GYC 2021 Annual Report

LANDS WATERS WILDLIFE TRIBAL 2021 annual report

RECENT VICTORIES Thanks to your support, we continue to advance our mission of working with all people to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, now and for future generations. We do this across more than 20 million acres, three states, two national parks, and in partnership with the 49 Tribes who have past and present ancestral and cultural connections to this region.

110,174 acres

49 Tribes

2 risky mines

13.9 miles

7 compelling stories

75M dollars

of new recommended wilderness included in the Custer Gallatin National Forest management plan.

put on pause through GYC’s continued diligence in finding ways to work with people, agencies, and landowners to protect habitat and clean water.

published about the remarkable Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem through our new podcast, Voices of Greater Yellowstone.

have been recognized with ancestral connections to Yellowstone National Park through GYC’s new tribal map.

of fence removed or modified by GYC and volunteers dedicated to protecting a key migration corridor along the AbsarokaBeartooth Front in Wyoming.

secured in the Wyoming state budget for the Wyoming Wildlife & Natural Resource Trust, which will fund projects like wildlife crossings, stream restoration projects, and conservation easements.

KEEPING YOU INFORMED We continually update our online sources and send hard copy reports to show the impact of your support. Donors like you make a difference.

Thank you for all you do for Greater Yellowstone!

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ANNUAL REPORTS

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PODCAST

Voices of Greater Yellowstone

SOCIAL GreaterYellowstoneCoalition @GYCnews @greateryellowstone

SCOTT CHRISTENSEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

In the year we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park, I am humbled by the generous support we continue to receive from our donors and supporters across the region and country.

I am also proud of GYC’s achievements despite the many ups and downs of the past year. Your commitment and encouragement reinforce for me how important this remarkable region is and why our mission continues to be at the forefront of people’s minds.

In 2021, we completed a new five-year strategic plan which set forth a compelling and comprehensive vision for how we will do our work. It is a plan that addresses the key challenges and opportunities of our time, calling on us to innovate and grow in exciting new ways. If you haven’t seen the new plan, you can view it online at greateryellowstone.org/strategicplan.

Due to your generous financial support, we can again share another year of significant conservation wins. We’ve chosen just a few to highlight throughout this report, and I hope they convey the impact GYC has working with a vast array of people and using a variety of tools to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of our region now and for generations to come.

Next year, GYC will celebrate 40 years! Please save Wednesday, June 7, 2023, for a gathering in Bozeman to celebrate you – our donors – and this remarkable place we call Greater Yellowstone. If you can make it out this way, please be sure to secure lodging soon – things book up quickly these days.

I wish you and yours a healthy spring and summer filled with time outdoors and a deep appreciation for wild places. Thank you for being a part of GYC and for your unwavering and meaningful support.

LICENSE PL ATE 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.

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CAMPAIGN SPOTLIGHT :

YELLOWSTONE BISON PHOTO: KATHI BAHR

WORKING TOWARD A BRIGHTER FUTURE

It is hard to overstate the cultural and ecological significance of Yellowstone bison.

Yellowstone National Park is the only place in the world where genetically pure, 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 5,500 bison roaming the park today are descendants of just two dozen individuals that found a haven 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.

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After decades of recovery efforts, the story of the American bison could be viewed as a success. However, this success has not come without controversy.

Yellowstone bison are currently managed in accordance with the Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP), which was implemented in 2000 after a court settlement with the state of Montana. The IBMP drastically limits the number of Yellowstone bison 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.

The time for a paradigm shift is now, and GYC and our partners are working proactively and creatively to make positive changes for our country’s national mammal. To date, we’ve helped

Campaign SPOTLIGHT

FOCUS

Yellowstone National Park Bison Management Plan HIGHLIGHTS

secure access to more than 360,000 acres of habitat outside Yellowstone for migrating bison. Last year, we helped raise funds to expand the Bison Conservation Transfer Program, which limits the number of bison sent to slaughter and supports the ecological and cultural restoration of the species. Today, we are supporting Yellowstone National Park as they update their Bison Management Plan with the goals of helping the park put an end to the needless slaughter of bison, prioritizing Tribal engagement and cooperation, and supporting the ecological and cultural restoration of the species to lands outside Yellowstone and beyond.

Thanks to your support, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition can envision a future with a thriving Yellowstone bison population – no longer managed through

We are working to create a new plan that treats Yellowstone bison like wildlife, ends slaughter, and restores bison to select Tribal and Learn about an public lands across exciting matching North America.

gift opportunity for bison on the back cover of this report.

slaughter – that can safely migrate in and out of Yellowstone National Park and fulfill their vital role in the ecosystem. Today, we are much closer to a future that includes the ecological and cultural restoration of the species to Tribal and public lands across North America. To fully bring this vision to life, we need to stay creative and innovative, bringing new ideas to the table and remaining diligent while we work with Tribes, partners, and stakeholders throughout the ecosystem and beyond. Yellowstone bison are one of the most treasured species in Greater Yellowstone, and we are committed to building a brighter future for these iconic animals.

