JACKSON, Wyo. — The recent article, “These Towns Are Fighting Climate Change at the Local Level,” published on Outside, explores how two towns are fighting climate change at a local level. The article, written by Heather Hansman covers Jackson, Wyoming, and Natick, Massachusetts.
Hansman discusses the vacant, yet newly created Ecosystems Stewardship Administrator position. The new position is part of the town’s community development department.
“The idea is to put someone in place to connect dots between environmental groups and land managers, set a baseline for ecological integrity, and spearhead the community’s climate plan.”
Councilmember Jonathan Schechter, an advocate for the position, was interviewed.
According to the article, Schechter says the details of the role are deliberately wide-ranging because part of the job will be figuring out what the community’s needs are and how to balance a growing population with a high-value ecosystem increasingly impinged upon by human use.
“If we can’t do it, with all these resources, it makes me very worried. We have the awareness, we know this is an opportunity, and we know how this story ends if we don’t try to alter it,” Schechter told Outside.
The position was budgeted for by the town council during July 2021 budget negotiations. The council allocated $144,265 for the advertising and funding of the job. The Teton County Board of County Commissioners opted to not fund the position.
In October 2021 the job was posted. At this time, the town has not hired a person to fill the position.
