Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve

The Laurance S. Rockefeller (LSR) Preserve is a 1,106 acre (4.476 km²) refuge within Grand Teton National Park on the southern end of Phelps Lake. The site was originally known as the JY Ranch, a dude ranch. Starting in 1927, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. purchased much of the land in Jackson Hole for the creation of Jackson Hole National Monument and the expansion of Grand Teton National Park. But he retained the 3,100 acre (12.5 km²) JY Ranch as a family retreat. [cite web| url=http://gtnpnews.blogspot.com/2008/06/laurance-s-rockefeller-preserve-center.html| title=Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Center Opens to the Public| author=Jackie Skaggs, Grand Teton National Park| accessdate=June 25| accessyear=2008| ] Over the years the family gave most of the ranch to the national park. Laurance S. Rockefeller donated the final parcel in 2001. The donation came with special preservation and maintenance restrictions, with the vision that the preserve remain a place where visitors can experience a spiritual and emotional connection to the beauty of the lake and the Teton Range. [Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Trail Guide, National Park Service, circa 2007.]

Natural features

The LSR Preserve features several types of natural communities. Sagebrush meadows are relatively dry and are home to a variety of wildflowers and animal species. The preserve's forests are predominantly composed of fir, spruce, and lodgepole pine with intermittent growth of cottonwoods and aspens. Sedges and other low plants grow in the wetlands providing food and cover for migrating birds. [Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Trail Guide, National Park Service, circa 2007.] Eight miles (13 km) of trails provide public access to these natural communities. [cite web| url=http://gtnpnews.blogspot.com/2008/06/laurance-s-rockefeller-preserve-center.html| title=Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Center Opens to the Public| author=Jackie Skaggs, Grand Teton National Park| accessdate=June 25| accessyear=2008| ]

LEED facilities

Before the creation of the LSR Preserve, the Rockefeller family either demolished or moved off-site the cabins and other structures associated with the JY Ranch. Their intent was to remove unnecessary artificial features from the preserve, and to developed ecologically friendly facilites required for the new use of the land. The preserve, including the 7,573 ft² (704 m²) visitor center dedicated on June 21, 2008, is the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified property in Wyoming and only the fifty-second Platinum rating in the LEED program. [cite web| url=http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid381.php| title=RMI Wyoming Project Gets Platinum| author=Rocky Mountain Institute| accessdate=June 18| accessyear=2008| ] Carney Architects of Jackson, Wyoming designed the facility with the Rocky Mountain Institute consulting on energy and daylighting analysis; Rockefeller Financial Services developed the property for the national park. [cite web| url=http://www.usgbc.org/LEED/Project/CertifiedProjectList.aspx| title=LEED Projects Directory| author=U.S. Green Building Council| accessdate=June 18| accessyear=2008| Search for projects in "WY".] Featuring composting toilets and a 10 kW photovoltaic system, the facility earned all 17 LEED energy points. [cite web| url=http://bet.rmi.org/our-work/clients.html| title=Built Environment Team Clients| author=Rocky Mountain Institute| accessdate=June 18| accessyear=2008| ]

References