In the past year, we’ve made strides toward keeping people safe and wildlife alive on some of Greater Yellowstone’s busiest roads, one of which is along US Highway 89 south of Livingston, Montana. Community-led partnerships are blossoming to make this popular stretch of highway safer for people and wildlife through construction of wildlife highway crossing structures. Similar efforts are underway on Highway 191 between Bozeman and Big Sky, and in Wyoming and Idaho.
We’ve also made real progress toward helping people live alongside iconic species like grizzly bears, wolves, and bison. Through working with landowners to complete nearly 60 bison fencing projects in the Gardner and Hebgen basins and supporting multifaceted carnivore conflict reduction efforts in the Centennial, Ruby, and Paradise valleys, there is a great foundation in place for further progress toward keeping people safe and wildlife wild.
This important work and much more will continue in this time of political change.
The steadfastness of the Roosevelt Arch and the many examples of people coming together on behalf of Greater Yellowstone are testaments to our collective capacity to unify and remain steady through change.
Thank you for standing with us.
Scott Christensen Executive Director
640 acres added to Grand Teton National Park with the purchase of the Kelly Land Parcel, keeping these remarkable public lands in public hands.
7 organizations joined the Clean Kilgore Coalition to grow public support and stop the Kilgore Gold Exploration Project.
6,400+ GYC advocates who took action on issues related to defending the lands, waters, and wildlife of this special region.
1 beloved Cody, Wyoming corn maze secured with an electric fence to prevent conflicts with bears.
Photo: Backpackers hiking into the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone. NPS/Jacob W. Frank
Shaping the Future
Here in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, grizzly bears have emerged from their winter hibernation. Spring has sprung and the anticipation to view this year’s crop of cubs is high. Their return to the land is more than a seasonal signal — it’s a reminder of the crucial role they play in the health and balance of this iconic region.
In 1975, only 130 grizzlies remained in and around Yellowstone National Park. Thanks to their protection under the Endangered Species Act and decades of committed recovery efforts, an estimated 1,000 grizzlies now roam the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Even with this historical return, grizzlies and their habitat still need collaboration-focused and sciencebacked policies in place to cement their success.
On January 8, 2025, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the decision to keep grizzly populations listed under the Endangered Species
Act. The Service also proposed some next steps highlighting the unique needs of grizzlies and charting a durable path for improved co-management with states, so communities have the best available tools for living alongside bears.
This decision recognizes the success of decades of investments and community-based conservation efforts, and the need for continued collaboration.
Our goal is to ensure that any future transition to state management maintains and builds upon this conservation success.
After the Service released their decision, a public comment period followed. The agency sought input on its proposed rule to clarify the geographic area where grizzly bears in the lower 48 states retain protections under the Endangered Species Act, as well as revisions to the current protective regulations which may provide
Future for Grizzlies
additional management flexibility for agencies and individuals experiencing conflicts with grizzly bears.
GYC submitted comments to the Service asking them to resolve the following issues found within their plan:
9 Recognize the need for improvements to state laws, rules, and plans that impact the ability of the states to sustainably manage grizzly bear mortality.
9 Strengthen interagency agreements for population and habitat management.
9 Address uncertainties around the likely impacts of increasing visitation and recreational pressure in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which have the potential to threaten long-term grizzly conservation.
Our advocates also showed up in a BIG way for grizzlies.
More than 3,300 GYC supporters submitted comments to the Service encouraging policies that build on current grizzly bear conservation successes and reiterating that grizzly bear management decisions should be driven by science and wildlife experts, not politicians.
We extend our heartiest thank you to everyone who took action for grizzly bears!
GYC is committed to working with all people to ensure a bright future for grizzlies. However, protecting grizzly bears is more than conserving the species — it’s also about keeping the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem as it is in a changing world. Your continued support helps make this possible.
9 Commit additional financial resources to community-based conflict prevention programs, population monitoring, long-term management needs, and interagency collaboration.
Photo: A grizzly bear and cub in Grand Teton National Park. Danita Delimont/Shutterstock
Defending Yellowstone
Yellowstone bison are a living symbol of resilience — survivors of nearextinction and one of America’s greatest conservation success stories, not to mention our official national mammal. But their future still hangs in the balance.
Today’s population of roughly 5,400 bison are descendants of just two dozen animals that found refuge in Yellowstone National Park’s rugged interior while European settlers and the American military systematically exterminated millions of bison through market hunting and with the intention of eliminating Tribes that depended on the species.
These bison not only play an integral ecological role as a keystone species by engineering the ecosystem and supporting countless other species but also represent the most genetically pure plains bison in existence, maintaining over 99.7 percent genetic purity, according to the latest research.
GYC has long championed managing
bison as a valued wildlife species and moving away from the shipto-slaughter model of population management.
In June 2024, after years of planning that included extensive input from Tribes, the public, conservationists, and the state of Montana, Yellowstone finalized a long-awaited new bison management plan that sets a sciencedriven population objective range of 3,500 to 6,000 bison and prioritizes use of the Bison Conservation Transfer Program to manage park bison numbers.
This plan built upon two decades of conservation progress and marked a clear step forward from the 2000 Interagency Bison Management Plan, which imposed an outdated and politically driven population objective of 3,000 bison and relied primarily on slaughter to manage bison numbers
Unfortunately, the state of Montana filed a lawsuit against the park over this plan on December 31, 2024. At the heart of the lawsuit is the demand
If you’re interested in learning about all the ways you can make a difference for Greater Yellowstone, here are some opportunities to make more of an impact with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.
Donor-Advised Funds
Give to Greater Yellowstone with the power of a private foundation! A donor-advised fund is a charitable investment account that makes giving simple both now and in the future. By setting up a donor-advised fund and naming organizations like GYC as beneficiaries, you ensure that the remainder of your funds will give to the charities of your choice for decades to come.
Planned and Estate Giving
Set up a legacy of giving to Greater Yellowstone! Making a planned gift to GYC in your will, estate, or living trust is an enduring way to impact the lands, waters, and wildlife found in this special ecosystem. You’ll be forever remembered as a champion for Greater Yellowstone.
Stock and Wired Giving
Invest in the future of Greater Yellowstone! Your gift of appreciated securities — publicly traded stocks, bonds, and mutual fund shares — to GYC helps us continue our crucial work. By donating your appreciated securities, you may be able to avoid capital gains tax, diversify your portfolio, and/or secure a stream of income.
IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution
If you are 70.5 or older, you can make a tax-free distribution from your traditional or Roth IRA to GYC. Contact your IRA custodian to learn more about this efficient way to support causes you care about most.
