We are friends of Deidre Bainbridge and Grizzly 399. We have launched the Grizzly 399 Project in tribute to Deidre, a Jackson Hole environmental activist, attorney, and champion for all wildlife, especially grizzly bears.

Mother Grizzly 399, the most famous grizzly bear in the world, birthed four baby cubs in 2020. She became beloved by Grand Teton National Park visitors because she learned early on to keep her cubs close to the road and safe from predators. However, humans fed the bears, causing one of her two-year old cubs, when it was on its own, to be euthanized by officials.

The “Friends of 399” have raised over half a million dollars in a campaign begun in 2022 and managed by the Deidre Bainbridge Wildlife Fund, a 501(c)(3) Wyoming not-for-profit organization. We have been making, and will continue to make, substantial grants to numerous wildlife-supportive organizations that can create, implement, and communicate innovative wildlife education, safety, and art programs. A portion of the funds donated has been used to create a larger-than-life standing bronze sculpture of Mother Grizzly 399 and her four baby cubs. The sculpture, created by famed sculptor Sandy Scott, has been erected in front of the National Museum of Military Vehicles (nmmv.org) in Dubois, Wyoming, near the eastern entrance to Grand Teton National Park, on the way to Yellowstone National Park.

We are also very proud of our Wildlife Safety Guide by wildlife author Todd Wilkinson, and it is available as a free PDF e-book downloadable from this website. Too many visitors and residents are injured each year because they don’t know how to act around grizzly bears, bison, moose, elk, wolves, and mountain lions. Let’s learn to enjoy and live in peaceful harmony with these beautiful creatures.

Please donate to our campaign to help humans learn how to live in mutual safety and harmony with our wildlife friends.

And please sign up for our Bear 399 newsletter, which will keep you abreast of the wildlife education, safety, and art grants we are making. At the bottom of this page, you can access all our previous newsletters.