JACKSON, Wyo. — The Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board (JHTTB) has found a way to use tourism dollars to directly support the protection and conservation of Jackson’s unique landscapes.
After five years of individually supporting local ambassador programs and tracking noteworthy results, JHTTB made a strategic decision to dedicate ambassador service-specific funding for the first time in its Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget. The addition of this new line item in the budget serves as recognition that face-to-face interactions and boots-on-the-ground service are some of the most impactful ways to modify visitor behavior.
Since launching in 2021, the Friends of Bridger-Teton Ambassadors for Responsible Recreation Program, funded by JHTTB, has extinguished over 800 abandoned campfires and issued more than 350 food storage and camping violations. As facilitated through lodging tax dollars, the Teton Backcountry Alliance has shuttled 4,800 skiers safely up Teton Pass, and Jackson Hole Nordic Alliance has increased responsible use on nordic trails.
On June 12, JHTTB allocated over $750,000 to six ambassador programs: Friends of Bridger-Teton, Teton Backcountry Alliance, Friends of Pathways, Jackson Hole Nordic Alliance, Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center and Teton Valley Trails & Pathways. The amount promises a huge return on investment, as these organizations will place ambassadors at critical areas, including trailheads, highly trafficked backcountry ski access points and Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) camping areas.
Jackson Hole’s ambassador funding offers a promising example of how tourism can actively support the stewardship of public lands. Rather than viewing tourism and conservation as opposing forces, JHTTB seeks to ask: “What if one could serve the other?”
“Through strategic allocation of Teton County’s lodging tax funds, we steward Jackson Hole toward a sustainable destination,” JHTTB said in a statement, “where our leadership, marketing, management and community engagement ensure the vitality of our natural and human ecosystems.”
