GYC 2022 Semi-Annual Report

2022 Semi-Annual Report

LANDS WATERS WILDLIFE TRIBAL

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

Greater Yellowstone is an extraordinary natural and cultural landscape. At the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, our job is to keep it that way. Your continued support means we are able to tackle the complex challenges facing the region by engaging the wide range of people who care about Greater Yellowstone, as evidenced by our work to halt destructive mining operations like those below.

From a planned mine to protecting public lands, celebrating a win

The 2019 passage of the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act marked a major victory for GYC and our partners in our efforts to protect public lands near the border of Yellowstone National Park from destructive gold mining. GYC is pleased to announce we have recently removed another mining threat from the area — this time on private lands. By purchasing 75 acres of private land with mineral rights near Emigrant, Montana, and holding them until they could be transferred to Custer Gallatin National Forest this summer, GYC ensured these lands will be forever protected from gold mining and can now be enjoyed by all. Read more on our blog.

Stopping a mine onYellowstone’s border, getting creative Crevice Mountain, a peak along the northern border of Yellowstone National Park, provides vital habitat for protected grizzly bears, is a critical migration corridor for elk, mule deer, and bighorn sheep, and is one of the few safe places outside the park where Yellowstone bison can safely roam. Unfortunately, Crevice Mountain is also home to a significant gold mining threat from the prospective Yellowstone Boundary Mine. GYC has negotiated a deal to buy time to address this threat, and our staff are hard at work exploring creative and innovative ways to protect Crevice Mountain – and Yellowstone itself –from the imminent threat posed by gold mining.

Saying no to the KilgoreMining Project, using the law and people

GYC, along with our partners, are legally challenging the Forest Service’s decision to permit expanded gold exploration just north of Kilgore, Idaho, in the foothills of the Centennial Mountains. This area is a key corridor for grizzly bear movement and connectivity as they disperse from Yellowstone into the wild lands of Idaho. Gold exploration and mining in this area threatens wildlife habitat, water quality, recreation, and agriculture. Beyond our legal fight, we are organizing and empowering community members who oppose the project to ask the Forest Service to deny this damaging proposal. Learn more at protectkilgore.org.

Attaining a 4-star “exceptional” rating verifies the Greater Yellowstone Coalition exceeds non-profit industry standards. Only 16% of charities evaluated have received at least five consecutive 4-star ratings, which means the Greater Yellowstone Coalition outperforms most other charities in America.

Greater Yellowstone Coalition Tax ID: 81-0414042

Charity Navigator is the nation’s largest evaluator of charities. They provide ratings for over 5,000 American charities based on financial health, accountability, and transparency.

Photos, left to right: Air view of 75-acre parcel (William Campbell), View from Crevice Mountain to Yellowstone National Park (Joe Josephson/GYC), Camas Creek at the base of the Centennial Mountains near Kilgore, Idaho (Emmy Reed/GYC).

A 40-YEAR LEGACY

As this report lands in your mailbox, snow is dusting the high peaks of Greater Yellowstone and I am reflecting on all that has been accomplished this year with your continued support.

2022 marked the 150th anniversary of the creation of Yellowstone National Park and despite the pandemic and epic flooding in June, it was a year full of wonderful celebrations and rededication. Together with the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes, we organized a three-day Inter-Tribal Gathering on the Wind River Indian Reservation where 250 people joined in honoring the past and building a better future – one that includes more Tribal participation in the management and conservation of America’s public lands. It was one of the most powerful and inspirational events in my almost 20 years at GYC. And it continues to reverberate as we work with Tribes and other partners to restore bison, revitalize rivers, and protect sacred lands.

We achieved another important milestone in our ongoing efforts to protect Yellowstone and Montana’s Paradise Valley. In August, GYC transferred 75 acres of land in Emigrant Gulch to the U.S. Forest Service, where it will be permanently protected from mining and accessible to the public. Thanks to your support, a critically important piece of land once in the crosshairs of a mining company has been saved forever.

