About the Meg & Bert Raynes Wildlife Fund
Mission
The Meg & Bert Raynes Wildlife Fund helps maintain wildlife populations into the future through support of scientific research, citizen science, and educational projects that benefit wildlife in Jackson Hole and the surrounding region including the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Scientific Research
We give small but pivotal grants to researchers working hard to maintain biodiversity. Species studied with our grants vary widely and are often species that don’t get a lot of attention—or for whom there are huge gaps of information.
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Our research grants support projects led by early-career students, often helping them launch their careers in science, as well as projects led by professors and non-profit organizations. Examples include:
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Funding for research by early-career students to study clark's nutcrackers, great gray owls, and sagebrush-dependent songbirds, resulting in new discoveries about their migration routes, winter habitat, and nesting needs.
Helping the non-profit Teton Regional Land Trust survey critical roosting and foraging habitat for sandhill cranes, thereby identifying properties needed to conserve the largest population of sandhill cranes in our ecosystem.
Supporting herpetologists to monitor western toad populations in Grand Teton National Park, the National Elk Refuge and Yellowstone National Park. This research has identified critical populations for management as part of the Greater Yellowstone Network. ​​​​​​​
Citizen Science
​In 2009, Bert Raynes gathered a group of professional biologists to initiate a citizen science project, with two purposes: “keep common species common,” in his words, and engage the community at large in collecting wildlife observations. Since then, Nature Mapping Jackson Hole has become a huge success, thanks to the leadership of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation. Verified records—well over 100,000 observations—are shared with local, state, and federal partners to inform wildlife and land management decisions. The M&B Raynes Wildlife Fund is pleased to continue supporting this effort.
Another example of a citizen science grant, Wildflower Watch, takes place in Jackson Hole and in Cody, Wyoming. Wildflower Watch engages community members in phenology--the study of the timing of plant leafing, flowering, and fruiting--to help scientists and land managers understand how climate change may be affecting plants and animals.​​​​
Education
Educational projects supported by the Raynes Wildlife Fund include on-site involvement of youth and adults to help people understand how invasive species alter wildlife habitat, effects of climate change on plants and animals, the importance of maintaining migration routes for wildlife, and the condition of local watershed and fisheries. We also helped support a series of raptor identification programs presented by the Teton Raptor Center.
On the subject of raptors, the Raynes Fund contributed to filming the documentary "Golden Eagles: Witnesses to a Changing West" by conservation filmmaker David Rohm. The documentary tells the compelling, untold story of the challenges golden eagles face in Wyoming and the people working to save them. Since Wyoming PBS aired the film in 2022, it has received nationwide distribution and has been seen by millions.
Part of the Raynes Fund’s mission is to highlight plants and wildlife beyond the creatures that symbolize the Yellowstone region. One of our grants went to a traveling display, "Amphibians of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks." This high-quality photo exhibit by Charles Peterson, Andrew Ray, and Debra Patla was created to develop public appreciation for amphibians in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and support for their conservation. Venues have so far included museums, libraries, and visitor centers in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.
We contributed to the publication of two books. A Landowner’s Guide to Fences and Wildlife, Practical Tips to Make Your Fences Wildlife Friendly was distributed to livestock producers, landowners, and the county planning offices in western Wyoming, and has recently been updated with even more information. Our grant also made possible production of The Greater Yellowstone Seasonal Almanac, a book combining stories and illustrations to convey ecological and cultural topics relevant to humans and the wild in the Yellowstone region.
Ongoing education and information-sharing events that we help fund include Sporting Lead-free, which promotes voluntary use of lead-free options for hunting and fishing, the biannual Greater Yellowstone Science Symposium sponsored by the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative, and the annual Greater Yellowstone Crane Festival, hosted by Teton Valley Land Trust.
Support
Since 2010, the Meg and Bert Raynes Wildlife Fund has awarded more than $550,000 in 132 grants for scientific field research, citizen science, and education that benefit regional wildlife. Some of the 122 funded projects received more than one grant.
The M&B Raynes Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our 501(c)(3) number is 27-5089685. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
Our volunteer board members keep costs to a bare minimum and operate with no paid staff. Board member donations and our volunteer time cover all expenses. We are proud that one hundred percent of every dollar donated from the community to the M&B Raynes Fund is granted to help wildlife. Our Form 990 is available upon request. See our Support Wildlife page for more information about us.
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See wildlife species we've helped, read more about what donations have helped us accomplish in our e-news, see lists of our grants by year, or apply.
Board of Directors
Aly Courtemanch
President
Susan Patla
Vice-president
Charlie Craighead
Secretary
Frances Clark
Treasurer
Franz Camenzind
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Ann Harvey
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Julie Holding
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Nathan Hough
Mary Lohuis
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Susan Marsh
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Kim Springer