The Rights of Nature: Jackson is Giving Nature a Seat at the Table
Project Overview
The Town of Jackson, Wyoming, adopted Resolution 24-15, A Resolution to Recognize and Uphold the Rights of Nature, as part of its Sustainability Plan in 2024. The resolution recognizes that natural ecosystems have intrinsic value and the right to be “healthy, resilient, and respected,” and to exist and flourish. These principles align with the broader Rights of Nature movement represented by the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN), which emphasizes the interconnectedness of people and nature and a reciprocal responsibility to care for natural systems. By elevating ecosystem health, resilience, and stewardship in local decision-making, Jackson’s Rights of Nature framework complements its broader climate efforts and supports the town’s long-term transition toward a resilient, net-zero community.
The Town of Jackson’s approach is grounded in its relationship with the surrounding natural environment. The Sustainability Plan opens with a Land Acknowledgment recognizing and honoring the Indigenous peoples who have stewarded the region’s lands and waters for thousands of years in harmony with nature. The Land Acknowledgment is directly followed by the Rights of Nature resolution, which emphasizes the shared vision of the Town of Jackson and Teton County “to preserve and protect the area’s ecosystem in order to ensure a healthy environment, community, and economy for current and future generations.”
For the Town of Jackson, protecting nature is closely tied to community resilience and economic well-being. The town lies within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, near Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, the National Elk Refuge, Bridger-Teton National Forest, and the headwaters of the Snake River. These interconnected ecosystems with diverse landscapes support wildlife habitat and migratory bird corridors while providing fresh water, flood mitigation, pollinators, carbon storage, climate regulation, and other ecosystem services important to local folks and the region’s tourism economy.
Importantly, the Rights of Nature are embedded within Jackson’s 2024 Sustainability Plan and connected to broader environmental and climate goals. The resolution identifies existing municipal tools, including management of publicly held lands, land development regulations, and other ordinances, as opportunities to consider Rights of Nature in local decision-making. Jackson also tracks environmental conditions through its Ecosystem Health Indicator Report, which monitors indicators related to air, water, wildlife, habitat, and the broader landscape. Together, these efforts connect the aspirational values of Rights of Nature with practical planning and a better understanding of ecosystem health.
Jackson’s broader sustainability framework includes its Net Zero by 2030 goal and seven primary areas for sustainability action: Energy, Circularity, Mobility, the Built Environment, Nature-Based Solutions, Healthy Watershed, and Greenhouse Gas Inventories. Nature-based solutions are particularly relevant because they provide practical ways to put Rights of Nature principles into action by “working with nature,” an approach highlighted in WORKS with Nature: Low Carbon Adaptation Techniques for a Changing World, to strengthen climate resilience, protect biodiversity, improve watershed health, and support community well-being. Together, nature-based strategies connect ecosystem health with Jackson’s larger goals for climate resilience, sustainability, and economic prosperity.
The Rights of Nature movement is inspired by Indigenous knowledge and Tribes’ deep understanding of ecosystem stewardship. The Eastern Shoshone have lived within their traditional homelands for thousands of years, while the Greater Yellowstone Coalition recognizes that more than 49 Indigenous Tribes maintain current or ancestral connections to the lands, waters, wildlife, and plants of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Traditional Ecological Knowledge offers perspectives and reciprocal relationships with nature that complement Jackson’s recognition of Indigenous stewardship in its Rights of Nature resolution. The Wind River Foundation has also supported Indigenous-led initiatives and relationship-building between communities of the Wind River Reservation and the greater Jackson Hole region.
Rights of Nature is further supported by Jackson’s broader culture of community collaboration and environmental stewardship. The Mountain Neighbor Handbook translates stewardship into practical actions residents can take to protect wildlife, water, habitat, and other natural resources. Organizations including Energy Conservation Works, Mountain Neighbor, Yellowstone Teton Clean Cities, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Teton Resilience, Snake River Fund, and the Teton Climate Action Partnership contribute complementary efforts in conservation, climate action, education, watershed protection, sustainable transportation, and community resilience. Collectively, these efforts demonstrate that caring for natural systems is a shared responsibility extending far beyond local government.