October brought more good news in the form of a new partnership to conserve wildlife habitat in Wyoming. I was honored to participate at an event in Washington D.C. with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Governor Mark Gordon as they formalized their commitment to invest significant new funding toward conserving habitat in the state’s most important big game migration corridors. This partnership has the potential to protect tens of thousands of acres across the state through new conservation easements and habitat leasing, and includes funds for wildlife friendly fencing and habitat restoration. We applaud these state and federal leaders for working together to conserve Greater Yellowstone’s magnificent wildlife migrations.

Looking ahead, the coming year is sure to be an exciting one. In the midst of it all, GYC will turn 40! We hope to celebrate with you – our loyal donors and supporters – on June 7, 2023, at what promises to be a wonderful evening event on the banks of the Gallatin River. We continue to be humbled by your unwavering support, year after year. It makes all the difference.

Scott Christensen Executive Director

Front cover photo: Ronan Donovan / Back cover photo: goeddelphotography.com

Program Spotlight Celebrating a win for Yellowstone bison

Yellowstone National Park is the only place in the world where genetically valuable, wild American plains bison can be witnessed in large, free-roaming herds. It is also the only place where wild plains bison have continuously lived since prehistoric times.

The roughly 6,000 bison roaming the park today are descendants of just two dozen individuals that found a refuge in Yellowstone’s rugged interior while European settlers and the American military systematically exterminated millions of bison across the continent.

The once massive, free-ranging herds that engineered the landscape of the American West and supported Native civilizations for millennia were nearly obliterated by the late 1800s.

After decades of recovery efforts, the number of bison within Yellowstone National Park has

grown significantly. However, there are still numerous obstacles to meaningful restoration beyond the park and into more of their historic range across North America.

Many of the difficulties stem from the dated Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP), which was implemented more than 20 years ago after a court settlement with the state of Montana.

The IBMP drastically limits the number of bison in Yellowstone – well below the park’s estimated ecological carrying capacity – as well as their ability to access habitat outside the park. As a result, Yellowstone bison are prevented from following their traditional migratory paths, and the park is forced to slaughter hundreds of bison that leave the park every year.

We believe there is a better way to manage bison. With this in mind, we sat down with our partners at

The completed expansion of Yellowstone’s Bison Conservation Transfer Program facility will allow up to 100 eligible bison to enter the program this winter, saving the animals from slaughter and preparing them for restoration to Tribal and public lands across North America.

Yellowstone National Park and Yellowstone Forever to explore innovative ideas to tackle this complex problem and restore more bison to the landscape beyond Yellowstone. From those ideas grew a goal to raise $1 million to more than double the capacity of the Yellowstone bison quarantine facility, which is a key part of the pipeline for moving healthy bison out of the park and onto Tribal and select public lands where they are wanted. Expanding the facility allows more bison to move through a quarantine program, reducing the number of these ecologically and culturally invaluable animals that are slaughtered each year for management reasons. Thanks to your support, we succeeded in this fundraising effort and construction of the expansion began last year.

With the expansion now complete, the park plans to commemorate this historic step by hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony and Tribal blessing at the expanded Bison Conservation Transfer Facility next spring with key

partners including the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council, the Tribes of Fort Peck, all Yellowstone Treaty Tribes, key IBMP partner agencies, Yellowstone Forever, GYC, and donors like you.

As a direct result of this expansion, Yellowstone can enter at least 100 eligible bison into the program this winter. We will continue to work toward expanding this program even further through the development of one or more additional facilities within the ecosystem where Yellowstone bison can be quarantined and subsequently transferred to appropriate Tribal and public lands. Thank you for helping us achieve this significant and hopeful milestone for Yellowstone bison.

Your support is key to saving and restoring Yellowstone bison across North America.

Thank you!

