Today, Montana Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act into the U.S. Senate. The Montana Headwaters Legacy Act protects 336 miles of some of the best rivers in Montana as Wild and Scenic Rivers, the majority in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. This bill is the culmination of a decade’s worth of outreach and collaboration by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and its partners to safeguard Montana’s free-flowing rivers from development and other degradations.

During the summer of 2020, GYC put field technicians in the Bridger-Teton National Forest to inventory rivers eligible for Wild and Scenic protection. These are their stories.

GYC's Wildlife Program Coordinator Chris Colligan shares the planning process and partnerships that led to the placement and construction of crossings that facilitate the movement of ungulates and other wildlife species across US 89 South of Jackson Hole.

This blog was first published in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle as a guest opinion by GYC Executive Director Scott Christensen on grizzly bear management.

On October 27, 2020, Montana Senator Jon Tester held a press event to announce he will be introducing the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act into the U.S. Senate in November 2020. The Montana Headwaters Legacy Act protects 336 miles of some of the wildest rivers in Montana as Wild and Scenic Rivers.

Montana’s nine national forests, two of which are in Greater Yellowstone, total nearly 20 million acres. These forested lands are important for people, wildlife, and our economy. Conserving and managing America’s forests are issues many public and private land managers navigate. Changing conditions mean old ways of managing forests no longer best serve our wild landscapes.

During the summer of 2020, GYC put field technicians in the Bridger-Teton National Forest to inventory rivers eligible for Wild and Scenic protection. These are their stories.

On September 30, 2020, the Montana Supreme Court heard oral arguments in our case challenging the validity of a gold exploration permit just north of Yellowstone National Park. The permit holders, Lucky Minerals Inc., and the agency responsible, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), appealed our 2018 victory in a Montana District Court that vacated the DEQ permit for not fully considering the environmental impacts to wildlife habitat, water quality, and public lands.

In September 2020, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and many of its supporters submitted their final feedback to the Custer Gallatin National Forest on their new Forest Management Plan. This milestone concludes years of our collaboration, public engagement, and expert recommendations to help equip the National Forest with the strongest plan possible.