Sustaining Jackson Hole

Sustaining Jackson Hole was a collaborative project of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, The Charture Institute, and NRCC. Spearheaded by Jonathan Schechter, Executive Director of the Charture Institute, this project developed and disseminated a set of sustainability indicators examining all aspects of our community, including the arts, economy, environment, recreation, social services, and transportation, among others.

The rationale for this exercise was based on the trends of growth in population, wealth, and complexity of issues facing Jackson Hole. It seems unlikely that, acting alone, individuals or small groups can affect the future of Jackson Hole. A new model was and still is necessary, weaving Jackson Hole's many involved citizens and interest groups into one larger tapestry of problem identification and solving. This effortwass designed to be broadly inclusive, fact-based, and non-partisan. It was an exercise of self-assesment, a great opportunity for determining how well Jackson Hole preserves and enhances those qualities that make this area unique.

Our vision was to have these indicators developed by those who know them best, namely the people working in these fields on a day-to-day basis. Following three years of intensive meetings, many of the groups conducted mini-summits to assess where Jackson Hole was on the spectrum of "current" versus "ideal" conditions. The mini-summits resulted in working papers presented to community planners as well as spin-off efforts designed to orient different aspects of the community to a common goal.