Welcome!

Located in the southwestern corner of Grand Teton National Park, the Preserve includes 1,106 acres surrounding the southern half of Phelps Lake and includes a small, 7,500 foot interpretive center, three restroom facilities and an approximately 8 mile trail network. The Preserve Center contains a series of sensory exhibits designed to help visitors become more aware of the nature that surrounds them.


Laurance S. Rockefeller believed in the power of nature to restore and sustain the human spirit. He expressed his hope that the Preserve would become a place of physical and spiritual renewal, that it would be a model for acheiving balance between the preservation and public use, and that it would demonstrate how citizens working in partnership with their government can acheive important goals.


Monday, August 1, 2011

Description of Trails

Lake Creek - Woodland Trail Loop

Mileage: 2.9 miles round trip

Time: 1.5 hours

Elevation Gain: 350 feet

Difficulty: EASY

-  Starting from LSR Interpretive Center, hike the Lake Creek Trail as you follow the twists and turns of the rushing creek towards Phelps Lake.  Through the trees most of the way, the trail eventually opens up to an expansive meadow, teasing the visitor with views of the jagged Teton Range.  Follow along the shores of the lake for half a mile taking in the majestic views of the lake, reflecting the awe-inspiring Death Canyon in the distance.  Hike back on the Woodland Trail as you descend back into the lush forest spotted with a variety of pines, firs, spruces, and aspens.










Aspen Ridge - Boulder Ridge Loop

Mileage: 5.8 miles round trip

Time: 3 hours

Elevation Gain: 900 feet

Difficulty: MODERATE

-  Branching off of the Lake Creek Trail, follow the undulating slope of the Aspen Ridge Trail through groves of aspens with expansive views of the Jackson Hole valley and the southern Teton Range.  Hike along the shore of Phelps Lake until diving back into the dense forest of the Boulder Ridge Trail.  Ascend up and over the lateral moraine as you are surrounded by massive boulders dotting the forest floor.  Finally, continue back onto the Woodland Trail as you descend through the forest towards the interpretive center.










Phelps Lake Loop

Mileage: 7 miles round triip

Time: 4 hours

Elevation Gain: 900 feet

Difficulty: MODERATE

- After hiking to Phelps Lake from either the Lake Creek or Woodland Trail, follow the shoreline as you traverse your way around the lake.  Experience the ever changing views of Death Canyon and the Teton Range, as you make your way to the mouth of the canyon.  Once back on the south side of the lake, take your pick of either the Lake Creek or Woodland trail to get back to the interpretive center.









Saturday, July 30, 2011

Leadership in Energy and Environmetal Design (LEED)

The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded Platinum LEED Certification, the highest level of achievement, to the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve.  The LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based standard to support and certify successful green building design, construction and operations.  LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.


Sustainable Site Development

Between July 2004 and May 2007, thirty buildings, roads, utilities and other structures were removed from the Preserve and the sites were reclaimed to blend with natural surroundings.  By relocating and reusing the buildings locally, the Preserve saved 155.2 tons in demolition waste.  The extensive reclamation also enhances wildlife habitat, reduces non-native vegetation, reconnects fragmented wetlands and improves the visitor experience throughout the property.

To develop the site sustainably, the buildings, parking and trails have been located on areas that were previously developed.  In the parking lot, gravel pave and bioswale reduces flow and filters contaminants from storm water.  The Preserve also eliminates waste by asking visitors to follow the principles of Leave No Trace and with the garbage they bring in, "pack it in and pack it out."




Water Savings

By planting native species to eliminate permanent irrigation and using composting toilets and low-flow lavatories, the Preserve reduces water use by 96% for annual savings of over 76,000 gallons of potable water.




Energy Effeciency

Exterior wall and roof insulation, window glass insulation, lighting, geothermal heating, natural ventilation, photovoltaic panels and renewable energy reduce the Preserve's energy cost by 78% compared to a typical building.  This is equal to taking approximately five passenger cars off the road for a year.

One special component of energy savings is lighting.  Designers tested the level of illumination needed and worked together to design a system that used automated lighting controls to adjust individual lights based on occupancy and daylight.  Another component is geothermal heating.  The building uses a series of 250' wells to transfer the natural temperature of the ground into the building with a heat pump.




Materials Selection

The Preserve uses a variety of salvaged or recycled materials, sustainably harvested lumber, and regionally manufactured materials.

The concrete block in the building walls is composed of 85% recycled post-consumer polystyrene waste; the ceiling and wall paneling is composed of salvaged hemlock; and the cotton batt insulation contains approximately 85% recycled denim and cotton fibers.

The Preserve has 69% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood products, including the prominent structural wood columns in the front of the building.  FSC certified wood has been harvested from forests that are managed in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable way.

To conserve energy, reduce associated emissions and support the regional economy, over 24% of construction materials at the Preserve were manufactured within 500 miles of the site.  Regional materials include steel, structural timber, cotton batt insulation, and structural insulated on the roof.




Indoor Environmental Quality

The Preserve center uses adhesives, sealants, coatings, and carpet that emit low amounts of volatile organic compounds, as well as composite wood made without urea-formaldehyde resins and insulation containing no airborne particulates or formaldehyde.




We hope that your visit to the Preserve will provide inspiration and ideas that you can use in your own communities and homes.

Remember...

Think green at home!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Reclamation





In preparation for donation to the park, and at the direction of Laurance S. Rockefeller, all roads, buildings, utilities, and other structures were removed from the ranch in order to restore the area's natural landscape.  Thirteen of the buildings that were removed were donated to the park for reuse.  Three of the buildings have been converted to permanent employee housing, four to seasonal housing, one to a laundry facility, one to a garage and three to storage facilities.  The largest of the buildings, the JY Shop, was moved to the park headquarters area and has undergone extensive renovation work.  It now serves as the offices and workshops for the Western Center for Historic Preservation.  The other seventeen buildings, including the main lodge were moved to another ranch that the Rockefeller family still owns south of Grand Teton National Park.








History





In May 2001, Laurance S. Rockefeller announced his intent to donate the 1106-acre JY Ranch to Grand Teton National Park.  During a ceremony held at the ranch on May 26, 2001, Vice President Cheney and Secretary of the Interior Norton committed that the U.S. Government would honor the specific wishes and vision of Mr. Rockefeller in accepting his donation.  This was also annotated in a Memoranda of Understanding between the NPS and Mr. Rockefeller in which the National Park Service committed to operating the ranch upon transfer of the property and states Mr. Rockefeller's intent to establish an endowment fund to provide for the long-term capital maintenance of the Ranch.




Through this gift, Mr. Rockefeller expressed his hope that the Preserve would become a place of physical and spiritual renewal, it would be a model for achieving balance between preservation of natural values and public use, and that it would demonstrate how citizens working in partnership with their government can achieve important goals.




The JY Ranch is significant because of the family's relationship to the establishment of the park and the conservation stewardship legacy of the Rockefeller family to both Grand Teton and the entire National Park Service.  Used as a treasured summer family retreat since the 1930's the ranch is one of the most scenic, pristine, and wildlife-rich areas of the park.  The property is located along the Moose-Wilson Road corridor, and though priceless due to its pristine qualities and incalculable value, it will surely be one of the largest donations in the history of the National Park Service.