JACKSON HOLE, WYO – The Jackson Hole Land Trust (JHLT) announced today they have solidified and strengthened conservation protections on the 27-acre property of the Hardeman Barns in Wilson and transferred the property to the current occupant, Teton Raptor Center (TRC).
JHLT transferred the conservation easement on the property purchased and placed in 1989 to the Raptor Center. The easements were later amended in 2016 extinguishing the allowance for a single-family home site and placing additional restrictions for use and development on the property. The amendment does not affect TRC’s daily operations, but provides clarifications and guidance for future site improvements and use, according to JHLT communications manager Elizabeth Votruba.
Under the new arrangement, the Hardeman Barns will remain a community asset and will continue to be stewarded by the Jackson Hole Land Trust to ensure all provisions of the conservation easement are being upheld. Should the TRC decide to sell the property in the future, the JHLT will have the ability to repurchase the property and guarantee that the community’s vision is upheld.
The highly visible and historic Hardeman Barns property has become a symbol of Jackson Hole’s rural character and ranching heritage. As an important viewshed property situated along the heavily travelled Highway 22, Hardeman Barns greatly enhances Wilson’s agricultural setting and identity, just six miles west of the Town of Jackson. The barns were built in the 1940s and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
“The ultimate vision was to utilize the iconic space as a hub for nonprofit organizations that give back to the local community through education and research,” JHLT president Laurie Andrews said in a press release. “The Teton Raptor Center fulfills that vision completely, and is beloved by the Jackson community.”
TRC executive director Amy Brennan McCarthy said, “It’s an honor to create a permanent home for raptor conservation in a community that cares so much about wildlife and to do so on property with its own rich conservation history. Hardeman Barns is a treasured place and we look forward to working with the Land Trust on its continued stewardship and to enhancing our capacity to help more birds and educate students of all ages about the wonders of the natural world through the eyes of birds of prey.”
Learn more about the Hardeman Barns property from this short video by Jennifer Tennican:
