Greater Yellowstone Coalition

The Greater Yellowstone Coalition is a conservation organization protecting the lands, waters and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Founding The Greater Yellowstone Coalition was founded in 1983. Its core premise is that “an ecosystem will remain healthy and wild only if it is kept whole.” It aims to protect one of the last largely intact temperate ecosystems in the United States. Its founding president was conservationist Rick Reese. Organizational goals The organization seeks to protect the lands, waters and wildlife of the 20-million-acre (81,000 km2) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. It advocates for “conservation, sound science, and protective management.” Some causes for which the GYC has advocated for are: river and waterway protections, defense of grizzly bear populations and the institution of human-bear coexistence policies, and battles against gold mining in the Paradise Valley north of Yellowstone National Park. They have also pushed for improved land use plans and protections for wild trout in the Greater Yellowstone Area.