“The expansion of Grand Targhee Resort could further impact diminishing habitat for the small, genetically isolated population of native bighorn sheep that have endured in the Teton Range since the last ice age. Development of the ski area infrastructure in the South Bowl would result in a direct loss of occupied bighorn sheep summer habitat and further fragment the available summer bighorn sheep habitat in Teton Canyon.” – National Park Service Officials
Some cool things are coming in Grand Targhee’s future, as a high-speed chairlift will service Peake Mountain for the first time in the 2022-23 season. Then a chondola will replace the Dreamcatcher chairlift. There were also future terrain expansions planned into Teton Canyon, but it looks like the U.S. Forest Service will cancel these proposals. WyoFile.com reports that the Teton Canyon plans could be canceled altogether due to the expansion invading the space of Bighorn Sheep. The legendary animal once had a population of 1.5 million across the West, but now only 85,000 remain. Caribou-Targhee National Forest and the Grand Teton National Park, who are considering the proposal, have seen concerning declines in herd numbers in Bighorn Sheep in Wyoming. Such factors into this decline include sheep grazing, “lost habitat and severed migration routes from roadbuilding, fences and other human development.” With a rise of human development in the Tetons, bighorn sheep hang out in wind-swept, high elevation areas in the winter, just like Teton Canyon. Bighorn Sheep are generally not fond of people in their space, which further risks their lifestyle if the expansion were to go through.
Image Credits: Grand Targhee Resort, WyoFile.com, Save Teton Canyon