Photo: Bison grazing in Yellowstone National Park. ©Neal Herbert/NPS

Program Spotlight

Helping water and people along the Big Wind River

Water is essential to all life on earth. Here in Greater Yellowstone, our rivers, streams, lakes, and snowpack sustain iconic wildlife, diverse plant species, and thriving communities. As the headwaters of the West, Greater Yellowstone’s rivers support life far beyond the region itself.

At the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, our goal is to ensure the region’s waters are clean, cold, free-flowing, and able to sustain the remarkable diversity of the ecosystem. We also want to make sure they support the cultural, spiritual, and economic wellbeing of the people who live here.

When GYC opened its Fort Washakie office on the Wind River Indian Reservation, we knew there was a complicated history of water issues related to the Big Wind River. We also knew we could help create the space to find solutions in support

of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes, as well as those who live downstream.

Over the past 100 years, numerous federal acts, policies, and projects have been designed to oppress Indigenous People and limit access to land and water: the Dawes Allotment Act of 1887, Reclamation Act of 1902, Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, Rogers C. B. Morton Moratorium of 1973, and many more. On the Wind River Indian Reservation, the construction of Diversion Dam in 1919 and the Big-Horn Adjudication Case of 1977 – which ruled in favor of the State of Wyoming over the Wind River Indian Reservation and Winters Doctrine – made accessing water difficult, ignored Treaty Rights, and provided more cultural hardships for the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho.

The Wind River Reservation is 42 miles southeast of Yellowstone National Park. At 2.5 million acres it is roughly the same size as Yellowstone, however, it is twenty times smaller than what was promised to the Eastern Shoshone when the first treaty was signed in 1863.

Even with these continual setbacks, there were two important wins for Tribal Nations. First was the 1908 court case Winters v. United States, from which came the Winters Doctrine – establishing and enforcing that Tribes have senior Treaty rights to water. A second major win came on April 6, 2022, when Interior Secretary Deb Halaand lifted the Rogers C.B. Morton Moratorium, which previously prohibited Tribes from adopting water codes.

We are seeking to further restore Tribal water rights by asking the federal government to review the social, economic, and cultural injustices of Wyoming’s Diversion Dam on the main stem of the Big Wind River and the related Wyoming Canal project. The current system has diverted water away from the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho people and re-routed it to non-Indian people downstream for more than 100 years. We also aim to help restore the Big Wind River – along with its

ecologically important riparian habitat – and all the cultural, spiritual, and economic benefits a healthy river can bring to the Tribes of the Wind River Indian Reservation and its neighbors.

We are hopeful that not long from now, the Wind River Tribes can finally use their adopted water code and make a positive difference for people and fisheries along this important river in Wyoming. Thanks to your support, a day is coming when we will see a healthy, clean, cold, and free-flowing upper Big Wind River once again.

We all deserve water. It is a Treaty right, and a human right. Your support helps us ensure all people have access to water. Thank you!

Photo: Big Wind River flows through the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Program Spotlight Remaining committed to Yellowstone grizzly bears

Grizzly bears are perhaps the most iconic symbol of a wild Yellowstone. As a large and wide-ranging omnivore, they play a vital role in a well-balanced ecosystem.

Since the organization’s founding in 1983, GYC has worked on numerous issues related to grizzly bear conservation – from securing core habitat, to reducing conflicts between bears and people, to advocating for sound policies at the local, state, and federal levels. Throughout the years we have remained dedicated to ensuring Yellowstone grizzlies thrive long into the future, but that work does not come without obstacles.

One such obstacle is helping keep bears wild, people safe, and livelihoods in place while bears move across the landscape. This means keeping attractants – essentially anything with a scent a bear might recognize as

food – properly stored. We recently partnered with the new owner of a Wyoming guest ranch to help end a long history of bear conflicts by purchasing and installing bearresistant equipment. Prior to this work, the ranch had recorded 81 bear conflicts at or near the ranch over the past five years, 65 of which were caused by improperly stored attractants. Partnerships like these, and our ability to move quickly and nimbly to resolve bear conflicts, help keep bears alive and build social tolerance for these animals.

