On November 19, 2024, the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act passed the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for the first time in its legislative history. This brings the made-in-Montana legislation one step closer to becoming law.

On November 7, 2024, the Wyoming State Board of Land Commissioners with a 3-2 vote approved the sale of the 640-acre Kelly Parcel to Grand Teton National Park. The $100 million sale will benefit Wyoming public schools and ensure this spectacular piece of land is public for Wyomingites and visitors to enjoy.

Earlier this year, we saw continued progress for Yellowstone wolves in Montana with incremental, yet critically important changes to state policies. Yet, wolf conservation is undoubtedly riddled with challenges. Recent reports indicate five wolves were killed in WMU 313 just north of Yellowstone, despite this season’s three-wolf quota. GYC and our partners advocated for and secured a solution that we hoped would prevent this level of pack disruption, and unfortunately that was not the case. GYC is committed to building consensus for durable solutions that protect Yellowstone wolves. 

Gallagher’s Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch, a fun-filled fall destination and recent hot spot for grizzly bears, last month received electrified fencing to reduce conflicts on the property. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition in collaboration with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, USDA Wildlife Services, and Defenders of Wildlife, completed the 9,600-foot long, five-wire electrified fence to keep people and grizzlies safe.

A growing number of Idaho hunters, anglers, farmers, ranchers, outdoor recreationists, families, and conservationists have joined the Clean Kilgore Coalition to protect the precious water, land, wildlife, and outdoor heritage that Excellon’s toxic gold mine would threaten.  

As news spreads that Grizzly bear 399 was struck and killed by a vehicle this week in Wyoming, it’s worth pausing to recognize how a single bruin in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem made such an impact on how people connect with the species.  

Muddy Ridge is an expanse of undeveloped land in the northeast portion of the Wind River Indian Reservation removed from Tribal control in 1920 to create irrigation infrastructure for non-Tribal residents. GYC is working in lockstep with Tribal leadership from both the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes to advocate for the repatriation of Muddy Ridge and resolve this decades-old injustice.

Yellowstone cutthroat trout once occupied habitat across Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and slivers of Nevada and Utah. Now, they are in steep competition with nonnative fish for habitat and resources. To help give the Yellowstone cutthroat trout a leg up, GYC staffers volunteered to work with partners to remove invasive brook trout from Mill Creek, a slow-moving stream near Yellowstone National Park’s northern border.

Grizzly bears are one of Greater Yellowstone’s most iconic species and a key component in a healthy ecosystem, but their wildness and human safety is put at risk by the bears’ penchant for getting into trash. This summer, GYC invested in various programs to implement bear-resistant storage solutions across the ecosystem, including at campgrounds, a school, and backcountry livestock allotments.

GYC was selected alongside Wild Montana and Gallatin Valley Land Trust to benefit from the two-day Wildlands Music Festival created by Outlaw Partners.

GYC and the WYldlife Fund teamed up to raise $2.7 million in donations to help keep people safe and wildlife alive along U.S. Highway 26 in Wyoming. This substantial fundraising effort will strengthen the state’s application as it competes for highly competitive federal grant funds.  

After four years of collaborating with partners, meeting with landowners, hosting community workshops and events, collecting data, and investigating tangible solutions, Yellowstone Safe Passages is proud to announce that their proposal for two overpasses at the Dome Mountain priority site along US Highway 89 has been awarded state funding to complete an engineering feasibility study.