April 10, 2020
ElkFest and the annual Jackson District Boy Scout elk antler auction has been postponed. The community event, previously scheduled to be held May 16, 2020, has officially been postponed due to COVID-19 public health safety measures, which limit large public gatherings and recommend social distancing. The new date of ElkFest and the elk antler auction will be announced later in the summer.
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Change in Operations
March 18, 2020
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The National Elk Refuge has temporarily changed its operations in response to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. The Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center is temporarily closed. This closure follows guidance from the CDC and recommendations from state and local public health authorities.
All visitor activities and programs that operate out of the Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center have been cancelled for the remainder of the winter season. This includes Winter Sleigh Rides, Naturalist-led Wildlife Excursions, and Feathered Fridays.
The Refuge itself remains open from sunrise to sunset. Note however, that public restrooms, including vault toilets, are closed. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope you enjoy your visit to the Refuge.
Updates will be posted to the website as they are made available.
December 31, 2019
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently released the final Environmental Assessment and final Bison and Elk Management Step-down Plan, which provides a structured framework that refuge staff and partners can implement over the next five years to achieve measurable progress towards reaching the objective of reducing reliance on supplemental feeding. The final Step-down Plan does not aim to reduce the total number of elk in the Jackson herd. Rather, the plan aims to gradually reduce the number of elk that rely on artificial feeding on the refuge over time.
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