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.  

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.

In June 2024, GYC and the U.S. Forest Service finalized the second phase of the Absaroka-Beartooth Gateway acquisition project, turning several former mining claims in the New World Mining District into protected public lands. Now, the risk of mining on these lands is greatly reduced.

Southwest Montana’s Madison and Gallatin mountain ranges are some of the wildest places left in the continental United States. These wild lands are beloved by those who live here and those who visit, and they are under threat. That’s why the Gallatin Forest Partnership has developed a realistic solution to permanently protect 250,000 acres of public land in the Madison and Gallatin ranges – the Greater Yellowstone Conservation and Recreation Act.

When bears wake up in Greater Yellowstone, we know spring is on its way. This month, GYC celebrated the return of bears with a project to keep bears alive and people safe in Montana and hosted a film screening about grizzly bears in Idaho. We also have an upcoming event in Bozeman on May 2 that we hope you’ll attend.

Buckle up! It’s going to be a big year for GYC and the lands, waters, and wildlife of Greater Yellowstone.

Join us for a journey down memory lane and let’s celebrate all we did together for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

During the summer of 2023, GYC assisted with a study using trail cameras to better understand grizzly bear and livestock interactions in the Gravelly Range of southwest Montana. After snapping images for almost five months, the trail cameras were collected in October and GYC staff discovered the incredible range of wildlife that call these mountains home.

Deep in the rugged Gravelly Range, GYC, as part of the Ruby Valley Strategic Alliance, is working to keep bears wild, people safe, and livelihoods intact by studying grizzly bear presence using camera traps on grazing allotments. Hear from our new Montana Conservation Coordinator Sally Schrank about her mountainous, buggy, and wildflower-filled field days in this beautiful and dynamic landscape.

Learn more about our grizzly bear conflict prevention projects in Wyoming for 2023.