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Yonder Lies: Unpacking the Myths of Jackson Hole


Few places have come to symbolize the rapidly-changing American West quite like the valley of Jackson Hole, Wyoming—grizzlies still graze by the roadside, elk eat farm-raised grass, and, all the while, service workers, ranchers, ski bums, and billionaires also jostle to find their piece of paradise.

For millennia, the human and non-human residents of Jackson Hole have co-existed in a complex struggle for the good life. But what is the state of this balance these days? And how have these relationships been shaped by recent changes in resources, demographics, and priorities of our communities?

Yonder Lies, a new podcast from KHOL 89.1 and Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative Researchers, is your invitation to dive into the nitty-gritty of Jackson Hole. Hosted by writers and researchers Hannah Habermann and Jesse Bryant, Yonder Lies shares intimate stories of the people, conflicts, and institutions that have made this place what it is today.

Subscribe now to join us, as we help sort fact from fiction and wonder what the future may hold for this beloved American landscape.

Jan 19, 2020

The controversial creation of Grand Teton National Park is in some ways the beginning of the culture that still dominates Jackson Hole today: outdoor recreation and aesthetic experience of nature.

In this episode, we ask: What is there to do when the same activities that allow people to enjoy the land are also leading to its degradation? How do we reconcile seemingly irreconcilable land uses? Should wealth equate to decision-making power in regards to environmental management? And how do we combat the tendency for cultures of leisure to become cultures of apathy?

We will cover the differences between conservation and preservation of land, the US Forest Service and National Park Service, how National Monuments are created and differ from National Parks, and the critical compromises made between the residents of Jackson, Wyoming and the US Federal Government that led to a very unique land management situation in Grand Teton National Park.

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