National Elk Refuge

In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, this protected wildlife area was established in 1912 to preserve crucial winter habitat for a large elk herd whose migration and survival had been threatened by settlement, fencing, and severe winters. Local ranchers began feeding starving animals, and Stephen Nelson Leek helped win state and federal support through photographs, articles, and lectures, leading to the refuge’s creation. Now covering 24,700 acres, it shelters about 7,500 elk each winter and also supports bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, mule deer, and many birds. It remains a major conservation landscape where managers balance habitat protection, reduced supplemental feeding, and other long-running traditions.

Jackson, Wyoming · United States