Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) is celebrating 25 years of service to the Jackson Hole community this year. TCSAR was founded by the Teton County Sheriff’s Office in 1993 with an advertisement placed in the local newspaper seeking volunteers. At that time, volunteers were required to provide all of their own gear and equipment for rescues and to purchase their own pagers as a condition to joining the team. Three volunteers from the original class - Tim Ciocarlan, Mike Estes and Mike Moyer - still serve on our team today.

Now, 25 years later, Teton County boasts one of the most elite rescue teams in the world. Our team of 36 volunteers is highly skilled and trained to perform technical rescues in the most extreme circumstances and terrain. Each of our volunteers donate an average of 270 hours every year to SAR related activities. Those hours include rescues, monthly trainings and community education events. For more information and statistics about our rescues for the past 6 months you can pick up the latest Rescue Report that was released last week or find it online at www.tetoncountysar.org/resources/.

Those who wish to learn more about the history of TCSAR are invited to view a temporary exhibit at the Jackson Hole Historical Society from August 30 - October 27. On August 30th a panel of TCSAR volunteers and Jenny Lake Rangers will share stories about the history of search and rescue operations at the Beers & Banters program hosted at the JH Historical Society. Doors will open at 6pm and the presentation will begin at 7pm.

In celebration of 25 years of service and commitment from our volunteers, we are inviting members of the community to support our team by joining the Shriver Society. Ray Shriver served on the TCSAR team from its inception in 1993 until his death in 2012. His dedication to training and education was unmatched in the search and rescue community. During his 19 years of service, Ray volunteered more hours to rescues and training than anyone else in Teton County history. Ray was killed in February 2012 in a helicopter crash while on a search and rescue mission. The Shriver Society was created in his honor. For more information about the Shriver Society please visit http://www.tetoncountysar.org/shriversociety/.