[…] and changing climates threaten many wildlife migration corridors. Land conversion, poorly planned residential development, and wildlife-to-livestock disease transmission are potential threats to migration corridors in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. If we hope to preserve America’s wildlife heritage, we should be proactive in protecting these migratory paths. Wildlife often migrate and disperse across private lands, […]
[…] as seasonal refuges for wildlife, which produce spillover benefits that flow throughout the state. Recent research has demonstrated just how important private lands are in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Studies of GPS-collared elk in the ecosystem reveal that the region’s herds—which comprise more than 20,000 elk in at least nine major herds—rely on private […]
[…] such barriers. For instance, asserting that the standard should be higher “when a species is already listed,” a federal court recently struck down the delisting of the Yellowstone grizzly bear, despite extensive, bipartisan recovery efforts that enabled the species to exceed its recovery goal (and likely its ecosystem’s carrying capacity). But a heavy thumb […]
[…] data from various landowners to discover what tools will be most effective in promoting wildlife conservation. We are conducting surveys across two populations: ranchers in the Upper Yellowstone Watershed and those across the West. Participation in these surveys is voluntary, and respondents may decline to participate or to answer any question. All information is […]
[…] recreate on our majestic lands. The backlog for trail maintenance alone across national parks and forests is $740 million. And after spending a day last month in Yellowstone National Park with Superintendent Cam Sholly to see firsthand the deferred maintenance challenges, it is clear employee housing is in poor condition and in need of […]
Living in Yellowstone bear country is a privilege.
[…] who coexist with animals every day regard them as valuable assets, not liabilities, the survival of wildlife will always be in jeopardy. For many in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem accustomed to seeing conservation victories achieved only through strict federal regulation and government agencies forcefully playing a role in stewardship, it seemed counterintuitive. A decade […]
[…] into the model by empowering us to express our values while also contributing directly to conservation. Consider the response to Wyoming’s planned grizzly hunt after the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly was declared recovered under the Endangered Species Act—a determination which is the subject of ongoing litigation. Outraged, non-hunting conservationists from the “Shoot ‘em With […]
[…] the front end of developing these policies so that as they evolve and advance wildlife are made an economic asset instead of a liability. Consider the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, home to several species that migrate long distances between summer habitat on public lands and critical winter habitat on private lands. According to University of […]
Photo courtesy of NPS. The recovery of the Yellowstone grizzly should be cause for celebration. In 1975, when the bear was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, there were only 136 grizzlies left in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Today, there are an estimated 700—a more than fivefold increase. Yet rather than celebrating […]