About Us
Our Vision
Clean water now and for future generations.
A decade after Friends of Fish Creek was founded in 2014, Protect Our Water Jackson Hole is leading water quality advocacy and protections throughout our county. POWJH has a history of implementing lasting changes to ensure that our precious Snake River Watershed will remain healthy for generations to come.
Recipient of our second $80K EPA EE Grant – 1 of 38 nationwide! – to continue teaching programs in the school, well testing program, develop an algal bloom awareness program, and continue to educate underserved immigrant communities
Approval of WQMP
Established a Water Quality Monitoring Program for Fish Creek and Flat Creek
Many Public Comment letters to halt development to protect water quality – Wilson/Fish Creek, JHMR, Mogul
Water Symposium Jackson Hole
Water Quality Specific Purpose Excise Tax approval – most supported SPET measure ever!
Hosted two Rally for Clean water community education events
Created the free Tap Into Science community presentation series in partnership with Snake River Brewing
Spearheaded the development of a Hoback Water & Sewer District and created the Hoback Clean Water Initiative to provide free drinking water delivery program to Hoback residents
Small Wastewater Facility Regulation updates
$100K EPA Environmental Education Grant allows POWJH to establish middle school and high school classroom clean water programs, host free drinking water well testing events, extend outreach to underserved communities, and launch a septic system pumping rebate program
Partnered with JH Public art on a WildWalls murals to educate the community about local water quality issues and share proactive solutions through Augmented Reality
Developed a Candidate Campaign video interview series – an election spotlight on local water quality issues highlighting how they planned to prioritize water quality once they are in office
POWJH spearheaded efforts to revise the Teton County Comprehensive Plan to include the creation of a wastewater management plan and strengthened protections for water resources.
POWJH raised $250,000 and garnered nearly 2000 petition signatures as the catalyst to begin the Teton County Water Quality Management Plan proces
Friends of Fish Creek rebranded to Protect our Water Jackson hole to reflect an expanded mission to address water quality issues in all of Teton County, WY
Commissioned 4 USGS studies
Developed and hosted the first-ever Candidate Forum focused on water quality
Identified current and future sources of nutrient pollution in Fish Creek the through development of a groundwater nutrient loading model
Fish Creek Stakeholders Group was established to develop a collaborative approach to stewardship of the watershed, to implement further research and monitoring, and science-based best management practices through 2018
Friends of Fish Creek (FOFC) was founded to address and raise awareness of nutrient pollution issues on the Westbank
Our work, backed by science and passion, facilitates learning and drives changes that improve our community’s water quality. In order to ensure clean water now and into the future, POWJH utilizes a multifaceted approach focused on community solutions, advocacy, and education.
Executive Director
Phil is a long-time Jackson business owner, an avid conservationist, and a lifelong climber. As the CEO of the American Alpine Club (AAC), he built a capable public policy function and advocated for recreational climbing with state and federal agencies and political leaders. His experience at the AAC is complemented by the work he does with over twenty land management agencies—including Grand Teton National Park—in six states to operate Jackson Hole Mountain Guides and its four other branch locations.
He also served as Chief Mountaineering Instructor, and Development and Partnerships Director at the National Outdoor Leadership School where he raised their first endowment fund. Powers also serves on the board of Ascend, an organization that teaches leadership and provides opportunity to girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and as the North American representative and board member to the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation.
In his new role, Powers will lead the organization to advocate for the implementation of the 20-year Teton County Water Quality Management Plan. Fully implementing the plan will be critical to achieving our vision of clean water now and for future generations.
“It’s hard to imagine an endeavor more relevant than securing the quality of the water we drink and enjoy for recreation. In Jackson, that concern extends to the health of our ecosystem, the tourism industry on which so many depend, and the diversity of our residents. It will be an honor to serve this community as we work together to improve water quality for everyone. My wife, Sarah Pierce, and I are excited for this next adventure.”
Communications & Marketing Director
Wendy has a strong history in design, education, and community engagement. She has two degrees in Apparel and Textile Design; a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and an Associate in Applied Science from the Fashion Institute of Technology–SUNY. Her design career began in New York City and includes international apparel design, costume/wardrobe design for movie and Broadway theater productions, and metal-smithing as a jewelry design assistant.
Approached with the opportunity to teach design as an interim faculty member at UW–Madison, Wendy enthusiastically returned to her alma mater. After completing her contract, a desire to travel and connect with nature led her west to the mountains and then to Hawai’i where she pursued the passion to be an entrepreneur and launched her artisan jewelry company. Committed to arts and education in the community, Wendy also served on the Board of Trustees for a nonprofit art association and was part-owner of an artist cooperative.
She returned to the mountains near Jackson Hole when she married and has since turned her talents toward her love for the wilderness and helping to protect the unique resource of the headwaters of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Development Assistant
Dan spent 20 years pursuing fly fishing to a level resembling less passion and more like an incurable disease. With a BA from St. Lawrence University and armed with an appreciation for the arts and literature, Dan guided throughout the West, became the first American guide to work in Seychelles, and eventually competed for the US Fly Fishing Team in the National and World Championships to become one of the most accomplished anglers in Jackson.
In addition to his love of fly fishing, Dan spent 11 years working in the nonprofit sector of Human Services before completing his MA in Public Administration from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, where he focused on nonprofit ecology and management. After jumping into the development field, Dan has found a way to blend both worlds with Protect Our Water Jackson Hole and supporting the work crucial to protecting Jackson Hole residents’ environment and health.
When not advocating for humans and fish, you may find him volunteering for local nonprofits, hiking around watersheds, or cooking for friends and family.
Water Resources Program Manager
Matt’s reverence for the natural world first took root in the Northeast, where escapes to the mountains, lakes or coast were never far away. After completing a BA in Environmental Geography at Colgate University, he headed west to work in the ski industry and gain freshwater research experience across Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. He supported these seasonal jobs by assembling plankton nets, sediment coring devices, Van Dorn water samplers, and other field equipment for sale at Aquatic Research Instruments. He then relocated to the upper midwest to research toxic algae blooms and earned his MS in Water Resources Science from the University of Minnesota – Duluth. After two terrific years on the shores of Lake Superior, he again headed west and returned to the land of high peaks, open spaces, persistent drought, and rapid development. After years researching water quality problems spurred by human activity, he poured himself into the advancement of forces that make socio-ecological systems thrive. He worked on several regenerative farms, volunteered for Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper’s water quality monitoring program, became an Idaho Master Naturalist, discovered a love for foraging, cooked professionally, and graduated from the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance’s Conservation Leadership Institute.
Since joining POWJH in May 2022, Matt has used his passion for science to cultivate the restoration and protection of our sacred Snake River Headwaters watershed. He facilitates water quality monitoring, teaches students in classrooms, leads public outreach events, writes grants, and collaborates with local government, federal land managers and partner organizations on issues related to impaired waterbodies, wastewater management and drinking water quality. Matt unequivocally believes in the power that local food systems and clean water have to unite and fortify communities. He is grateful to serve our watershed and is always on the lookout for new ways to use information and experience to build a holistic stewardship ethic.
Our progress as a community, driven by our success as an organization, would not be possible without the generosity of community members who care about our water quality. We work to ensure that our community is healthy and resilient, focused on leaving a legacy of stewardship that we can all be proud of.
Board Chair
My wife Kristi and I live about a mile and a half north of Wilson where we are surrounded by beautiful Fish Creek and the many small streams and tributaries that feed into it. Living here, surrounded by water, I witness every day how critically important clean, sustainable water resources are to all of the wildlife and beauty that makes this valley such a unique and special place.
As with everyone else who calls this valley home, water is at the center of almost everything I do everyday. From my first cup of coffee in the morning, to fly-fishing, drift boating, kayaking, canoeing, or just sitting on the bank of a river, stream or lake and watching the raptors, waterfowl, ungulates and other multitude of wildlife that rely on clean, healthy, unpolluted water resources to thrive.’
I joined the board of POWJH when it was known as Friends of Fish Creek. It was obvious at that time that the ecological health of Fish Creek was in serious decline. As POWJH studied the causes of that decline, it became apparent that all the sources of pollution negatively impacting Fish Creek are also impacting the surface waters and groundwater throughout our valley. Fish Creek, it turns out, is the proverbial “Canary in the coal mine” telling us that our valley’s water resources are under serious threat.
Water is the lifeblood of this valley. Our health, economy, housing, recreation, and wildlife are totally dependent on having healthy surface waters and groundwaters. Unfortunately, those responsible for protecting our precious water resources have failed, for over 40 years, to take this vital issue seriously and take steps necessary to reclaim and protect our water resources. That is why POWJH exists; to serve as a powerful advocate for reducing nutrient pollution and protecting water quality in the Jackson Hole Valley, both now and in the future. I consider myself fortunate to be able to serve on its board.
Vice Chair
I live in Wilson and am an avid skier and hiker. I also volunteer at String Lake in the summer. I grew up in a lakeside, resort community in the Northeast and spent my childhood in or on some form of water.
Clean water is our Valley’s most important natural resource and, for years, I took it for granted. Although I’d seen an increasing proliferation of algae in our surface waterways, it was a complete shock to me when I first saw the signs along Fish Creek warning against float tubing due to E.coli contamination. It was only through the advocacy of POWJH that those signs appeared. Research now shows that human sewage contributes nearly half of the identifiable fecal bacteria in Fish Creek and nearly a third in Flat Creek.
I joined POWJH because it has the interests of the entire Jackson Hole community at heart – clean water, for all, to drink and recreate in. I witnessed firsthand how under-regulation of septic systems and agricultural runoff in my childhood hometown led to algal blooms, fish kills, and the eventual demise of a once vibrant aquatic ecosystem. I hope to help POWJH prevent the same from happening here in Jackson Hole.
Treasurer
My husband and I live full-time in East Jackson. I like to fish, scuba dive, raft wild and scenic rivers, and enjoy a hike and lunch by clear mountain lakes and streams where I can view the wildlife.
Without clean water, everything we love in this wonderful place is at risk. The disaster in Hoback, the E. coli in Fish and Flat creeks, the algae blooms in standing water throughout the valley, and the clear data that show our aquifer is being polluted by wastewater from the thousands of septic tanks in the valley makes the work of POWJH urgent and relevant.
The seeming lack of community awareness of these degradations in our water quality makes this one of the most critical issues our community is facing. POWJH is doing crucial work for the benefit of this community and our environment.
With my Board colleagues, POWJH staff, and the support of this community we can repair and preserve this precious resource. I hope that protecting and restoring the quality of drinking water from our aquifer and improving effluent discharged to our streams and wild rivers becomes the Number 1 priority for this community.
I live north of town by the Snake River and some beautiful spring creeks. I grew up in Rhode Island and spent most of my childhood either on or in the water – sailing, fishing, swimming, waterskiing. I also have a graduate degree in Soil Chemistry and Environmental Microbiology and have always been interested in ecosystem health and resilience. Water is, of course, at the center of both.
Like so many people, I assumed the water in Teton County was pristine because we sit at the foot of two National Parks. Sadly, our water is far from pristine. Multiple studies have shown that both surface and groundwater are being polluted by the thousands of septic system that don’t function properly in our soil and during our cold winters. Both Fish and Flat Creek have been declared “Impaired” by the state. And, we have algal blooms in some of our most beautiful waters. This polluted water is threatening human health and the health of the incredible ecosystem we live in. I joined the board of POWJH to help bring this critical issue to the attention of our community.
I hope that POWJH can get water quality to the top of the priority list for this community. To really protect water long term, we need broad community awareness, support, and cooperation amongst individuals, businesses, elected officials, and our visitors. The good news is that this is a solvable problem. We can reduce the pressure on our water resources, but it will take a concerted effort by our whole community. POWJH is working hard to teach people that our water really does need our urgent attention.
I live just east of the Wilson bridge over the Snake River. My interests around water include pretty much everything – fishing, canoeing, multi-day float trips, recreation management, aquatic biology, and bird and wildlife viewing.
I joined the POWJH board because I was inspired by the people on the board and want to help the community improve and protect its aquatic resources. I believe Teton County should have a model water management plan, regulations, and infrastructure in keeping with our water resources which are some of the best in the nation.
I moved to Jackson Hole in 1990 and live north of Wilson with my wife Tamsen and our kids Noah, Nate & Neve. In 1995 I founded Rendezvous River Sports and as an instructor and coach, I have introduced thousands of people of all ages to paddle sports including founding the Jackson Hole Kayak Club to promote youth kayaking for local kids. Over the past three decades, I’ve been and continue to be involved with many whitewater expeditions, exploratory descents, and kayaking competitions including descents in Wyoming, British Columbia, Chile, Argentina & Siberia, and numerous podiums at kayaking races.
In addition to my activities on the water, I have worked tirelessly for river stewardship as a board member of American Whitewater, a founding board member of the Snake River Fund, helping lead the Wild & Scenic Campaign for the Snake River Headwaters, leading the effort to create a river management plan for Teton County, and the creation of Rendezvous Park on the Snake River.
I am on the river almost daily and the changes I’ve noticed with algae blooms and general water quality are troubling. This led me to my connection with Protect Our Water JH and I am honored to serve on the board. As we move forward, I hope we can reduce nutrient loading in the Snake River and its tributaries, clean up Fish and Flat Creeks, and develop and implement a wastewater plan for Teton County. We also need to do more to reuse the water we have and to develop systems for reusing greywater for irrigation and snowmaking.
I live in Teton Village. I enjoy rafting, kayaking, and hiking alongside or to our scenic lakes and waterways. In winter, I enjoy nordic skiing upon our beautifully frozen and snow-covered water bodies. Bringing my friends and relatives on a journey on our waterways always provides me with such joy and pride in our spectacularly scenic landscapes.
I joined the board of POWJH because I have governmental experience in planning for the protection and restoration of water quality and I was shocked to observe the serious and mounting threats and degradation to Teton County’s ground and surface waters. I believe access to clean water is a basic human right for everyone and the lynchpin to a healthy ecosystem. Our current system for planning and oversight to protect our water is scattered, highly ineffective and frankly, it alarms me.
POWJH is the only local nonprofit organization solely dedicated to providing ways to guardian our groundwater, lakes, streams, and rivers. POWJH has the power of science behind all its work and is dedicated to bringing the entire community and its leaders and government agencies together to learn about and care for our water resources. It will take all of us as individuals and as a collective to protect, restore, and treasure our waters and I believe POWJH will be the trusted, guiding force in that effort.
I’m a 40+ year resident of Wyoming and live in Cottonwood Park in Jackson, a stone’s throw from Flat Creek, which, incidentally is listed as an impaired stream by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and is not safe to swim in downstream of High School Road due to excessive bacterial contamination.
El Agua es Vida. As an avid sailor, former outdoor educator, and outdoorsman, I know this to be true. Our very existence as a species depends on clean water. Water for drinking, water for bathing, water for cooking, water for food. Although water covers 70% of our planet, less than 3% is fresh water. Here in Jackson, we are surrounded by water, and we are fortunate to have more lakes, rivers, and streams than any other county in Wyoming. But these water resources are threatened. Although virtually every living thing on our planet depends on water, we have abused it, polluted it, wasted it, and basically taken it for granted. Even here in Jackson Hole. Like the air we breathe, all of us have a basic human right to clean water, but increasingly that right is being denied. I am committed to doing everything I can to ensure we all have access to clean water now and for future generations.
I recently retired from the Wyoming Outdoor Council where I served as staff attorney and senior conservation advocate, and formerly as executive director. Much of my recent work with WOC focused on addressing a range of serious water quality challenges facing Teton County. It was through that work that I learned of POWJH. A number of important water quality initiatives including, most importantly, the development of a comprehensive water quality management plan, were launched during that period. As a board member, I hope to continue my involvement in local, state and federal initiatives to protect our precious water resources. Our community needs a strong voice for water quality protection, and POWJH fills that role.
Working closely with our partner agencies and organizations, POWJH has made significant progress addressing a number of pressing water quality issues, first and foremost, persuading the county to invest in a comprehensive water quality management plan. Our community developed a water quality plan in 1978, but that plan was put on a shelf and ignored. POWJH is committed to ensuring that history doesn’t repeat itself. POWJH is a powerful advocate for clean water. We will continue to raise awareness of our water quality problems, and build community support for action to address these challenges.
Jackson Hole has been home my entire adult life—I moved here in 1988, and with my husband, Len, have raised our two children in Wilson. I am most present in life when I am on the oars of a raft, navigating the rivers in our region.
Water is the great equalizer, bonding us regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, and socio-economic status. I joined POWJH because I believe that humans have a fundamental right to clean and safe water, and I want to help connect and mobilize my community to invest in structures and systems that result in the protection of our most vital resource. An eternal optimist, I believe that POWJH can unite, empower, and educate our neighbors to advocate for our aquatic ecosystem.
I live on a small bluff above the Hoback River, close enough to toss a rock in the water. In the spring the river runs red with sediment; in the summer kayaks float by and the rumbling of the river serenades us to sleep. The fall brings low water, and across the winter we watch the freeze move from the banks toward the center of the river.
Other aspects of our water life are less benign. All of Teton County funnels down to Hoback. Drinking water wells here are contaminated with nitrate, and our homeowner’s association spends mightily to remove them from our well water. Costs have gone up by an order of magnitude since we moved here 9 years ago. Other neighbors tell similar stories.
There is now some momentum to clean up our water in Hoback. I’ve spent much of the last three years trying to move the process along. I’m grateful that POWJH is helping with water issues in Hoback and across Teton County.
I live in east Jackson. I love canoeing in the park, walking by our creeks, and floating the Snake River.
I joined the Board of POWJH because I have seen how far the organization has come and I truly believe in its mission. I want to see us achieve what we set out to do!
I hope that POWJH succeeds in alerting our community to the threat our waters face, and gathers enough support to put real protective measures in place.
I have enjoyed exploring the rivers, lakes, and oceans around the world since childhood while kayaking, swimming, diving, birding, and fishing. I moved to Jackson in 2013 and live on Flat Creek where I see families and diverse wildlife in the creek.
I am a chemical engineer with 40 plus years of experience in industry, EPA, and consulting for improving health, safety, environment, industrial design, energy conservation, and corporate risks. I believe that human-caused adverse impacts can be effectively addressed to improve the ecosystems that support all life when there is community support.
I have participated in the restoration of water systems through industrial process improvements, remediation, regulatory initiatives, advanced studies in water and geology sciences, and public relations to improve communications. I support POWJH efforts to educate the public and officials serving the public well-being on water issues and related natural resources to improve the deteriorating health of Jackson Hole’s water resources. Together great works can be achieved to improve our knowledge of pollution sources and how to reduce their discharges.
I live one mile southeast of Wilson between Fish Creek and the Snake River. I am a lifelong outdoor enthusiast and environmentalist, spending my free time fly fishing, boating, hiking, and skiing. I’ve spent my career developing solar and battery technologies that will help address the challenge of climate change.
When you look out your window at the scenic, wild wonder that is Jackson Hole, it’s hard to believe we have a water quality problem – but we do. Human-caused pollution is threatening the waters that sustain the animals and people living here. I joined the board to help protect and restore this amazing region that I’ve been enjoying for almost 50 years.
People caused this problem and only people can fix it. Through education, community engagement, and advocacy, my hope is that POWJH can catalyze real actions and projects that can restore and protect our precious water resources.
My husband and I currently live in Jackson proper but will relocate a couple miles south of Wilson along Fish Creek in late 2024 and will also have access to a spring-fed pond. We hope to enjoy all the activities these waters allow as well as the many nearby lakes. Our concern, however, is both the above-ground water pollution as well as what may be impacting the water table and well water.
Water is our life-source and it provides so many recreational opportunities. I am very impressed with how much POWJH has accomplished and the impact it has had in a relatively short period of time. It is focused. I am honored to serve and hope to help make an impact.
I hope POWJH will help with the completion of the Water Quality Management Plan and the development of a road map for clean water for both living and recreating for our children and grandchildren. Our water reaches well beyond the county and even our state of Wyoming. We need to be good stewards of this precious resource.
I was excited to move to Wilson in 2000 and to make my home in Jackson Hole, a stunning area of national parks and forests. I felt fortunate to be able to live and raise my kids in such a pristine valley. However, my initial belief that the water from my faucet was healthy to drink was wrong.
Most of us living in Jackson Hole assume our water is safe to use and drink. This assumption, unfortunately, is not valid. Sadly, much of our water is contaminated and unsafe to drink. Teton County has over 2000 unregulated septic systems, most of which do not adequately protect our groundwater. Despite 113 public water systems in Teton County, the water from our taps is often unsafe to consume or bathe. Over half of our public water systems have received violations in the past three years.
As a member of the POWJH board, I am committed to bringing about change. I believe in our collective power to work with the Town of Jackson and Teton County to ensure our drinking water is safe. We can collaborate with federal, state, and local authorities to protect the Snake River’s headwaters, our sole drinking water source currently containing excessive amounts of E.coli, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
We can raise awareness and mobilize the community to address our contaminated, unhealthy water issue. Water, our most vital resource, must be protected. Jackson Hole is a beautiful place to live; we all deserve clean and safe water. Clean water is a critical issue that demands our immediate attention.
My wife Ginny and I were able to buy a condo in the Aspens community in 2013, after visiting the valley for over 30 years. The Aspens located on the Moose Wilson Road between Fish Creek and the Snake River. There’s several small creeks and springs that flow through our neighborhood that we enjoy as well as the larger rivers.
I grew up swimming and sailing on the Great Lakes (Lake Ontario and Lake Huron). Up until the early 1990s, we could still drink Lake Huron right from the boat! I have swum in the Hudson River where it flows through the Adirondack Mountains. I added sea kayaking to my watery world about 25 years ago. I enjoy paddling both fresh and salt water.
Water is Life. In my lifetime, I have known pristine, potable rivers and lakes. I have seen what farms, cities and wastewater can do to rivers and lakes. I have seen the changes to Lakes’ Ontario, Huron, and the Snake River from increased population and urban runoff. I have a passion for clean water and I will do what I can to ensure that the headwaters of the Snake River are clean and that the human and wildlife residents of the valley have clean, safe drinking water. There’s still time to reverse the detrimental changes that are occurring. I am an engineering and environmental geologist with over 40 years experience in soil and groundwater contamination investigations and remediation.
POWJH has done amazing work including providing potable water to Hoback Junction, presenting workshops for the citizenry on the causes and treatment of water contamination issues; and, leading the county-wide effort to establish a Water Quality Management Plan. POWJH will continue to lead the county and town on water quality issues. My expertise in engineering geology, hydrogeology, and environmental regulations, and the regulatory agencies will be an asset to this effort.
Robert Morse brings over 35 years of experience in real estate investment management, commercial and investment banking and private equity fund management.
As Executive Chairman of Bridge Investment Group (“Bridge”) Mr. Morse is integrally involved in the management, strategy and capital raising of the Firm. He serves on the Firm’s investment committees and chairs the Board of Directors.
Prior to recapitalizing Bridge, Mr. Morse served as CEO of Citi’s Asia Institutional Clients Group from 2004-2008, which included financial services in 17 countries employing over 14,000 people. During Mr. Morse’s tenure, Citi was awarded the ‘Best Bank in Asia’ award annually by FinanceAsia, EuroMoney and The Asset magazines and in selected client surveys. Before that, Mr. Morse served as the Head of Global Investment Banking for Citi, based in New York.
Mr. Morse is a 1977 graduate of Yale College, Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude, and a 1981 graduate of the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Law School.
Robert and his wife Stacey have four children and reside in Wilson WY, Palm Beach FL and New York City.
Mr. Morse serves on a variety of nonprofit and public service organization boards, including the Yale University President’s Council on International Activities (Chairman), the Yale SOM Board of Advisors, the Grand Teton National Park Foundation (Resource Council), Protect our Water Jackson Hole and the Whitney Museum Directors’ Council.
Latham has built a successful, decades-long career around his personal credo of “connecting people with experiences.” He has manifested this love of strategic storytelling in all of his professional pursuits in marketing, media, photography, and more.
Born and raised in North Carolina, Latham earned his Jackson Hole stripes while working as an interpretive river guide in Grand Teton National Park. Upon graduation from Appalachian State University, he returned to Jackson Hole and never left, having succumbed to the beauty, people, and adventurous lifestyle offered in the West.
Latham is married with two children who remind him everyday of how precious life is. He invests back in the local community through fundraising for local college student scholarships and working to enhance and protect Grand Teton National Park. Last but not least, Latham loves anything to do with water in all of its states, whether it be skiing or fishing or boating.
I live 3.3 miles south of Wilson on Fish Creek. My water interests are: first, potable water for human consumption; and second, clean water for the protection of the environment to include healthy fisheries and sustainable wildlife.
I was a founder and the first president of this organization, formed when fishermen and residents began finding increased algae growth, fewer insect hatches, and general deterioration of the water quality in Fish Creek.
My hope is that POWJH will educate and empower the community to demand implementation of a ‘Comprehensive Water Quality Management Plan for Teton County.
I live 2 miles south of Wilson on Fish Creek. Living on the creek for 25 years, I have witnessed the increasing impact of pollution, vegetation, and algae on the stream. I love fly fishing but I do not fish in my local stream. I prefer to watch the stream and the resident fish, and fish in places that offer cleaner water.
I have been on the board since the beginning seven years ago when a group of concerned residents decided the water pollution and the degradation of Fish Creek must be addressed because the county was not taking taking the needed action.
I know that this problem has developed over decades due to population growth, improper dependence on septic systems, and weak regulations. I realize that the solutions will take time as well, but I hope that I will witness the beginning of improvement to our local water quality for future generations. I hope my grandchildren will see cleaner water after I am gone.
We live south of town in Melody Ranch. I enjoy fly-fishing, rafting, photography, swimming, sightseeing, and hiking along the river.
I have a history of fishing the same property on Fish Creek for nearly 35 years. I’ve watched the results of water quality decline in the creek, particularly over the last 10 years.
I believe POWJH can help the rest of our community understand that there is a major water quality problem unfolding in our valley. I hope we will see private septic tank systems disappear on the valley floor and a wastewater treatment system that will treat nearly all of this community’s wastewater. That’s the only way we can permanently protect the incredible water resources we have been blessed with in Jackson Hole.
Support Protect Our Water Jackson Hole today to help us preserve and protect the Snake River watershed for future generations. Take action through volunteering, donating, putting best-practices in place, and raising awareness among community members.
Get Involved