Supporting Grizzly Bears
Greater Yellowstone’s grizzly bears are the icon of the ecosystem and represent the spectacular, rugged beauty of this remarkable region. Grizzly bears inspire awe in millions of people across the globe.
As a wide-ranging omnivore, grizzly bears play a vital role in maintaining the health of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Once on the brink of extinction, bears in this region have made a remarkable comeback. It took decades of persistent work—and millions of dollars—from many organizations, government agencies, and wildlife advocates to restore this important species. While no longer in imminent danger of collapse, grizzly bears still face threats from rapidly changing habitats, increased pressure from growing communities, and management policies that are driven by politicians instead of science.
The Greater Yellowstone Coalition advocates for grizzly bear population stability and long-term monitoring, protection of core habitat, commitments to conflict prevention, and plans for promoting continued range expansion and presence in areas that link populations. Together, these are critical for grizzly bears to thrive across Greater Yellowstone and beyond.
Our Grizzly Bear News
How the Greater Yellowstone Coalition Supports Grizzly Bears
TAs the grizzly bear population continues to grow, move, and thrive in the ecosystem, bears are met with an abundance of challenges. The rapid growth of people and development in grizzly bear habitat make it difficult for bears to move without conflict. Grizzlies are drawn to food people eat and can become food-conditioned, often leading to an early death. Bears can prey on cattle and other livestock, which reduces tolerance for them in our communities. Roads and other developments bisect large areas of crucial grizzly habitat, creating an unnatural barrier. Often, policies created to manage grizzly bears are driven by political whims at any given time instead of by science.
The Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s work to sustain a thriving grizzly bear population works creatively in each of these challenging areas.
Keeping Bears Alive, People Safe, and Livelihoods Intact
GYC invests in on-the-ground projects that make an actual difference for grizzly bears. By working to minimize conflicts, we increase tolerance for bears. When people’s livelihoods are secure, tolerance increases. When people are more willing to share the land with grizzlies, politicians are less likely to resort to extreme measures and unscientific policies to reduce their numbers and create barriers to their long-term success.
Conserving Grizzly Bear Habitat
Research shows that secure habitat is key to bears’ ability to thrive. GYC works with partners to find innovative solutions for conserving large areas of uninterrupted habitat to support grizzly bear movement, foraging, and reproduction.
Linking Grizzly Bear Populations
GYC has long advocated for interconnected grizzly populations in the lower-48 because evidence suggests this could ensure grizzlies remain resilient to environmental changes over time. By working to increase tolerance on the land, secure large areas of core habitat, ensure state and federal policies support grizzly movement and address barriers to connected landscapes, Greater Yellowstone grizzly bears will have easier access to their northern relatives.
Ensuring Longterm Success for Grizzlies
Grizzly bear recovery in Greater Yellowstone has been a steady, intentional effort. Still, the ability for bears to thrive long into the future requires consistent investment and sturdy policies driven by science. GYC is proud to partner with Greater Yellowstone communities to make them bear-safe, the U.S. Forest Service to bear-proof campgrounds on five national forests, and work with ranchers to support their livelihoods while also keeping bears alive.
Our Wins and Progress for Grizzly Bears
One effective way to mitigate conflicts between Greater Yellowstone wildlife and livestock is to compensate willing ranchers for their public-land grazing allotments, or their stewardship of wildlife resources on grazing allotments. GYC and partners have participated in numerous grazing allotment sales and agreements for integration of additional conservation measures into grazing management over the decades, preserving over 1 million acres of crucial wildlife habitat for grizzly bears, wolves, and more.
To ensure grizzlies have large areas of uninterrupted habitat, GYC partnered with the U.S. Forest Service in 2021 to begin identifying and subsequently decommissioning illegal, unnecessary, or unsuccessfully closed roads and restore the roadbeds back to a natural state.
In 2024, GYC partnered with Bear Awareness Gardiner and Gardiner Public Schools to install bear-resistant garbage containers on school grounds. Located at the northern entrance of Yellowstone National Park, Gardiner sits in prime grizzly and black bear country.
Over 3,200 advocates spoke up for grizzly bears in 2025! Advocates sent comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service urging that grizzly bear management decisions should be driven by science and wildlife experts, not politicians.
Learn About the Past, Present, and Future of Grizzly Bear Conservation with GYC’s Brooke Shifrin