This collaborative approach also connects environmental stewardship with community and economic priorities. The Jackson Hole Sustainable Destination Management Plan brings together government, businesses, public-land managers, nonprofit organizations, and residents around the long-term well-being of the environment, community, and economy. Programs such as Water Wise Jackson and Snake River Fund partnerships further translate stewardship into tangible local action, while the Teton Climate Action Partnership (TCAP) provides a framework for regional, cross-sector climate collaboration.
Jackson’s approach is also part of a broader Rights of Nature movement across the Rocky Mountains. Colorado towns including Crestone, Ridgway, Grand Lake, and Nederland have explored ways to recognize and protect the health of local ecosystems and watersheds. The Earth Law Center and Eco Jurisprudence Monitor document different approaches and lessons learned from Rights of Nature projects. The Town of Jackson has taken an innovative approach by incorporating the community’s aspirational Rights of Nature resolution into broader sustainability planning, nature-based solutions efforts, ecosystem monitoring, and community stewardship.
The Town of Jackson demonstrates how Rights of Nature can serve as an overarching community value rather than a stand-alone regulatory solution. The resolution establishes an aspiration, while the Sustainability Plan, nature-based solutions, Indigenous knowledge, municipal programs, nonprofit partnerships, and individual stewardship provide pathways for putting those values into practice. Together, these efforts recognize a principle especially relevant to mountain communities: the long-term health of the community, its economy, and the natural systems that sustain them are all deeply interconnected.
Lessons Learned
Embed Rights of Nature within Broader Sustainability Planning
Resolution 24-15: A Resolution to Recognize and Uphold the Rights of Nature is the preamble to Jackson’s 2024 Sustainability Plan and does not stand alone. The Town of Jackson embedded the resolution at the beginning of its plan. The Rights of Nature provide vision and intent to the town as it implements strategies involving climate resilience, nature-based solutions, watersheds, land use, and other sustainability priorities.
Start with a Clear Statement of Values and Purpose
The Rights of Nature resolution establishes an aspirational principle that recognizes the intrinsic value of ecosystems and the importance of stewardship that allows nature to remain healthy and resilient. Jackson created the resolution to articulate the need for a more reciprocal relationship between humanity and the natural world, and to be good stewards of the land, water, and air for future generations.
Find Common Ground through Shared Values
Rights of Nature terminology is unfamiliar to many folks, so outreach and communications need to connect to values people already respect and share, like clean water, healthy food, beautiful landscapes, abundant wildlife, nature-based recreation, close-knit community connections, responsible land stewardship, and a thriving local economy.
Be Clear that the Resolution is Aspirational, and Property Rights Still Stand
The Rights of Nature resolution in Jackson expresses the town’s values and intentions. However, it does not create legally enforceable rights for nature or override existing laws and property rights. It is important to be clear about this distinction to reduce misunderstanding and to encourage residents to focus discussions on stewardship and a shared love of nature.
Connect the Rights of Nature to Existing Local Government Tools
Even though Rights of Nature resolutions are aspirational, they are important because the frameworks guide how community leaders and residents think about their natural resources, and they often influence the decisions made within other existing legal structures. Jackson’s resolution indicates the town will consider the Rights of Nature in managing publicly held land and consider opportunities to use existing land-development regulations and ordinances to protect the rights of nature.
Pair the Aspiration with Practical Nature-Based Solutions
Rights of Nature establishes a guiding philosophy, while nature-based solutions provide tangible ways to put stewardship into practice. Watershed restoration, wildlife protection, native landscaping, water conservation, ecosystem restoration, and other environmentally friendly approaches can connect the goals of the Rights of Nature movement with real, tangible, visible community action.
Build a Culture of Stewardship through Partnerships, Outreach, and Engagement
Protecting ecosystem health extends far beyond municipal government. Jackson’s network of conservation organizations, Tribal governments, watershed groups, residents, businesses, land managers, and regional climate partners demonstrates how an aspirational commitment can grow into a shared culture of stewardship. Through voluntary programs, nature-based solutions, education, outreach, and community partnerships, these groups provide practical ways for people to work together to care for the lands, waters, wildlife, and natural systems that sustain healthy communities.