About the Greater Yellowstone Coalition

Our mission: People protecting the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, now and for future generations.

GYC was founded in 1983 on a simple premise: An ecosystem will remain ahealthy and wild ecosystem only if it is kept whole.

Since that time GYC has emerged as a nationally known advocate for the idea that ecosystem level sustainability should guide the management of the region’s public and private lands.

Perhaps the best measure of GYC's leadership and influence is its base of more than 10,000 members, 80 conservation and outdoor organizations, and 230 businesses. These constituents have come together to fulfill GYC's goal of preserving and protecting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the unique quality of life it sustains.

The region of Greater Yellowstone is centered in the two national parks and six national forests which form the ecosystem’s core, surrounded by private lands in 20 counties that include parts of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. GYC works to ensure that a thoughtful and holistic approach is taken to managing the national and wildlife resources in harmony with people and modern development. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition holds steadfast to its mission "to protect and conserve the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and its full range of life, now and for future generations." GYC works to shape a future where wildlife populations maintain their full diversity and vitality, where ecological processes function on public lands with minimal intervention, where exceptional recreational opportunities abound for visitors and residents alike, and where communities can enjoy a healthy and diversified economy.

The organization has an annual operating budget of approximately $2.4 million, with revenues coming primarily from members and private foundations. It does not accept governmental funds. The organization is governed by a national board of 24 members and has a staff of 25 professionals. GYC is based in Bozeman, Montana and has field offices in Idaho Falls, Idaho, as well as Cody and Jackson, Wyoming. GYC publishes an annual report, a newsletter four times a year, and authors special reports on key issues within the region. It emphasizes the involvement of its many organizational and individual members in these efforts.

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem’s unique concentration of large expanses of wild public lands puts it at the national center of many wildlife and public land controversies. These controversies include the recovery of grizzlies; the ongoing issues around successful reintroduction of gray wolves; the extent to which energy development on public lands affects species and communities; the protection of over 4.5 million acres of roadless lands; and the management of national parks.

In addition, growing human population numbers in the surrounding private lands have put new pressures upon the region, challenging the long-term viability of the ecosystem. Increasingly, GYC has shifted its resources to deal with issues regarding rural sprawl and population growth within the region. These efforts have produced a broad-based array of programmatic activities that are unique for a rural region in the west.

The Greater Yellowstone Coalition has been a pioneer in defining and promoting the concept of ecosystem management. The Coalition engages in a wide variety of efforts to improve land management in the region so the area's forests, streams, wildlife and other natural features will flourish for the enjoyment of future generations.