Brush Mower – $1,899 
At the Community Foundation, we seek to invest our resources back into our community and enrich lives. We are constantly inspired by our interconnectedness with the valley itself. Thousands of users per year tread on Teton Valley’s trails and pathways. These need to be maintained and kept up for continued public use and enjoyment. This spring, we awarded Teton Valley Trails and Pathways a grant for $1,899 to purchase a new rough-cut brush mower, which aims to address some of the maintenance gaps on our beloved trail system.
In the winter of 2016-2017, 20,000 users were logged on the winter trails! In order to support summer users, the brush mower will mow along selected, high-traffic pathways to keep recreational use safe and enjoyable for their users. The mower will also address brush and grass on the Victor/Driggs paved pathway, which grows tall grasses and weeds alongside its borders during the summer, which can be a hazard to cyclists, especially when riding side by side.
Brush also impacts winter use on Nordic trails and fat bike single-track trails. All trails require pre-season mowing. If not properly mowed in the fall, the length of the season is reduced in the winter due to brush poking through the snow.
The mower will help address trail and pathway maintenance needs without requiring Teton Valley Trails and Pathways to coordinate volunteers and government agencies to manage overgrowth areas. It will increase the nonprofit’s role in partnership with Teton County for trail maintenance. Looking to the future, the mower will also come in handy on the Teton Creek Corridor Trail and the Nordic Trail that will be part of the Southern Valley Recreation Area.
This extra effort to ensure safe and enjoyable user experience on Teton Valley’s trails will allow our community to thrive recreationally in both the summer and the winter months, and aligns well with our vision for a vibrant community.
