Montanans are folks of all kinds – ranchers, farmers, business owners, outdoorspeople, conservationists, and everyone in between. The Montana Legislature is a place where we all come together to make decisions about our home, and whether we agree or not, I see Montanans as folks who can disagree and remain friends. This attitude embodies the Legislature. We wrap up a lively session with a number of critical wins for Montana's lands and wildlife. 

Yellowstone Safe Passages has been surveying roadkill and wildlife for more than four years. While collecting carcass data can be gruesome and disheartening, every data point is helping inform Yellowstone Safe Passages about the areas that see the most accidents – and the areas where wildlife crossings structures will be most effective along Highway 89. This deer will be added to a suite of more than 7,000 wildlife observations collected since the spring of 2020 to help YSP keep wildlife alive and families safe on the road. 

Public lands at risk because the state Legislature is taking steps to weaken Montana’s constitutional right to clean water, air, and land.

Right now, members of Congress are proposing a plan to sell-off our public lands. The very lands that unite us as Americans, that pump billions of dollars into Western states’ economies, and that have been part of our heritage for generations.  

We need you to tell Congress our public lands are NOT for sale.  

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to hear from people who care about grizzly bears and want to help shape their future.

In the Montana Legislature, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition has been working with all of you to protect wolves. Since the start of the legislative session, more than 600 people have spoken up for Montana wolves – THANK YOU! We celebrate as one bad wolf bill dies in the House and continue to monitor two bills that threaten Montana’s wolf population. 

On February 24, 2025, the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, GYC, and conservation partners, represented by Earthjustice, file a motion to intervene on behalf of Yellowstone National Park in their lawsuit with Montana.

In the Montana State Legislature, two bad bills for wolves – HB 176 and HB 222 – threaten to halve Montana's wolf population, the integrity of community-driven wildlife management, and the state’s ability to appropriately manage wolves.  

On January 8, 2025, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s announced the decision to keep grizzly populations protected under the Endangered Species Act and proposed next steps highlights the unique needs of grizzlies and charts a durable path for improved co-management with states so that communities have the best available tools for living alongside bears.

On December 31, 2024, the state of Montana filed a frivolous lawsuit against Yellowstone National Park over its recently adopted bison management plan.

We recap our 2024 favorite conservation moments and wins in Greater Yellowstone.

To be good neighbors and stewards of this ecosystem, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition is working in Montana and Wyoming to create wildlife-friendly fences. In 2024, GYC supported 11 fencing projects that removed or modified more than 16 miles of fence!