Another obstacle is the increasing prevalence of politicians getting involved in wildlife management. This past legislative session in Montana was roundly considered to have generated some of the most regressive wildlife policies of our lifetimes, particularly for the ecosystem’s most iconic species. With wildlife like grizzly

We are committed to the long game of grizzly bear conservation in Greater Yellowstone. We will continue our role of helping keep bears alive, people safe, and livelihoods in place, no matter the political or legal landscape. Our partnership with a guest ranch in Wyoming will ultimately help keeps bears wild.

bears used as political fodder and the professional judgement of wildlife managers disregarded by many in the region’s statehouses, we know that now, more than ever, we must work creatively and build local support for conserving bears.

Over the years, GYC has learned that success comes from being able to play the long game despite regional and national political volatility. We use the best available science and increasingly engage regional Tribes as we invest in projects that make sure grizzlies have what they need to thrive on this landscape, regardless of their legal status.

At the heart of sustainable progress for grizzly bears is our commitment to engaging a wide range of people to help support this keystone species. The more diverse the support is for grizzlies across the ecosystem, the more durable and long-lasting any conservation outcomes become. Whether it is working alongside ranchers and within frontline communities to minimize conflicts

between bears and people, or investing in projects that restore old roadbeds back to valuable bear habitat across the ecosystem’s five national forests, or advocating for bear-resistant food storage containers in campgrounds and neighborhoods, we are doing more for bears and people than ever before.

We know politics will always be unpredictable in our region. GYC’s strength is in its commitment and consistency to this work. Grizzly bears cannot thrive unless people are actively engaged in conserving them. Thanks to your support, we are able to stay the course and maintain our commitment to healthy, connected grizzly populations, now and forever. Stay tuned.

People

like you have helped us with nearly 40 years of grizzly bear conservation work.

Thank you!

Photo: Grizzly sow and cub in Yellowstone National Park. ©Adams/NPS

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

We are so grateful to all of you who support us at various levels throughout the year. All gifts, no matter the amount, help advance our work. Thank you for your tireless support to protect Greater Yellowstone now and for future generations. Due to limited space, we are only able to recognize donors who gave $1,000 or more within the last 12 months (October 1, 2021 to October 1, 2022).

ANNUAL DONOR ROLL

Elaine and Hirschel Abelson

James and Susannah Adelson Family Foundation Fund

The Estate of Barbara Adrian Karen and Richard Allen American Rivers Rita and Tom Anderson Karin and Jeff Armstrong

Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Diana Bailey Timothy Baker Diane Bastian

Beagle Charitable Foundation Edward R. Bazinet Charitable Foundation Ms. Abigail Beck

The Estate of Julie Anne Bell Noel Bennett Sarah and Glenn Bergenfield Sarah Heckles and Scott Berggren Natalie and Warren Bergholz Richard Bickel, Jr. Peter Boerma

James P. Bourgeois Eleanor Briggs Mary and Alan Brutger

Lynda Caine, Firehole Ranch Whitney Hable and Giordi Caponigro Amy and Walter Carpenter Edward Castleberry

Mr. and Mrs. Doug Caton Susan Childs

Anne Childs

Cinnabar Foundation

Jan and Fritz Clark

Robin Cloyd

Jennene Colky

Community Food Co-op Community Foundation of Jackson Hole Geraldine and Stephen Connolly Ann Cornell

The Peter C. Cornell Trust Dorothy and David Courtis Eva Crane Cross Charitable Foundation Daphne Chester and Kevin Crowe Judy and Mark Cunningham Peggy and Kirk Davenport Claire Davis

Brenda and Swep Davis

Defenders of Wildlife Marie and David Delich Stephen G. and Susan E. Denkers Family Foundation

Alexandra Yannakos and Abinand Devan Becky and John Dicola Jane Erwine and John DiMarco

The Estate of Steven P. Dolberg Missy and JD Doyle Nicole Friend and Gar Duke Jennifer Durning Susan Dusenberry Eaglemere Foundation