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CAMPAIGN SPOTLIGHT :

CUSTER GALL ATIN NATIONAL FOREST PHOTO: LOUISE JOHNS

CELEBRATING WINS IN NEW FOREST PLAN

The Madison and Gallatin ranges, which fall largely within Custer Gallatin National Forest, are key linkages between Yellowstone National Park and the sweeping landscape of the Northern Rockies. These mountains provide vital habitat for iconic Yellowstone wildlife, support the economies of local communities, and hold worldclass recreation opportunities for those seeking adventure and solace in the great outdoors.

When the Forest Service initiated the development of a new management plan in 2016, we knew it was our best chance to secure strong and definitive protections for clean water, open space, and habitat that supports Yellowstone grizzly bears, wolves, elk, and more.

While taking every opportunity to participate in shaping the new plan, GYC did what we do

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best: we created the space to find solutions and build consensus among a wide variety of people who live, work, and recreate here. We co-founded a coalition of diverse interests called the Gallatin Forest Partnership, held countless meetings and workshops, and ultimately developed a strong proposal that outlined management recommendations to protect water and wildlife habitat, adapt to a changing climate, and preserve and contain existing recreation access.

During the planning process, the regional population around the national forest continued to grow. More people enjoying the forest meant it was increasingly urgent to develop a management plan that protects wild lands and balances recreational access. So, we continued to engage people in the process and built consensus

Campaign SPOTLIGHT

FOCUS

Custer Gallatin National Forest New Management Plan HIGHLIGHTS

For the past five years, GYC has engaged people to help develop a new forest plan that protects key habitat, water, and the region’s important wildlife corridors.

around key components like new land designations and management policies at every step along the way.

Our years of hard work and dedication paid off. When the Custer Gallatin National Forest released its final Forest Management Plan earlier this year, we were gratified to see it closely aligned with the recommendations we developed within the Gallatin Forest Partnership. In fact, Forest Supervisor Mary Erickson said, “I found the work of the Gallatin Forest Partnership to be the most compelling for this landscape.

This was due to the area-specific recommendations combined with local knowledge, and the outreach and coalition building across diverse interests that accompanied their proposal.”

The final plan includes 110,174 acres of new

Your amazing support helped us remain involved in a lengthy process to protect key habitat and water.

recommended wilderness and THANK YOU! 99,128 acres of additional conservation designations that will balance protecting the landscape with maintaining existing recreational access.

The plan also includes recommendations for 30 river segments to be protected as Wild and Scenic, as well as a new conservation designation – key linkage areas – to protect wildlife migrations and maintain vital connectivity between habitats.

The new plan, while not perfect, is the culmination of a tremendous amount of hard work, local organizing, and strategic campaigning. Thank you for supporting us throughout this important effort to provide permanent protections for these vital mountain ranges north of Yellowstone.

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CAMPAIGN SPOTLIGHT :

INTER-TRIBAL GATHERINGS PHOTO: FLICKR

ELEVATING TRIBAL RIGHTS, KNOWLEDGE

March 1, 2022, marked the 150th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park.

This important milestone of our park system’s crown jewel is reason to both reflect on the history of this special place and envision its future.

Along with recognizing the important role Yellowstone has played in conserving iconic lands, waters, and wildlife, it is crucial to acknowledge those who stewarded the land here long before the Yellowstone Park Protection Act was signed in 1872.

Telling the full story of the creation of the park means being willing to share the darker, less peaceful parts of that history.

While there is a prevailing myth that Yellowstone was an empty, uninhabited landscape, Indigenous people lived within and relied on Yellowstone for countless generations, and many were

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killed or forcibly removed from the area to create Yellowstone.

While it can be difficult to speak of these painful truths in a time of celebration, what can be celebrated is the fact that Indigenous people are still here despite the federal policy of assimilation in existence at that time. Through enormous acts of resilience, Native Americans have retained their lodges, ceremonies, healers, medicines, and importantly, their profound connection to the lands within Yellowstone National Park.

At the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, we are committed to engaging the wide range of people who care about the region. Luckily, we’re not alone, as evidenced by our well-attended online Inter-Tribal Gathering on March 1, a recording of which you can view online on our blog.

Today, Tribes, federal agencies, and the non-profit community are

Campaign SPOTLIGHT

FOCUS

Elevating Native Voices HIGHLIGHTS

working to create a brighter, more inclusive future in and around Grater Yellowstone.

With leadership from Tribal governments, Yellowstone National Park, the Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service, and conservation organizations, we are collectively moving toward better integration of Indigenous conservation and cultural practices into the stewardship of public lands.

