The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance announced last week that it has received a $6,000 grant from outdoor clothing company Patagonia to help protect wildlife habitat.

Patagonia awarded the money to be used toward the group’s campaign Corridors and Communities: Keeping Jackson Whole.

The campaign advocates for the integration of conservation science into local land-use planning. Funding will go toward the alliance’s outreach efforts, which support strong policies to protect habitat and wildlife connectivity throughout Jackson Hole and the south-
ern Greater Yellowstone Eco-system.

“This grant will go directly toward the integration of stronger wildlife protection standards in our town and county regulations,” said Kristy Bruner, community planning director for the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance. “We are very appreciative of Patagonia’s support.”

Bruner said the grant is especially needed as Jackson continues with its comprehensive plan revision.

The grant was awarded as part of Patagonia’s Freedom to Roam initiative, the goal of which is to connect crucial wild habitat in North America to ensure that animals will survive a warming planet. Scientists predict many species will go extinct by the beginning of the next century if wildlife corridors aren’t protected from development, said Patagonia environmental grants manager Ilysia Shattuck.

Bruner said surveys show that protecting wildlife and habitat is a top priority for valley residents.

But complex planning issues still pose challenges to sustaining wildlife connectivity in the valley, she said.

The local government comprehensive planning process, which began in 2007 and is continuing this year, will affect whether Jackson Hole maintains wildlife habitat and corridors in the long term.

“With every planning document we review, and with every meeting we attend and hold, we work to bring step-by-step measurable results to this process,” Bruner said. “We are committed to bring policy alternatives forward that will better protect wildlife.

“At the end of this process, we would like to see a comprehensive plan that directs our community to protect the wildlife and natural resources of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem,” she said.