TETON BOTANICAL GARDEN

Josh, Co-founder of TBG, has been fascinated with plants, gardening, and conservation since he was young and remembers helping in the family garden plot at an early age. He chased snow to Jackson in 2003 and was enamored by the area and its surrounding wilderness. A dream among friends came into fruition in 2014 when he helped co-found Teton Botanical Garden. Josh prefers to get his hands dirty over going to meetings and can often be found at our project gardens weeding, planting, and watering. When he is not on the job he spends his free time exploring Western Wyoming with friends and family.

Steve, hailing from Florida originally, was also here from the beginning. An unlikely collaboration between neighbors (and Steve’s minor plant addiction) sparked the inspiration for TBG. Cofounder and serial volunteer, Steve has a deep-rooted passion for horticulture. He is a longtime gardener and maintains the Mountain House gardens in East Jackson where he also spends much of his time volunteering.

Trevor, an Ecologist with the Nature Conservancy, has partnered with the TBG team and also serves on the board. Through his Wildflower Walks, seed collections NMWA museum study, and expertise, Trevor has been an incredible member of TBG. Trevor has previously worked with the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative on a study that relates closely to his current work at the National Museum of Wildlife art. His degree in Biology from Lewis and Clark College and later receiving his Master’s from Western Washington University have propelled him into a career of change-making and driving education within his community where he also began the only local-owned wildlife tour company in Jackson.

Board member, father, farmer, and high school teacher manages a large greenhouse on the Summit High School grounds. Brian teaches agriculture and tends to his own farm in his free time. Brian’s knowledge is coveted, and you may even see him speaking about his trials and tribulations in turning what was once a rocky riverbed bed into fertile land. Brian’s students follow him to volunteer, sell their bounty at Slow Foods market, and some are now becoming Junior Master Gardeners- including Brian.

Meet Board Member Alissa Ehrenkranz, who has been a full-time resident of Jackson Hole for 7 years now after part-timing it for 30. She has been involved in land restoration and preservation activities in British Columbia for several decades before permanently moving to Jackson and getting involved with TBG, first with the Fire on the Mountain project and now supporting the Greater Yellowstone Botanical Tour. Her focus is developing a greater interest in and access to native planting, in particular across the sensitive Sagebrush Steppe habitat. She lives on the edge of GTNP and spends as much time as possible outside playing in the shadow of the Tetons.

Avery (certified tree hugger) Joined the TBG team in the spring of 2022 as our very first intern. Avery is currently wrapping up her undergraduate in Interdisciplinary studies at the University of Cincinnati. Her dual studies of Business & Environmental sustainability lend themselves well to the development work she does here at TBG. She has spent her summers out west in the mountains climbing, hiking, and (newly) mountain biking. She hopes to integrate more accessible sustainability initiatives into the community.