The Tetons in Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park, fronted by the Oxbow Bend of the Snake River. The Oxbow is known as one of the best places for diverse wildlife watching in America. We should never forget, however, that had conservation efforts failed in the 1930s and 1940s, very likely stretches of the river today would be girded by trophy homes and resorts with motorboats plying the water. Some old guard Jackson Hole families claimed that creating Grand Teton Park and expanding its boundaries would destroy the Jackson Hole economy. Not only were the opponents of conservation wrong but fortunately they were overruled. Photo by Todd Wilkinson