TCSAR Foundation Names Jesse Stover as Board President, and Welcomes Fio Lazarte Beal as Newest Board Member

Jackson, WY—Teton County Search & Rescue Foundation is pleased to announce new appointments to its Board of Directors. Jesse Stover has been named President, succeeding Ned Jannotta, who held the position for the last two years. Jannotta remains on the Board as its last original member. Hugh O'Halloran is the new Board Vice President; Don Watkins is Board Treasurer; Dave Landes is Secretary; Leslie Mattson is Board Member at Large. Clay Geittmann is departing the Board after serving two three-year terms. Meanwhile, the Foundation welcomes Fio Lazarte Beal as the Board’s newest member. As Board members, they oversee the TCSAR Foundation, a nonprofit that actively supports TCSAR team members through direct volunteer support, community education, and advocacy of backcountry safety.

Jesse Stover’s first experience with TCSAR was in June of 2011. After an 1,800-foot fall down the east face of Teewinot in Grand Teton National Park, TCSAR performed a life-saving helicopter short haul rescue in coordination with the Jenny Lake Climbing Rangers. Eternally grateful, Jesse joined the Foundation board in 2017 to help continue the mission of TCSAR and support the dedicated volunteer team. Jesse lives in Jackson with his wife and two dogs and works as a construction manager. He considers himself lucky to live in this amazing environment, and thanks to TCSAR, still gets to ski, bike, hunt, fish and wander.

Fio Lazarte Beal has been a Jackson resident for 14 years. During this time, Fio found her love for the mountains and teaching. This part of the journey began when she became a volunteer tutor and a Spanish language teacher for adults. Following this, she joined Teton Literacy Center, as part of a new team to create an early literacy program. In this position, she has had the opportunity to help create a literacy-preschool program that serves children from low-income families. Later on, she became Family Literacy Manager at TLC focusing on the family as a whole. She has also served as a volunteer advocate for the Community Safety Network, and served as a board member for the Doug Coombs Foundation in the early stages of the organization. Currently, she is a 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade Spanish teacher for the Dual Immersion school, Munger Mountain Elementary.

River Ambassadors Wanted: Get Involved to Help our Local Waterways

Like spending time around the river while helping the community...and earning some extra cash?

TCSAR Foundation and Backcountry Zero are looking for some River Ambassadors to survey river users at different access points on the Snake. This is a great way to get involved to help make a difference in our local waterways. Earn a stipend up to $1,500.

Interested?

Send an email explaining why you’d be a great ambassador to TCSAR Foundation PSAR Manager Liz King: liz@tetoncountysar.org.

The 2021 Midseason Rescue Report: Letter from TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart

The past six months have been big ones for TCSAR on several fronts. At a basic level, TCSAR is a team of volunteers that signed up to serve the community. However, the intensity of the 2020-2021 winter demonstrated the extent to which our team is supported by that same community we serve.

On the first day of 2021, we did two significant rescues, which set the pace for what turned out to be the busiest rescue cycle in TCSAR history. We had 42 rescues in the first two months of the year. So far in 2021, we have had 13 short-haul rescues, more than double the number we have done in previous years.

The pace and seriousness of these rescues pushed the team, and we decided it was time to add some new blood to the organization. We just finished the process of selecting and inviting a new class of volunteers—the first time in six years from our last crop of new recruits. We had overwhelming interest, and were inspired by how many community members are willing to serve. It was a daunting task to whittle down to the best 10 folks to add to the team. We are excited about the energy and excitement this new group of men and women bring to our existing team of volunteers.

We are also proud to have Mike Estes, a 28-year volunteer with the team, step into the SAR Coordinator role. The position, through the Sheriff’s Office, is the sole paid employee in the organization, and we are extremely fortunate that Mike jumped to the opportunity to continue to serve the team and our community. 

With all that has been going in the world of Teton County Search and Rescue, I am proud to say the team pulled it all off without missing a beat. I could not be prouder of our team. It is rewarding to work alongside passionate and dedicated individuals that continue to build a culture of service, teamwork, compassion, hard work, and resiliency.

The members of TCSAR feel the love from our community. We appreciate all the support we receive from all parts of the community, whether it is through the financial contributions we receive, or the simple thank you we get at the post office. We are motivated to continue to do our part to serve those who need help in the Jackson Hole backcountry. There is nothing more fulfilling to the members of our team than making someone’s worst day a little bit better. 

Cody Lockhart
TCSAR Chief Advisor
Volunteer #84