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Justin Petty
Executive Director, Friends of the Teton River · Driggs, ID
Conservation leader Justin R. Petty has been selected as the next Executive Director of Friends of the Teton River (FTR), a nonprofit using science and collaboration to restore the Teton River watershed. Petty brings more than 20 years of experience in landscape‑scale conservation, salmon recovery, community engagement, and collaborative leadership across Idaho and the broader region.
Petty comes to Friends of the Teton River from The Nature Conservancy in Idaho, where he most recently served as IDBU Sagebrush Sea and Columbia River Salmon Recovery Programs Lead, directing major conservation initiatives across priority landscapes. During his tenure, he secured a cooperative agreement with the Bureau of Land Management for up to $5 million over five years, advanced multi‑state low‑tech process‑based restoration projects, and strengthened Indigenous partnerships through work with the Shoshone‑Paiute Tribes. He also led strategic planning efforts, managed interdisciplinary teams, and helped integrate Idaho’s work with divisional conservation priorities.
Previously, Petty served as Conservation Manager for Central Idaho, where he established regional land and water conservation goals, chaired the Upper Salmon Basin Watershed Program Technical Team, and secured millions in public funding to support restoration, easements, and complex real estate transactions. Prior to that, he was Associate Director of Development for The Nature Conservancy in Idaho, stewarding major donor relationships and serving as an interdisciplinary team lead for a $75 million capital campaign.
Petty has also contributed to community‑based conservation through partnerships with Tribal governments, watershed councils, and regional collaboratives, and has supported volunteer engagement and outreach throughout his career.
Friends of the Teton River (FTR) is a nationally recognized conservation organization dedicated to protecting and improving clean water, healthy streams, and a thriving wild fishery in the Teton River Watershed. Through science‑based research, collaborative partnerships, and community‑driven restoration projects, FTR advances long‑term watershed health.