Private Lands of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

The health of Greater Yellowstone’s public land is tied to the fate of the surrounding private lands. Elk that summer up high come down to winter on ranches. Much of the land along the great rivers is private property that is critical to the health of fisheries. Yet, these lands are changing as subdivisions replace the very wildlife they are sometimes named after.

The lands chosen for ranching and farming held certain characteristics: valley bottoms and other level terrain at lower elevation, along watercourses, with milder climate, deeper soils, and a mix of vegetation types. For instance, the riparian cottonwood forest on the South Fork of the Snake River, of which more than half is in private ownership, is one of the most biologically diverse parts of the region.

Consequently, rural private lands are vital parts of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Conservation and Greater Yellowstone's Private Lands:

Encourage landowners to make good choices: Efforts to conserve wildlife habitat should provide incentives for good land stewardship and respect private property rights.

Encourage citizen participation: Local government efforts to address rural development and its impacts must include citizen and landowner involvement in all steps of the process.

Understand the impacts: Decisions should be based a solid accounting of the ecological and economic importance of resources, as well as the fiscal impact of rural development on taxpayers.

Respect your neighbors: New subdivisions should respect the rights of existing owners by not degrading water and air quality.

Build in good places, with best practices: Developments should minimize impacts on wildlife and their habitats through thoughtful location choices and building practices.

Leave a legacy: Resource management decisions on private lands should strive to improve the quality of life, economic stability and regional identity of Greater Yellowstone for future generations.

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