East Yellowstone Chapter Trout Unlimited Eastern Shoshone Business Council Judy and Charlie Eaton Willard L. Eccles Foundation Ruth Eckert EcoTrust

Donna Eden

Jo Ann and Bert Eder Lisa and Hal Eisenacher Jonathan Eng Andrea Eschen

Jo Ann and Robert Etter The Estate of Evan Evanoff Phil Everhardt

Lisa Volgenau and Chris Fitzgerald Brooke Feister Charles Fink and Leonard Jones Fanwood Foundation West Deborah and David Fosdick

The Estate of Rita Friedman

Beth and Tom Gadsden

Michael Gadsden

Caroline and Andrew Gentry

George B. Storer Fund at The Miami Foundation

David Gissy

John Giurgevich glassybaby foundation

Barbara and Jerome Glickman

Donna and Jack Glode Peggy and James Graeter Craig Groves Jane and Bill Gum Kay and James Guyette Tacy Hahn

Lee Halford

Hamill Family Foundation Christina Pehl and Mark Headley Dr. June Heilman

The Estate of Frank Hensing

Carolyn and Scott Heppel Georgia and Donald Hicks The Estate of Julia Houston Kimberly Stewart and George Howard, Jr. The Hullar Foundation Indifly

JoAnn Syron and William Ira James, III John and Margaret Sinclaire Foundation John Johnston, III

Steven and Carolyn Jones Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

Cynthia Stewart Kaag and Donald Bricker Kaag KARIS Foundation

Barbara and Kenneth Kaufman Linda and Bob Keiter Michele and Robbie Keith Marisa Bueno and Robert Keith Laura Keith

Karen Larsen and Craig Kenworthy Gail and Ken Kinard

Knobloch Family Foundation Alec and Lee Koch Carter Kohlmeyer

Joe Albright and Marcia Kunstel Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole Carol Kurtz

Beedee Ladd Sue Lang Kathy and Ken Lichtendahl

Jody and Mark Macedonio Ellen Macfarland

Albert & Bertha Markstein Foundation

Nicholas Mars

Alison Schwedner and Alan Martin Nancy and Sandy Martin Terri and Alan Mawdsley Maryanne and Tim Mayeda June and Michael McCollister Nancy and John McMillan Linda McMullen

Mennen Environmental Foundation Kathy and Peter Metcalf Taya Cromley and Jim Messina Barbara Meyer Marilyn Miller Susan and John Mills Dwight Minton William Moliski Maryanne Mott Barbara Francis and Robert Musser Richard Napier National Audubon Society

National Parks Conservation Association

National Wildlife Federation

Natural Resources Defense Council Hortensia Chang and John Nelson Evelyn B. Newell

Antje and Paul Newhagen Foundation of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation Suzi Hill and Eric Noreen Susan and Roy O’Connor Susan and James O’Neill Mary Beth and Charlie O’Reilly William Oberdorfer Thomas Oberdorfer Janet and David Offensend Elinor Ogden

Beau Ogzewalla Onsite Energy Robin and Ed Orazem Marge and Gil Ordway Michele and Samuel Osborne Park Foundation

Betty and Walt Parks Lynn Foxx Pease and Dave Pease Pew Charitable Trusts

Anna J. Gunnarsson Pfeiffer and Leonard Pfeiffer, IV

Joann Ragni

Molly Raiser

Beth Burrough and David Ramsay

Andrea Rankin

Kim and Larry Rea

Harold W. Sweatt Foundation

Paul Reichel

Daniel Robinson

Xavier Rolet

Suzanne Bonner Romatowski and Peter Romatowski

The Estate of Henry and Gertrude Rothschild

Charles C. Rumsey, Jr.

