U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

National Elk Refuge News - September 28, 2016Refuge Receives Honored Institution Award from Weather Service

There’s usually a hustle inside the Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center fifteen minutes prior to opening the doors each day, when employees tend to tasks that prepare the interagency center for another day of business. One job duty was honored yesterday, as the National Elk Refuge was a co-recipient of an Honored Institution Award from the National Weather Service. Lead Meteorologist Chris Jones and Data Acquisition Program

Manager Ralph Estell traveled from their Riverton office yesterday to make presentations to several cooperative weather stations throughout the state of Wyoming. The recognition for the Jackson climate station, currently located on the National Elk Refuge, was noteworthy because it honored 100 years of weather observations in support of the nation’s climate network. The centennial mark, the National Weather Service representatives noted, is one

that is rarely celebrated.

The weather instruments were initially placed on Bridger-Teton National Forest land in 1916 near the current administrative offices. In 2012, with pending construction and development at the Forest Service site, the cooperative weather station equipment was moved to the Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center just a few blocks to the north. The visitor center was a desired location because of its

A number of Visitor Center staff that help with weather reporting hold the recognition plaque the National Elk Refuge and Bridger-Teton National Forest received on Wednesday. The group is joined by local meteorologist Jim Woodmencey (right) from mountainweather.com.

close proximity to the former site. Keeping the equipment near the previous location helped maintain the integrity of comparing historical data to present-day readings. Because the visitor center is staffed seven days per week, it also increased the likelihood the weather data would be recorded daily without weekend gaps when staffing may be limited.

At a small gathering of interagency staff yesterday, Estell gave a historic overview of the site’s early history, while Jones explained the importance of the daily data collection and the timeliness of the information. The weather readings are submitted electronically, a vast improvement, Jones explained, from when the data was handwritten and mailed in once a month. “The timely feedback greatly helps our day-to-day forecasting and verifies our forecasts more quickly,” he explained. While cooperative reporting can document record highs, lows, and precipitation

totals, it is critical in marking and noting weather trends.

The Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center is the primary visitor contact facility for the National Elk Refuge, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, and the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce. The center is one of 18 Grand Teton Association outlets throughout the area, and one of multiple visitor contact stations for Grand Teton National Park. The Visitor Center also serves as the primary contact station for the Wyoming Game & Fish Department on weekends. “It’s only fitting, then, that we received interagency recognition,” said Visitor Center Manager Natalie Fath. “Though the Forest Service employees at the Visitor Center take the lead on the weather recording, all the agencies are trained on the process and pitch in when needed. Like most of our operational tasks, it’s a cooperative effort.”

The Visitor Center provides a number of services that not only assist the visiting public but contribute to local community needs. The variety of services is designed to meet the missions of each partnering organization.

More information on the Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center can be found at http://bit.ly/2cOwtqL.

Cathy Centrella from the Bridger-Teton National Forest receives weather data collection training from Ralph Estell in 2012. Centrella is one of the Visitor Center staff members that still regularly records daily data for the National Weather Service.