Old Bill's 2022 Kicks Off! The Most Important Event of the Year to Support TCSAR Volunteers

Today, August 12, marks the beginning of Old Bill's Giving Season, the most important event of the year to support Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers. In short, Old Bill's is responsible for more than a third of the TCSAR Foundation's annual budget. As the Foundation exists first and foremost to provide direct support for TCSAR volunteers, donations through Old Bill's go further in this effort than at any other time of year.

For the TCSAR Foundation, Old Bill's is all about celebrating the commitment of TCSAR volunteers. This year, the volunteers have been especially busy, going on more missions than ever before, saving lives and reuniting families. In coming weeks, we'll bring you stories and insights to how they remain "Rescue Ready" — no matter what.

Old Bill's Giving Season: Important Dates

August 12: Giving Season Kick Off & Rubber Ducky Regatta
September 10: Old Bill's Fun Run
September 16: Giving Season Closes (your last chance to donate!)

The Community Foundation of Jackson Hole opens Old Bill's Giving Season on Friday, August 12. To donate to TCSAR, go to OldBills.org and click the donate button. Then search for Teton County Search & Rescue Foundation. Or, just follow this link directly.

Thank you for supporting TCSAR volunteers!

TCSAR Foundation Appoints Three New Board Members, Introduces Emeritus Board

Teton County Search & Rescue Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors. Matt Chandler, Dana Macy, and Stephanie Williams joined the Foundation Board in July 2022. As board members, they will help oversee TCSAR Foundation’s mission to provide direct support to Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers, offer community education, and advocacy for SAR-related issues and backcountry safety. Foundation board members serve three-year terms, and may serve for up to three consecutive terms.

TCSAR Foundation is also honored to introduce three new Emeritus Board Members, though they are no stranger to the Foundation: Bill Hoglund, Ned Jannotta, and Juliann Whelan. Hoglund, Jannotta, and Whelan were all founding members of the Foundation’s Board in 2012, and had served earlier to help raise money to build the TCSAR hangar. During their terms, they all held leadership roles and have remained closely involved in the organization even after their terms ended. Emeritus members have exceptional historical and institutional knowledge of the organization, but are not voting members.

TCSAR Foundation Board also has a slight realignment of its officers. Sara Adamson, board member since 2020, is now the Board Secretary. Dave Landes, board member since 2017, is now the Board Member at Large. To see the entire board, please visit TetonCountySAR.org/foundation.

Matt Chandler joins the TCSAR Foundation Board after serving nearly three years on the Foundation’s Education Committee. Matt brings years of government experience and is passionate about supporting first responders. Matt served in a number of senior roles at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Washington, including Deputy Chief of Staff where he managed programs and policies related to emergency management and response, law enforcement, counter-terrorism, and intelligence. Matt is a U.S. Navy veteran and deployed to Afghanistan. He currently is a Managing Director at Bully Pulpit Interactive, a communications and advertising agency working at the intersection of business, policy, and advocacy. Originally from the small mountains of Western Massachusetts, Matt can be found on skis or a bike all over the bigger mountains of Teton County. He lives with his wife, Jordan, and their pup, Oliver, in Wilson.

Dana Macy was born and raised in Mendham, NJ, and Northern Wisconsin and is a graduate of Denison University. After college, Dana worked a year for Colorado’s Sen. Timothy Wirth in Washington, DC; two years for F. Eberstadt Investment Bank; and 15 years as VP of Institutional Equity Sales for Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ). She currently serves on the board of trustees of Salisbury School in Salisbury, Conn., and Empowers Africa in New York City. Here at home in Jackson, she volunteers at the Sage Living Center. When she is not volunteering at these many organizations, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband, three children and good friends. Depending on the seasons, you can find her adventure hiking, playing ice hockey, skiing, running, pursuing photography, fly fishing and travel, among other things.

Stephanie Williams grew up ski racing and running through the mountains of Colorado. After graduating from UC-Boulder, she retired from ski racing and moved to Jackson for a gap year. Thirty-five gap years later, she’s still here enjoying the Wyoming lifestyle that has allowed her to work many jobs in the valley, including: ski patrol at JHMR, restaurant jobs, and ranching cattle for 20 years. Her biggest achievement is not being rescued by TCSAR and, instead, utilizing SAR volunteers as adventure buddies. She has watched the TCSAR crew grow from their infancy into the amazing professional team they are today. She can be found in the woods at any given moment with her two cattle dogs, Cletus and Thistle.

How can you Minimize your Risk of Lightning in the Backcountry?

You’re not alone if the lightning incident at Enos Lake this week has instilled an elevated sense of fear of thunderstorms in the backcountry. We are having many of those same feelings, as it appears the Enos Lake strike was a random accident. According to preliminary reports, the group had shelters spread across an equitable distance, located in a low-lying area of terrain, and among evenly height trees and shrubs. This is pretty much by the book, according to the National Lightning Safety Institute.

The recent lightning fatality stresses the need to know how to prepare for a lightning storm in the backcountry. This file photo is not from the event in question. Photo: Matt Hansen/TCSAR Foundation

It’s important to remember that lightning fatalities are still rare. This was the first lightning fatality in Wyoming in at least a decade, and only the ninth such fatality this year in the U.S. Given the millions of backcountry user days across our region, the chances of getting struck by lightning are small. And yet it still poses a significant danger and it’s good to know how to minimize your risk. (Our podcast, The Fine Line, dove deep into one of the most dramatic lightning events and rescue efforts in Jackson Hole history.)

So what can you do if you are in the backcountry during lightning activity? A critical piece is being hyper aware of weather patterns and where you are in relation to approaching thunderclouds.

Local meteorologist Jim Woodmencey addressed this question in a recent column for the Jackson Hole News & Guide. He includes the following tips:

1. Get off ridgetops. Avoid open meadows. Get off the lake or out of the water.

2. Never run for cover under a lone tree. A grove of trees of similar height is a better option. Be cognizant to not stand on top of tree roots.

3. Avoid direct contact with any metal or graphite objects. Climbing gear, fishing poles, your bike, hiking poles, etc.

4. If you are stuck in an exposed location, stay put and protect yourself from ground currents by standing still with both feet together. This can prevent the ground current from traveling up through your body.

5. If in a group, never huddle together. Spread out, 25 to 50 feet apart. That way, when the grenade drops fewer people in your party will be affected by the blast.

6. If all else fails, run like hell to get to a safer location, and hope whatever Thor is throwing down that day misses you by a wide margin.

Be safe out there, everyone. For more backcountry safety resources, visit BackcountryZero.com.