A Century of Success & Trailblazers of American Conservation
Mardy & Olaus Murie
John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
Frank & John Craighead
Meg & Bert Raynes
Due to its wild nature, Jackson Hole has always drawn individuals who care deeply about our natural world.
With more than 100 years of land and wildlife conservation success stories to its credit, this ‘crucible of conservation’ is one of the
most significant wild areas in the world, with an unmatched- and growing – legacy of wildlife champions quietly guarding the gem.
Click on an icon to discover more about some of these conservation pioneers and the conservation legacies they’ve left behind
here in our valley.
Mardy & Olaus Murie
Olaus Murie was born in 1889 in Minnesota. Following his graduation from the University of Oregon where he studied zoology and wildlife biology, he began working in the conservation field. As a biologist for the US Bureau of Biological Survey he surveyed the migrations and population sizes of Alaskan caribou and was then assigned to study threatened elk herds in Jackson Hole in 1927. Olaus’ work focused on a systems-based approach, he studied the entire habitat, not just the species, which was controversial at the time. In 1945 he was named the director of the Wilderness Society, and the Wilderness Society headquarters were at Murie Ranch in Grand Teton National Park. His work helped to establish the Wilderness Act of 1964, though he passed away in 1963. He was awarded the prestigious Audubon Medal in 1959.
Mardy Murie was born in Seattle in 1902, but grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska. She was the first woman to graduate from the University of Alaska in 1924. She advocated for conservation of public land and wrote books about conservation and her travels with Olaus. She was awarded the Audubon Medal in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Bill Clinton in 1998. Mardy passed away in 2003.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. was born in Ohio in 1874, the only son and heir to the fortune of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., builder of Standard Oil. After a tour of the Jackson Hole Valley in 1926 with Horace Albright, future director of the National Park Service, Rockefeller create the Snake River Land Company to purchase land around the Snake River and protect it from future development. Rockefeller created this company so that landowners would not increase their purchase price knowing that it was a Rockefeller buying their land. It also served the purpose of assuaging landowners’ fears that the purchase was a part of a federal land grab. That land was later donated to the federal government and became Grand Teton National Park.
Without the foresight of Rockefeller and Albright, Grand Teton National Park would lack the extent of land protection and wild character it retains today.
John & Frank Craighead
John and Frank Craighead were born in Washington, DC in 1916. Following high school they drove cross country photographing and capturing hawks and falcons and made a stop in Jackson Hole. They studied science at Pennsylvania State University and they went to the University of Michigan for masters degrees in ecology and wildlife management. They published articles in National Geographic about their road trip and later about a trip to India on falconry, but their trip was cut short by World War II. During this time they were working towards PhD’s at the University of Michigan and created a manual for the Navy, “How to Survive Land and Sea.” Following the war they returned to Jackson Hole and purchased property in Moose. In 1959, at the request of Yellowstone National Park, John and Frank began a twelve year study of grizzly bears in the park. They developed radio transmitters to track the bears. They also developed field techniques to tranquilize the bears in the field to put the collars on. Based on the tracking data, the Craigheads found that the bears move outside of the park’s boundaries and they introduced the concept of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. They were very involved with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
Meg & Bert Raynes
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. was born in Ohio in 1874, the only son and heir to the fortune of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., builder of Standard Oil. After a tour of the Jackson Hole Valley in 1926 with Horace Albright, future director of the National Park Service, Rockefeller create the Snake River Land Company to purchase land around the Snake River and protect it from future development. Rockefeller created this company so that landowners would not increase their purchase price knowing that it was a Rockefeller buying their land. It also served the purpose of assuaging landowners’ fears that the purchase was a part of a federal land grab. That land was later donated to the federal government and became Grand Teton National Park.
Without the foresight of Rockefeller and Albright, Grand Teton National Park would lack the extent of land protection and wild character it retains today.
Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation
Being Wild Jackson Hole is an effort lead by the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation to help ensure survival of the wild spirit of this special place by embracing and promoting environmental stewardship, along with the values and actions that support it. We encourage visitors to learn about and participate fully in our conservation efforts.
Funded by:
