”...Visitors flock to Wyoming to witness wildlife in its natural spaces. As Wyoming's second-largest industry, tourism relies heavily on wildlife experiences…Wildlife Tourism For Tomorrow is such a crucial initiative for generating resources and organizing programs that will conserve Wyoming's wildlife.”
-Diane Shober, Executive Director: Wyoming Office Of Tourism
“Wildlife Tourism For Tomorrow…unites businesses that are as diverse as Wyoming’s wildlife. Whether your business is helping people see unforgettable animals and landscapes or filling up their bellies and gas tanks to get here, the investment is the same…These businesses know the value of showing people why wildlife conservation is so important, and their contributions make a difference on the ground for all species of wildlife.”
-Brian Nesvik, Director & Pete Dube, Commission President of Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Did you know that the #1 reason people travel to Wyoming is to view wildlife? It’s time that the tourism industry across the state steps up to promote their most valuable asset, the abundant wildlife that calls Wyoming home. Read more to learn how EcoTours founder Taylor Phillips is working to change how the tourism industry contributes to wildlife conservation. Wyoming is the tenth largest state by area in the United States and has a diversity of habitat types—plains, semidesert, coniferous forest, wetlands, alpine, and more—that support hundreds of species of birds, mammals, freshwater fish, and even reptiles and amphibians. All corners of the state offer incredible opportunities for wildlife watching, and Wyoming’s economy and tourism industry benefit greatly from this. Wildlife watching alone accounts for over half a billion dollars in state revenue and employs over 5,000 people.
Jackson Hole is only one small part of this amazing state, and tourism abounds here. EcoTour Adventures is just one of over two dozen companies that caters specifically to wildlife watching in Jackson Hole, and the remaining tourism businesses—hotels, restaurants, shops—rely heavily on the presence of wildlife. But for all that wildlife does for the economy, what does the tourism industry do for them?
Wyoming Game and Fish commissioners on tour with ETA in April 2021. Photo by Taylor Glenn.
The majority of funding for wildlife conservation in Wyoming comes from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. The remaining comes from federal aid via the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson Acts, grants, and private donations. The tourism industry contributes very little to the conservation of wildlife, despite how heavily it depends upon the resource, and there is incredible potential for this industry to make a difference in wildlife conservation. Wildlife Tourism For Tomorrow (WTFT), created by EcoTour Adventures founder Taylor Phillips, aims to do just this.
The goal of WTFT is to provide funding for critical wildlife conservation projects through donations from people like you—the folks who travel to Wyoming to view our incredible wildlife—and the tourism industry that relies on the incredible wildlife in this state. The WYlidlife Fund, a new foundation that has ties to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, serves as the intermediary for all donations, making your contribution eligible as a charitable donation. As a donor, you have the option to select the wildlife conservation project your money goes to, and 100% of your donation goes to your selected project. Projects include building wildlife crossings to minimize vehicle collisions, installing wildlife-friendly fencing to improve migration corridors, and restoring wetlands to expand wildlife habitat, among others. Your donation will help to support these critical projects while, at the same time, build a coalition of supporters from within the tourism sector.
Taylor Phillips, ETA and WTFT founder, presents a check to Trout Unlimited. Photo courtesy of WTFT.
WTFT’s hope is to make the tourism constituency a partner in the conservation of this wild and beautiful place and its incredible wildlife populations, relieving some of the burden from the shoulders of hunters and anglers. Still in its first year, WTFT has received over $50,000 from over 20 businesses, with more businesses that have pledged to donate.
In November, WTFT donated $20,000 to Trout Unlimited for their Spread Creek project, which aims to install a fish screen on the Spread Creek irrigation system (just north of Jackson, WY) to prevent future losses of native migratory fish species, including the coveted cutthroat trout. This is an incredible accomplishment so early in WTFT’s history, and it signals a promising future for the organization and, more importantly, the wildlife of this great state. In an interview about the recent WTFT grant, Leslie Steen, Northwest Wyoming Program Manager for Trout Unlimited, said, “Many times, when I have gone out to visit the Spread Creek project site, I’ve seen wildlife tour trips in the area, and it is really neat to think that those same businesses are now giving back to native fish. We are grateful to all the businesses and individuals that generously made contributions to support this collaborative, multi-agency project, and to Taylor Phillips and The WYldlife Fund for their leadership in this effort.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! We know our guests love wildlife just as much as we do, and we hope you will consider donating to Wildlife Tourism: For Tomorrow. It’s time for the tourism industry to take an active role in funding the conservation of wildlife populations, so that these populations can be enjoyed for generations to come.
Want to learn more or contribute? Head over to the WTFT website here.
The following business support Wildlife Tourism For Tomorrow:
Written by Kelsey Wellington. Kelsey is a Naturalist Guide with ETA and is earning her MFA in Creative Writing from Lindenwood University.
