JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — The Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation (JHWF) will premier a short documentary film exploring the ecological importance of the Snake River corridor and the challenge of preserving the area amid an expanding human footprint.
The film was produced by award-winning cinematographer Jake Willers (Nine Caribou Productions) as part of JHWF’s Snake River Corridor Project, an ongoing educational campaign which seeks to bring attention to the Snake River’s headwaters in Jackson Hole as crucial habitat for Wyoming’s wildlife.
The documentary highlights the Snake River’s riparian zone as the single most critical movement and migration corridor for native fauna in the entire Jackson Hole valley. As an artery for wildlife travel extending from Moran to Alpine, this river corridor “connects spatially disjunct pieces of habitat and provides more food and refugia for more species across more days per year than any other habitat in Jackson Hole,” says Morgan Graham of the Teton Conservation District.
The rich wildlife habitat within the Snake River corridor is also a hub for human recreation, including boating and fishing, both critical components of Jackson’s economy and cultural identity. And as much of the riparian zone south of Grand Teton National Park is private land, the potential for development of new homes, roadways and fences is immense.
“Jackson is growing and will continue to grow,” says JHWF executive director Renee Seidler. “If we can think about the best ways to grow in the interest of preserving the wildlife we have, that’s the best thing that we can do.”
As many of us gravitate to take advantage of all the Snake River has to offer, the film inquires whether the community can continue to balance our love and reliance on the Snake River with the needs of wildlife that depend on it.
