The Greater Yellowstone Coalition commends the Montana Legislature and Governor Greg Gianforte for listening to Montanans and making important investments and positive steps toward better protecting people and wildlife on our Big Sky highways.

Right now, members of Congress are working on 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 your Senators today that our public lands are NOT for sale. 

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.

GYC announces that longtime GYC team members Charles Drimal and Kathy Rinaldi have been promoted to serve as our new Directors of Conservation, and Faye Nelson has joined the team as our new Director of Development.

Idaho’s passage of Senate Bill 1170 weakens cyanide mining safeguards by transferring oversight from environmental experts to lawmakers, allowing mining companies to operate with fewer safety rules despite cyanide’s well-known risks. This shift endangers Idaho’s clean water, wildlife, and outdoor heritage—resources GYC is working to protect in Kilgore, where a foreign, financially unstable company is exploring for gold. Without action, an open-pit, heap-leach cyanide mine could transform this unspoiled corner of the Centennial Mountains. 

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.  

A fourth-generation cattle ranch in Lincoln County is partnering with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition to improve winter habitat for elk, prevent disease transmission between cattle and elk, and protect the future of their ranching operation. Recognizing the need for alternative wildlife management solutions, GYC has developed innovative private land conservation agreements that reduce conflict between elk and cattle and help ranchers live alongside wintering wildlife.

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

Wyoming’s 68^th Legislative Session came to a close March 7, 2025, after eight tumultuous weeks. GYC’s Wyoming-based staff, our communications team, and Government Affairs Advisor Richard Garrett were entrenched in the day-to-day, and often minute-by-minute, action as many bills were moving through the legislative process. For the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to remain whole and intact we must actively engage with all stakeholders to craft sound policies that honor Wyoming’s tremendous wildlife, diverse habitats, and remarkable abundance of public lands. Your voice and support are critical for protecting our shared interest in this ecosystem.