Catie Malone and Edward Ryan

Marilyn and Jay Sarles

Nancy E. Watters and Stephen B. Sayre

Carol and Robert Scallan

Julie Mueller and Donald Sharaf

Bonnie and Jim Shaw Janet and Ray Shei

The Estate of Peter Sheldon Brenda and Howard Sheridan

Charlotte Shifrin

Shipley Foundation, Inc.

Joan Leydon and John Siff

Sandy and Denny Simonson

Kathy Sinclaire

Catherine Smith

William J. Sowter

Jane and David Spencer

James Spencer

Stanley Family Fund - Old Bill’s Fun Run Operating Fund of the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole

Charlotta Eaton and D. Curtis Starr, Jr. Sara Strang and Robert Steinwurtzel

Susan Quarles and Geoffrey Stephens

Betsy and Ralph Stephens

Catherine and Greg Stevens Marilyn and Louis Stoddard

Joan and Mark Strobel

Gloria and Bill Stuble

Linda Summers

Catherine Symchych

Mary Taylor

Teel’s Marsh Foundation

Alison G. Tennyson Trust

The Crowell Family Foundation

The Edna Wardlaw Charitable Trust

The Enrico Foundation

The Harder Foundation

The Kendeda Fund

The Scoob Trust Foundation

The Vital Ground Foundation

The Volgenau Foundation

The Wilderness Society

The Wildland Trekking Company

The WYldlife Fund

Paul Thoen

Judy Goddard and Kirk Thomas Thomas O. Brown Foundation

Jeffrey Thompson

Deborah Thompson

McHenry and Lisa Tichenor Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas Tortuga Foundation

Trout and Salmon Foundation Kelly and Leonard Trout

The Turtle Family Fund

U.S. Forest Service

Karen Uhlenbeck and Robert Williams

Amy Andersen and Tim Wilson

Amy and Stephen Unfried Diana and Mallory Walker

Andy Walz

Putnam Foundation

Donna Warton

Cynthia Wayburn Susan and David Welch

Wilburforce Foundation

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Jennifer and Charlie Wilson Wind River Canyon Whitewater Fred and Eleanor WinstonThe Longview Foundation Thomas and Shasta WinstonThe Longview Foundation Nancy Winter John Woerner

Wolfensohn Family Foundation Linda and Richard Wolk Chris Wright WWW Foundation

Wyoming Outdoor Council Yellowstone Valley Lodge Sandy Young

IN HONOR OF:

Nancy Amos Our Ancestors

Bud the Wonder Dog Eric Berg

Natalie and Warren Bergholz Karen A. Bowman Kat B. Caroline Byrd Eleanor Jean Caton Tom Carls Casey

Dorothy and David Courtis Chrissy Durkin Shana and Charles Drimal Dana and Ty Edmondson Laila and Asher Engel Andrea Eschen

Robert Etter Jenepher Field Beverly Friesen Peggy Fujita Michael H. Gadsden Debbie Grinstead Barbara Hamilton John Hardy Elizabeth and Mackay Hull Nathan Hult

Tom Jalkut

Joe Josephson Barbara and Ken Kaufman Alec Koch

Louise and Chip Krantz Baylor Landrum III Jody Lynne Macedonio Morgan Wes Martel

Paula Watt and Grant Meyer Janet Offensend

Erika Mittermaier and Jeremias Pink

Marilyn and Craig Piper Mary Robertson John Scott

George Simonton Farwell D. Smith Valerie Stromquist

The Wolves of Yellowstone

IN MEMORY OF:

Carlos Abraham

Barbara Hostert Adrian Frank H. Anderson Bruce Ashley Beverly Ann Chick Leo Cooper George A. Doumani Irene Dub

Thomas Dunford Michael Glavonovich

Jeffrey Reid Hebron Maggy Hurchalla

Habitats Lost Due to Fires John Jacob

Lois and Rich Janecky Patricia and John Keysor Ronald A. Kurtz

Lawrence Lindsay Jay Mennenga

Frank Munoz, Jr. Margaret T. Pauls Ken Pierce

Shawn Orloff Joe Ramirez

Catherine Reichel Rick Reese Kent Richards Robert Sadie Timothy Scrantom Charlene Sehorn Ron Steenerson Mel Stonehouse

Joseph Tulpinsky Willi

James Warren Thomas Weil Michael Weisburg Dwight Wilson Bob Wolford Ladonna Zall

Our vision

We envision a Greater Yellowstone where wild nature flourishes, plant, animal, and human communities thrive in reciprocity, and all people work together to conserve this globally significant ecosystem.

