Greater Yellowstone Coalition

What happens when your school mascot shows up on campus?? For the Gardiner Bruins, three new bear-proof trash cans made possible by Bear Awareness Gardiner and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition will keep students and bears safe by securing garbage. Aptly represented, Gardiner Public Schools sits at the northern border of Yellowstone National Park along the Yellowstone River, in prime grizzly bear country. In fact, the west end of the school building is in Yellowstone. Read more about this partnership and how it will help keep students safe and bears wild on our blog.?

Make a call for wild rivers today! The Montana Headwaters Legacy Act will protect 325 river miles of some of Montana's most iconic waterways. It's moving through the U.S. Senate and we need you to tell Montana Senator Steve Daines that you want permanent protections for the Yellowstone, Gallatin, Smith Rivers, and more! Please call Senator Steve Daines today at (202) 224-2651 and ask him to support the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act! Tell him that now's the time to cement the future for these wild rivers for generations to come. Thank you for taking action for Greater Yellowstone!

Today is a great day for river conservation! The Montana Headwaters Legacy Act passed the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, bringing it one step closer to becoming law and forever protecting river sections of the Gallatin, Yellowstone, and more. ? When passed, this groundbreaking legislation will designate 325 Montana river miles as Wild and Scenic Rivers, the highest form of river protection in the U.S. We’re optimistic that the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act will be included in a public lands legislative package that will be voted on by the full Senate in December 2024. Stay tuned for more news in the coming weeks! https://lnkd.in/gBFeh6Pg

Trumpeter swans flying over a pond at sunrise in Yellowstone National Park. Photo NPS/Jacob W. Frank

On November 7, 2024, the Wyoming State Board of Land Commissioners with a 3-2 vote approved the sale of the 640-acre Kelly Parcel to Grand Teton National Park. Thank you to everyone who spoke up for the protection of this incredible land under the National Park Service. Your voice matters—and it certainly made a difference.

Earlier this year, we saw continued progress for Yellowstone wolves in Montana with incremental, yet critically important changes to state policies. Wolf conservation is still undoubtedly riddled with challenges. Recent reports indicate five wolves were killed in Wolf Management Unit 313 just north of Yellowstone, despite this season’s three-wolf quota. GYC and our partners advocated for and secured a solution that we hoped would prevent this level of pack disruption, and unfortunately that was not the case. While splitting the area north of Yellowstone into two WMUs and implementing a quota of three wolves in each unit did not work as well as hoped, it was still an important step in the right direction for wolf management in Montana. GYC is committed to building consensus for durable solutions that protect Yellowstone wolves.?In the coming months, we will identify additional long-term strategies for protecting Yellowstone National Park wolf packs during the Montana wolf hunting and trapping season.?

Gallagher’s Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch in Clark Wyoming has become a seasonal tradition for families across northwestern Wyoming, drawing in all sorts of visitors. Among such visitors are grizzly bears drawn down from the nearby mountains by the allure of an easy meal, putting both the bears and the Gallagher family at risk as they harvest corn by hand. Greater Yellowstone Coalition, in collaboration with various partners, recently completed installation of an electric fence around the perimeter of the field in an effort to prevent conflict with uninvited bruins. Check out our latest blog to learn more about this innovative grizzly bear conflict prevention project. Photo Erin Welty / GYC

Last week, GYC staff celebrated a year of wins with Yellowstone Safe Passages. YSP is working to build wildlife crossings just north of Yellowstone National Park in Montana's Paradise Valley to keep humans and wildlife safe. Read about their latest victory in our blog: https://lnkd.in/g5wF7yHF Photo London Bernier / GYC

A cow moose among the autumn colors on the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming. Photo Gannon Castle/U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

The Wyoming State Board of Land Commissioners today voted 3-2 to approve the sale of the 640-acre Kelly Parcel to Grand Teton National Park. Last night, we asked our Wyoming-based audience to encourage the Land Board to approve this sale. More than 150 of you took action on this request, contributing to the nearly 800 messages sent to the Commission between 8:30 p.m. last night and this morning’s meeting. Thank you for using your voice to protect this piece of land and ensure public access for Wyomingites and visitors to enjoy. Photo Stephen Williams?