Skaggs.

The Laurence S. Rockefeller Preserve, the last Rockefeller in-holding located in the park – in the southwest corner just off the Moose-Wilson Road – was gifted outright to the park and the general public when a legal conveyance of land document was signed by the Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and the executors of the Laurence S. Rockefeller Estate.

The conveyance of land has been a process in the works since May 26, 2001, when Laurence S. Rockefeller, at the time the reigning patriarch of the illustrious family, announced his intentions to gift it to the park.

The Preserve, which touches the eastern shore of Phelps Lake, is one of the most pristine, scenic, and wildlife-rich areas in the Tetons. The general public has never before been invited to visit or explore it.

Formerly known as the JY Ranch, it is considered to have been the first dude ranch in Jackson Hole. Lewis Joy originally purchased the land in 1906 and began his business. John D. Rockefeller Jr. then purchased the land in 1932 along with the 35,000 additional acres that he intended to preserve. However, over the years the JY became a prized family retreat that was kept within the family until now.

Laurence S. Rockefeller inherited the JY Ranch land from his father. In the 1990s, he transferred some 2,000 acres of it to GTNP.

In preparation, all buildings, utilities and other structures have been removed to restore the area to its natural state. Half of the old JY Ranch structures were donated to the park to be used as employee housing. The other structures were relocated to a new Rockefeller family property just outside of the southwest park boundary.

An entrance gate is located 1.75 miles north of the Granite Creek trailhead and about a half mile south of the Death Canyon turnoff. With the seasonal closure of motorized vehicles on the Moose-Wilson Road between those two points, access to the preserve is currently limited to biking or hiking. Visitors are asked to stay on the 8-mile network of designated trails. The preserve straddles both sides of the Moose-Wilson Road. A new LEED Platinum Certified Preserve Center will open on the LSR Preserve land in the summer of 2008.

Laurence S. Rockefeller passed away in 2004. Throughout his life he continually worked to conserve land and protect wildlife, Skaggs noted.  “He wanted people to have a quiet, contemplative experience when on the property,” Skaggs said. “This is an incredibly generous gift.”

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GTNP gains 1,106 acres with gift of LSR Preserve | Planet JH News Article: General Environment

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