Tribal Culture & Conservation

GYC helped support our nonprofit partner Mountain Time Arts, which led Yellowstone Revealed this summer in Yellowstone National Park. The project consisted of a series of placebased works by an inter-tribal group of Indigenous artists and scholars, and premiered in August.

The public artworks were noninvasive, temporary projects designed to demonstrate the historic and continued presence of Indigenous people in Greater Yellowstone. The multi-disciplinary artworks coincided with and responded to Yellowstone National Park’s 150th anniversary and put forward Indigenous truths and perspectives. Yellowstone Revealed provided a platform and long-overdue opportunity to envision and co-create the future of the park.

Lead artists included: Dr. Shane Doyle (Apsáalooke), Patti Baldes (Northern Arapaho/Northern Paiute), Dean Nicolai (Bitterroot Salish), and Tim Ryan (Salish).

Learn more: greateryellowstone.org/blog

At least 49 Tribes retain deep connections to Greater Yellowstone, including the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho of the Wind River Indian Reservation, a key landscape within our region.

GYC’s Tribal Program, led from our Fort Washakie office, is working to help restore Indigenous conservation priorities that honor Tribal cultural landscapes, Tribal rights, and Tribal ways of life.

As part of this work, we are gathering people together this fall and diving into impactful stories, photos, and film that showcase the social, economic, and cultural injustices against Indigenous People. We will also discuss how GYC is leading the way to help tackle these complex problems by making space for conversations and community building with Tribes in Greater Yellowstone and beyond.

Details: greateryellowstone.org/events

AmazonSmile Supports GYC

Supporting GYC is easy with Amazon Smile. All you need to do is use smile.amazon.com the next time you shop. (It’s the same shopping experience as Amazon.com.) Choose the Greater Yellowstone Coalition as your charity and AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to help protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of Greater Yellowstone!

Yellowstone Revealed | August 2022

Tribal Stories Event Series | Fall 2022

ACCOMPLISHMENTS NEXT STEPS

The second year of our partnership with the U.S. Forest Service resulted in the decommissioning of more illegal roads within CaribouTarghee National Forest. To date, we have restored more than 160 miles of roads, creating 64,000 acres of secure habitat for wildlife.

GYC recently partnered with the U.S. Forest Service to visit three critical in-holdings on private land within the New World Mining District north of Yellowstone National Park.

We will continue this work next summer, likely on the Custer Gallatin National Forest. The goal is to decommission old, illegal roads across five national forests, and restore them back to a natural state, providing secure habitat for grizzly bears and other wildlife.

We hope to secure up to 575 acres of land at headwaters of three important tributaries by working with willing landowners and using dollars from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

GYC and our nonprofit partners, including the Wild Livelihoods Business Coalition, played a critical role in convincing the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission to reinstate wolf hunting and trapping quotas for the wolf management units bordering Yellowstone.

We will continue to monitor legislative-driven policy across all three states and will advocate against policies that negatively impact keystone species in Greater Yellowstone.

License Plate Supports GYC

We are pleased to report our Montana license plate, introduced in 2017 and sold through the Montana Motor Vehicle Division, has provided more than $98,000 in valuable support over the past four years. Thank you to those who have purchased a plate and helped fund our important work.

Photos | Page 12: Emmy Reed/GYC (teepees placed at Yellowstone National Park); Carlos Alejandro (Ruth Miller, Inter-Tribal Gathering participant); and Page 13: Louise Johns (Custer Gallatin National Forest at sunset).