Annual 4th Grade Wildlife Expo is Back & Bigger Than Ever!

On Monday, May 22nd, the Annual 4th Grade Wildlife Expo is back and bigger than ever. 

For the last twenty years, organizations sharing a common interest in GYE wildlife have come together to teach local 4th graders the importance of their organizations and how invasive species management helps to protect wildlife and its surrounding ecosystem. 

The 4th Grade Wildlife Expo has taken place since 2003 and has been going strong since. Though the event did take a different form during the recent pandemic years, it carried on thanks to Meta Dittmer, TCWP Education Program Coordinator, who has organized the expo since 2017. 

The expo returns to its full form this year with record numbers of participants. This year’s event benefits over one hundred 4th-grade students coming from fourteen different 4th-grade classes across six different schools. The wildlife expo will welcome back it’s usual guests including Bridger Teton National Forest, Grand Teton National Park, National Elk Refuge, Teton Raptor Center, Teton County Weed & Pest, Wyoming Fish & Game, JH Fish Hatchery, Snake River Fund, and Cougar Fund. In addition to these expo veterans, a few organizations will join the expo roster as new presenters including Jackson Hole Wildlife, Trout Unlimited, and Sporting Lead-Free.

All participating organizations work toward benefiting the local wildlife and ecosystem in their own way. This diverse expo shows young students the many combined efforts it takes to keep our ecosystems protected. 

The 4th Grade Wildlife Expo complements The National Park’s ‘Every Kid Outdoors Program’ which provides 4th graders with a free national parks pass for them and their families. Students can apply what they learned about invasive plants and animals from the Wildlife Expo in their continued expiration of National Parks. Giving Forth graders a whole new lens to view their National Parks and public land.