Jackson Hole Boy Scouts Recycle ... Antlers?

<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Jackson, Wyoming – April 23, 2007 – Newspapers, bottles and cans, sure; but antlers?  Thanks to those masters of recycling, the Jackson Hole Boy Scouts, thousands of elk antlers will be auctioned to eager buyers from around the globe at the annual ElkFest, May 19-20, 2007.  The Boy Scouts harvest the antlers – shed naturally by elk in the spring – from the 25,000-acre National Elk Refuge just outside of Jackson.  Successful bidders then transform this nature’s bounty into functional art, ranging from drawer knobs to elaborate chandeliers in a popular and pricey offshoot of Western design.  And in an example of satisfying eco-karma, 80 percent of proceeds from the auction go back to the elk themselves, helping fund the National Elk Refuge winter habitat. This year’s Fest offers a new twist on the 40-year tradition with the additional auction of one of Jackson’s famous elk antler arches.  The four oft-photographed gateways that adorn Jackson’s distinctive Town Square are deteriorating after 50-plus years in the weather.  Hoping its arches prove horns of plenty, the town is selling the largest southwest corner piece – estimated to contain some 2,000 antlers and weigh as much as 10,000 pounds – to begin funding for a restoration project to replace the structures.  A Rotary Club “guess how many antlers are in the arch” contest will add to the kitty.  Additional events over the family-friendly ElkFest weekend of educational and just-plain-fun activities range from a living historian demonstrating mountain man skills and an “Elk Discovery Booth” to a Kids’ Corner and High Noon Chili Cook-Off – and of course plenty of one-of-a-kind antler creations for sale at the Antler Rendezvous.  For a complete schedule of events, visit www.jacksonholechamber.com or call 307.733.3316.  Additional arch auction information is available at www.elkfest.org.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />