Promised Parks

The great-grandchildren of the Karns Family gifted the last acres of their family's homestead to the Town of Jackson in 2003. Diana Brown, Donna Martin, Betty Terrill and Peter Karns. Peter Karns shared his family's vision:

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The Karns family had a misssion statement at the time of the sale that said we wanted "the Karns Meadown to be a natural park for use by people that also protects the wildlife values there."

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We wanted the park to be usable by all of the community and not just a wildlife refuge for people to look at. We believe that the master plan created a balance between wildlife protection and utilization by the community. 

 

"What the Karns family hoped to see," Peter Karns, Jackson Hole News and Guide Guest Shot, January 31, 2018

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The Karns family could have developed their land, putting up to 100 houses in the Meadow. Even in 2003, houses were selling for “seven times the median family income” according to a recent report by April Norton, Joint Housing Department Director. The family wanted to see the space protected and also enjoyed by the whole community. 

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To balance access and preservation, the Land Trust has an easement that requires the Land Trust and the Town of Jackson to steward the land and balance recreational and wildlife values. However, the wishes of the family have been repeatedly thwarted by people not involved in the promises made.

The Town of Jackson took an environmental assessment to suggest nothing should be done to the meadow to provide the highest level of protection and preservation for the mule deer movement habitat. Certain community organizations decried any changes to the meadow.  

 

However, without oversight and management, the space has become home to our community's most vulnerable, the unhoused. Approximately, 20 to 30 people call Karns Meadow home every summer season. Because of nearly 19 years of neglect, a family’s gift has turned into substandard camping with human waste and trash littered throughout the space. 

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Former president of the Land Trust, Laurie Andrews spoke to the Jackson Hole News & Guide in August 2019, "Right now, Karns Meadow is falling far short of what the community said they wanted 16 years ago. My point is, doing nothing is actually harming the resource. We need to, as a community, decide what we want.” 

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Steve Ashworth echoed those sentiments in the same article, "There sometimes is a belief that if you just leave land alone it’ll take care of itself . . .that this is not always the case in an urban setting. We should not just stand back and do nothing. We should be actively managing our property.”

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Promised Parks  believes now is the time to bring the vision for Karns Meadow to reality.