With the enactment of a continuing resolution providing federal funding, staff at the National Elk Refuge will resume regular operations this week, including reopening facilities, processing applications for film requests and other special use permits, and offering educational programming.
Staff will reopen the Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center on Wednesday, January 30. The Visitor Center, which serves as an interagency resource for area public lands, is located at 532 N. Cache Street in Jackson. The facility is open during the winter season from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.
Refuge sleigh rides, offered by a private contractor through the Grand Teton Association, will move operations back to the Visitor Center from its temporary location at the Town of Jackson’s Home Ranch Welcome Center on Wednesday. Ticket sales and shuttle bus service to the sleigh boarding area were temporarily relocated during the partial government shutdown in order to continue the popular wildlife viewing opportunity. Refuge staff extends a special thank you to the Town of Jackson, Town Manager Larry Pardee, and the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce for their efforts to arrange for use of the building in the interim.
In addition, the Refuge staff thanks the local community and partners who provided incredible support for federal employees and operations over the past five weeks. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees across the country are happy to be back at work, serving the American public and conserving our nation’s wildlife and habitat.
- Jackson Welcomes New Sister City - April 22, 2024
- Public Input Sought for Cache Creek Trailhead Redesign in Jackson - April 22, 2024
- Film Premiere and Community Discussion: “No Longer Invisible” at The Center Theater - April 22, 2024