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Q&A: Gary Duquette // By Jim Mahaffie How do you get hundreds of mountain town kids fired up about something that doesn’t involve skiing, snowboarding, fishing, or climbing? Gary Duquette has that magic. Duquette runs the Jackson Hole RoboBroncs, which has grown from a single high school robotics club (in 2009) to more than 50 robotics teams across 12 Teton County schools. This year, more than 300 kids in elementary, middle, and high school are RoboBroncs.  Students build robots and compete in local, regional, and national competitions. Official challenges include tasks like lifting objects, navigating obstacles, and collaborating in alliance, but…

PROFILE: Tracy Poduska // By Emily Cohen Jackson Elementary School principal Tracy Poduska is on the go most days. It’s how she’s wired—constantly moving, thinking, leading. Originally from Ohio, Poduska knew she wanted to be a teacher from the time she was a little girl. A driven student, she graduated from the University of Ohio in just three years. Teaching came naturally. But Jackson Hole? That was a surprise. “I’d never been west of the Mississippi,” she says, remembering a fateful summer road trip with her best friend from high school after her first year of teaching in Georgia. “We…

A Fine Balance Karns Meadow is set for a long-awaited makeover, balancing nature and human needs. // By Emily Cohen After more than two decades of planning, a vision for Jackson’s 42-acre Karns Meadow park is finally taking shape. Tucked between the rodeo arena and the library in West Jackson, the meadow is a hidden oasis, unexpected in its relatively urban (for Wyoming) surroundings. But soon it will be a place for both people and animals to enjoy.  The land, homesteaded by the Karns family over 130 years ago, was intentionally left undeveloped. In a 2024 letter to the editor…

Good Reads // By Jim Mahaffie THINK ABOUT ITA Watershed Moment: The American West inthe Age of LimitsRobert Frodeman, Evelyn Brister, Luther Propst A compilation of essays from different author perspectives, this book discusses the many issues of sustainability and development across the West. Contributors are policymakers, legislators, land and water experts, urban planners, biologists, Tribal members, writers, and academics. ANIMAL LOVERThe Scent of Distant FamilySid Sibo  Onetime USDA Forest Service ranger and founder of an animal shelter in western Wyoming Sid Sibo’s debut novel is about a wildlife biologist who returns home, cares for her aging father and nephew,…

Winter Wildlife Closures   Portions of both federal and state public lands in Jackson Hole are off-limits to people in the winter to give local wildlife a break. // By Molly Absolon Just a few steps of post-holing in deep snow can be exhausting. You wallow around, searching for something firm to support your weight and keep you from sinking down to your crotch. Each step takes effort. But after such an extreme energy outlay, we humans get to return to our warm homes and pantries full of food. Wild animals don’t have that luxury. That’s why select swaths of public…