JACKSON, Wyo. — In an acknowledgement of the severity that wildfires can impact communities, Teton Conservation District (TCD) is committed to aiding Teton County’s preparedness through the Wildfire Risk Reduction Program.
This program has empowered hundreds of Teton County residents to safeguard their properties against wildfires, by assessing structural and vegetation conditions, providing mitigation recommendations and providing funding when actions are taken. This program improves the safety of homeowners, first responders and the community.
Homeowners can schedule a Wildfire Risk Overview with TCD’s staff to discuss your values and goals, and assess the potential wildfire risks to your properties. TCD staff will create a comprehensive written report, offering voluntary recommendations—all at no cost to the landowner. Beyond helping individual homeowners, this program has inspired entire neighborhoods to come together to manage vegetation in common spaces and improve water supply to fight wildfires. We encourage Teton County residents to utilize this resource not just for personal property protection but to collectively increase community safety.
Learn more and request a Wildfire Risk Overview here.
In addition to wildfire preparedness, TCD wants to highlight a partnership with Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ). TCD oversees an air quality monitoring station on High School Road. This station is especially good at monitoring particulate matter from wildfire smoke, our primary local air pollutant of concern. It recently underwent a transformation into real-time data collection instruments, enabling Teton County residents to access up-to-the-hour air quality information.
Air pollution, stemming from particle matter pollution, ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and more, is a critical concern. The High School Road station monitors particulate matter (PM), extremely small particles categorized by size class as PM2.5 or PM10. These tiny particles have been linked to potential health issues, with PM2.5 particles, such as those found in smoke and haze, having the capacity to travel deep into lungs.
During visible smoke events, determining whether outdoor activities are safe can be challenging. Particularly, individuals with cardiovascular or pulmonary conditions need accurate data to make informed decisions. The PM2.5 data is available as a resource for Teton County residents.
Access the data by visiting the WDEQ’s website here. Click the icon at the Jackson site, to populate a window showing the 24-hour rolling average PM measurements. To view hourly records, click ‘Historical Data Concentration’ at the bottom of the window.
Here’s a general guide to interpreting PM2.5 data:
0 – 12 µg/m³: Good
12 – 35 µg/m³: Moderate
36 – 55 µg/m³: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
56 – 150 µg/m³: Unhealthy
151 – 250 µg/m³: Very Unhealthy
251 and above µg/m³: Hazardous
Click the rectangle icon at the Jackson site to populate a new window.
This window populates: “Jackson SLAMS,” showing 24-hour rolling PM10 and PM2.5 averages.
Scroll down and click “Historical Data Concentration” to populate a new window.
This window populates, showing hourly measurements for PM10 and PM2.5.
Teton Conservation District is a local government entity whose mission is to work with the community in the conservation of natural resources for the health and benefit of people and the environment. If you have any questions about these, or other programs, please call us at (307) 733-2110 or stop by the office at 420 West Pearl Avenue.