When it comes to understanding the complex relationships between people and the rest of nature, we have a lot to learn from listening to Indigenous voices. Indigenous cultural paradigms treat plants, animals, and landscapes as relatives, medicine, healers, teachers, and cross-generational purveyors of culture and tradition that are essential to building

GYC’s Inter-Tribal Gatherings bring together federal staff, Tribes, non-profits, and others to build consensus toward a future that includes more Tribal input and participation as it relates to the management and conservation of America’s public Thank you for lands. your support to raise

awareness and build a future that includes Traditional Ecological Knowledge.

a robust and sustainable conservation movement.

As we imagine the next 150 years for Yellowstone, we would like to see a full integration of Indigenous culture and conservation interests into the management of federal public lands. Fortunately, the Tribal Community, along with federal agencies, GYC and other conservation groups, are committed to continued collaboration, relationship building, and creating a new path forward. GYC’s InterTribal Gathering on the Wind River Reservation in June will provide a place to do just that.

Learn more about this effort at: greateryellowstone.org/gatherings.

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FINANCIALS The Greater Yellowstone Coalition is committed to sound fiscal management, accountability, and transparency. Top charity watchdogs agree. GYC has earned a Platinum Candid Seal of Transparency from Guidestar, as well as a 4-star “exceptional” rating from Charity Navigator every year for the past five years. Only 16% of charities attain this type of consistent rating, which means we outperform most charities in America. If you’d like additional information, please see our audited financial statements and 990s on our website at greateryellowstone.org/financials.

In fiscal year 2021, total revenue was $5,310,754 (including investment returns, PPP loan forgiveness, events, and other income). Expenses were $3,276,302.

We ended the year with net assets of $14,979,213. Our financial sustainability is due to generous bequests, sustaining donations, and restricted funding for key campaigns and projects within the ecosystem. This generosity allows us to think bigger, and make lasting investments in our work now, and in the future.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s Board of Directors is comprised of dedicated volunteers who bring a broad array of leadership, expertise, and enthusiasm to protecting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Janet Offensend, Chair

Michael Gadsden

Georgie Stanley

Andrew Moore, Treasurer

Thomas Jalkut

Dan Vermillion

Nancy Watters, Secretary

Chris Johns

Dan Wenk

Pete Coppolillo

Rick Johnson

Jennifer Wilson

Abi Devan

Xavier Rolet

Thomas Winston

Bea Gordon

Diana Simmons

Kitty Griswold

Jane Spencer

Supporting GYC is easy with Amazon Smile. All you need to do is use smile.amazon.com the next time you shop.

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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!

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ALSO ACCOMPLISHED IN 2021 Retrofitted 5.8 miles of fencing near the Sand Creek Desert in Idaho to remove a significant barrier for moose, elk, and mule deer trying to reach their winter range.

Opened 500 acres of private lands within a key migration corridor through an innovative new agreement for elk, deer, and other species.

Completed five years of bringing people together in support of a new and improved management plan for the Custer Gallatin National Forest.

Built support for reintroducing the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act in the U.S. Senate, which aims to protect 339 river miles throughout southwest Montana.

Raised $250,000 to expand the Bison Conservation Transfer Program facility in Yellowstone National Park, which will save bison from unnecessary slaughter.

Launched a new Tribal Program, which included hiring three Indigenous staff to lead and support our work from a new office on the Wind River Reservation.

Released the first-of-its-kind Greater Yellowstone Climate Assessment, highlighting the urgency of protecting our precious water resources.

Supported three range rider programs in places where bears and wolves frequently roam, keeping animals wild, people and livestock safe, and livelihoods in place.

Restored more than 140 miles of old logging roads back to their natural condition in key wildlife habitat on the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.

Completed three coexistence projects near the border of Yellowstone to allow bison to migrate outside park borders and minimize property damage for area residents.

Supported Teton County, Wyoming, in updating its Wildlife Feeding Land Development Regulations, easing human-wildlife conflicts by reducing wildlife access to human foods.

Submitted 3,000 comments from GYC advocates in opposition to a proposed toxic gold mine near the town of Kilgore, Idaho, just 60 miles west of Yellowstone.

PHOTO: GOEDDELGALLERY.COM

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A M E R I C A’S VO I C E F O R A G R E AT E R Y E L LOW S TO N E 215 South Wallace Avenue • Bozeman, Montana 59715

GREATER YELLOWSTONE COALITION TAX ID: 81-0414042 / PHOTO: GOEDDELGALLERY.COM / COVER PHOTO: LOUISE JOHNS

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL MELISSA RICHEY AT 406.556.2834

The Mennen Environmental Foundation will match any gift, dollar for dollar, up to $50,000. Help save Yellowstone bison from slaughter.

Give a gift today and help restore this magnificent species to Tribal and public lands across North America.

It is hard to overstate the cultural and ecological significance of Yellowstone bison. Yellowstone National Park is the only place in the world where genetically pure, 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. Unfortunately, the National Park Service is tragically required to send hundreds of bison to slaughter every year when they leave park boundaries. We want to change that, and you can help!

MATCH OPPORTUNITY FOR YELLOWSTONE BISON