Join Us in the Centennial Valley in September

Experience this extraordinary landscape firsthand—and see how collaboration is keeping this incredible landscape connected, resilient, and wild. 

A full itinerary will be released at a later date, but it will include shared meals, presentations, site tours, and flexible downtime. Activities at or near the Ranch may include hiking, bird watching, kayaking, fly fishing, wildlife photography, yoga, and more. All meals provided by a local chef are included.

To learn more, please reach out to GYC’s Senior Individual Giving Associate Mikey Gray at mgray@greateryellowstone.org or (406) 556-2807.

Approximate estimate per person for the trip: $1500  

Photo J Bar L/Ami Vitale

Over half of the Centennial Valley is public land; the rest is privately owned, primarily by multi-generational ranching families. These landowners play a central role in balancing the needs of wildlife with the economic viability of local ranching—using tools like range riders, wildlife-friendly fencing, and regenerative practices to coexist with wildlife while sustaining working lands. 

GYC’s Work in the Centennial Valley 

The Greater Yellowstone Coalition works in partnership with landowners, agencies, local organizations, and other nonprofits to keep the valley wild and working. Together, we: 

• Support the landowner-led Centennial Valley Association, a partnership focused on building trust to implement durable coexistence solutions

• Fund range riders to reduce conflicts between wildlife and livestock

• Invest in tools, like bear-resistant trash cans and storage containers, to prevent or reduce wildlife conflicts

• Partner with the National Wildlife Federation and willing ranchers to retire public land grazing allotments (this reduces the potential for lethal encounters between bears and livestock in remote areas)

• Oppose the proposed Kilgore gold mine (just across the border in Idaho), which threatens habitat, water, and connectivity

In 2022, GYC, the National Wildlife Federation, and Property and Environment Research Center created a unique partnership with the J Bar L Ranch to reduce conflicts in the West Fork Madison, a long-time grizzly conflict hotspot just north of the Centennial Valley in the Gravelly Range. Through a 12-year agreement, GYC and partners helped the J Bar L secure the 25,000-acre grazing allotment in exchange for an agreement to measurably reduce conflicts and eliminate lethal removal of bears and wolves.

In 2021, prior to the agreement and with the previous permittee, there were 19 confirmed grizzly-livestock predations. In the first season under the new agreement, there was only one confirmed predation. Since then, the J Bar L has tested four core grazing strategies to improve cattle performance while reducing conflicts with grizzly bears: shorter grazing periods, higher stocking rates, use of different age classes (e.g., yearling heifers), and active, on-the-ground management. Together, these approaches have consistently lowered livestock losses—resulting in just three losses in 2024—and built strong producer support for managing conflicts adaptively rather than euthanizing bears. 

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