How We Got Here
Bear Wise Jackson Hole is a collaboration between Wyoming Game and Fish, Grand Teton National Park, Bridger-Teton National Forest, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation, working in tandem with the Town of Jackson, and Teton County. It was founded in 2006 as a local chapter of the Wyoming Bear Wise Community Program.
The Team
Becca Lyon
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Becca Lyon is a Grizzly Bear Conflict Specialist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service based here in Jackson, WY. Her work involves preventing bear conflicts with people through attractant storage, bear aware education and bear management. Contact us at Bear Wise JH and Becca will be happy to come help you secure your birdfeeders, chickens, bees or fruit trees! Becca has a background in large carnivore research and management. She earned a BS in Wildlife Conservation at the University of Delaware and a MS in Forestry from Southern Illinois University.
Justin Schwabedissen
Grand Teton National Park
Justin is the Bear Biologist in Grand Teton National Park where he is responsible for all things bear-related, including managing viewing opportunities, responding to human-bear conflicts, providing training and education, and conducting research. Prior to leading the park’s bear program, he worked on a diversity of wildlife projects in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, including avian monitoring, mule deer migration, prey selection by wolves, and the human-wildlife interface. Justin holds a BS in Wildlife Resources from the University of Idaho and completed graduate work in Wildlife Biology at Utah State University.
Renee Seidler
Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation
Renee is currently the Executive Director of Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation. Her career in wildlife biology and conservation has primarily focused on wildlife’s ability to move across large landscapes through connected habitats and ecosystems. She has developed her expertise in this area as a migration specialist and road ecologist working for the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. She has also studied meso and large carnivore ecology, biological trophic cascades, and the impact of natural gas field development on ungulates. She believes that tackling conservation issues requires strong human relationships at many levels, including between individuals, organizations, agencies, and businesses.
Mike Boyce
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Mike is a Large Carnivore Biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Mike works with other state and federal agencies on bear, wolf, and mountain lion mitigation and management strategies. He has been in the Jackson region for nearly two decades responding to human-bear conflicts. Mike works with residents and businesses to help them secure bear attractants on their property to minimize conflicts with bears. Mike is the man to call if you need to report a bear conflict.
Ashley Egan
Bridger-Teton National Forest
Ashley is a Wildlife Biologist for the U.S. Forest Service in the Bridger Teton National Forest (BTNF). Ashley has spearheaded efforts to reduce human-bear conflicts through various education techniques and expanding food storage infrastructure across the Forest. She helps manage the Bear Ambassador Program, a group of BTNF volunteer staff that work hard to educate Forest visitors on proper food storage techniques with the goal to reduce bear conflicts. Her efforts have not only increased bear boxes and bear information signs at many of the campgrounds, but also have helped make the bear-resistant backcountry food cannisters rental program offered at the BTNF office more robust for visitors. Ashley is committed to education and messaging efforts that inform Forest users, local residents, youth programs, and BTNF staff how to recreate and work safely in bear country by securing attractants, carrying bear spray, and taking precautions.
Chris Colligan
Teton County
Chris Colligan works as a Project Manager for Teton County Public Works. Previously, Chris worked as the Wildlife Program Coordinator for Greater Yellowstone Coalition from 2008-2021. Prior to the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Colligan worked for Wyoming Game and Fish as a Brucellosis Information and Education Specialist in Jackson from 2004-2008. Chris brings his experience working for agencies and NGOs on challenging wildlife management issues to the County, with a focus on water quality, wildlife crossings, and natural resource issues.
Tanya Anderson
Town of Jackson
As the Ecosystem Stewardship Administrator for the Town of Jackson, Tanya Anderson works to reduce human-wildlife conflicts and maintain permeability within the Town. She has been a naturalist and guide in a variety of ecosystems, conducted wildlife research in the Galapagos Islands and the Atlantic, and was the director of Wildlife Expeditions of Teton Science Schools prior to working for the Town of Jackson. She holds a master’s degree in environmental science and landed in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in 2008.