High on the Yellowstone plateau, America’s three great western river systems are born. The mighty Missouri begins its journey in the northwest corner of Greater Yellowstone and absorbs the pristine waters of the Yellowstone, Madison, Gallatin, Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone and Wind (Bighorn) rivers before its confluence 2,000 miles later with the Mississippi. The Snake rises in the southeast corner of Yellowstone and eventually helps the Columbia roll on to the Pacific. And the Green — “The Mother of the Colorado” — begins its watery trek to the Sea of Cortez on the flanks of the Wind River Range. They are the lifeblood of Greater Yellowstone.

For more than 26 years, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition has helped protect these legendary trout-filled rivers with four goals in mind: 1) ensuring the continuation of free-flowing and natural wild rivers; 2) protecting native and wild trout fisheries; 3) maintaining vital connections between rivers and their floodplains; and 4) preserving clean water.  With these four goals in mind, we’ve helped safeguard the largest concentration of blue-ribbon trout fisheries on the planet. Some example and current issues include:

Snake River & Tributaries: Celebrating landmark protection

The Issue: The Snake River and its wild tributaries are one of Greater Yellowstone's greatest treasures. Several years ago, GYC began working with Wyoming Sen. Craig Thomas to craft a landmark bill that would add ...

FIND OUT MORE!

Bear River: Keep the Oneida Narrows free-flowing

What’s Happening: Twin Lakes filed a formal license application with FERC in 2008 and is awaiting approval. Meanwhile, fellow energy company PacificCorp filed a motion with FERC to dismiss the application and cancel a preliminary permit. We are currently ...

FIND OUT MORE!

South Fork Snake: A paradise for wildlife, trout fishing

What’s Happening: The Bureau of Land Management has deemed the South Fork Snake and Teton rivers “eligible” for Wild & Scenic status. The next step is to find them “suitable”, which would then mean the ecological and recreational values ...

FIND OUT MORE!

Yellowstone River: Keeping the longest free-flowing river wild

What's Happening: The Corps finally came out with its Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) in April 2009, and while it's a step in the right direction, it still doesn't go far enough with protections. We will continue to ...

FIND OUT MORE!

Henry's Fork: Clearing the way for cutthroat

What's Happening: Ground was broken on this project on Oct. 22, 2008, and construction began in November. Completion is expected by 2010 at the plant, which will be fully automated.The Issue: For 70 years, a diversion dam near ...

FIND OUT MORE!