2012, winter: the greater yellowstone advocate

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www.greateryellowstone.org volume 29 • number 4 winter 2012

Hot times inGreater Yellowstone

THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE COALITION

Changing climate making

its presence felt on the GYE’s

lands, waters, wildlife

and quality of life

GREATER YELLOWSTONE Advocate • WINTER 20122

Tthe view from greater yellowstone

articles •

Features •

by Mike Clark, executive director

Volume 29 • Number 4

Greater Yellowstone Advocate is the quarterly journal of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.

Articles reprinted by permission only.Editor: Jeff WelschGraphic Design & Layout: Chris K. Grinnell

About the Cover: Our public lands on fire. Photo: Evgeny Dubinchuk/PhotoXpress.com. Forest fires have been in-creasing in number and intensity throughout the Northern Rockies as the climate warms and drought persists.

A little more than three years ago I became the executive director

of Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC) for the second time. Upon

accepting the position I told the Board of Directors that I would

serve for a three- to five-year period. That time is now coming up,

and this summer I asked the Board to begin the process of looking

for a new executive director.

GYC has had an executive transition plan in place for several years and we will follow its

directions in an orderly and thoughtful manner. A Board search committee has selected

the Nashville-based executive search firm Thinking Ahead to direct this effort. Should you

have suggestions as we search for my successor, please reach out to me at any time, or to

GYC Board Chair Marcia Kunstel. Board member Melissa Lindsay will chair the committee

and direct search efforts.

These past three years have been fruitful, challenging and engrossing for me. We

are making progress at GYC, and the challenges only become more complex and

more nuanced as we continue to protect and defend this amazing ecosystem. Hard,

concentrated and focused work by GYC and our many allies does lead to success, though

usually it takes many years – sometimes decades – to come to fruition.

Thank you for your support of GYC. Both our Board and staff look forward to working

with you in the years ahead as we choose a new executive leader and continue to

ensure the long-term protection and sustenance of Greater Yellowstone. We are

America’s Voice for Yellowstone and, thanks to you, we plan to carry out this vital work

for years to come.

Sincerely,

Mike ClarkExecutive Director

Warming’s impact looms over lands, waters, wildlife .................................................. 6

Idaho communities taking action ......... 7

A climate minefield for moose ................... 8

Adapting to climate change ...................10

A new wilderness legacy? .........................11

Columbia-spotted frog, climatechange and chytrid fungus .......................12

Wyoming forges ahead withflawed wolf plan .............................................15

Cutthroat trout show signs of bouncing back in Yellowstone Lake .....20

The View From Greater Yellowstone The executive director’s report ............ 2

Around the EcosystemThumbs up, thumbs down .......................... 3

The Best of the GYE:6 Glaciers threatened byclimate change ............................................. 4

Say What? ......................................................... 4

Local NewsMontana ...................................................... 16Wyoming - west .......................................... 16Idaho ............................................................. 17Wyoming - northwest ............................. 17

Membership Update .................................. 19

Upcoming Events ........................................ 19

Parting ThoughtsLooking at public lands in theaftermath of the elections .....................22

Your Voice ..................................................... 23

One More Shot ............................................ 24

To download this and previous issues of Greater Yellowstone Advocate in PDF format, go to: www.greateryellowstone.org/newsletters.

www.greateryellowstone.org

ecosystem

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Aaround the

Check out www.greateryellowstone.org for all the latest information.

1 – A dam fine decision in IdahoSaying a dam was “not in the public interest”, the State of Idaho once again rejected Twin Lakes Canal Co.’s bid to inundate the last free-flowing stretch of the Bear River in southwest Greater Yellowstone. We have long argued that the Oneida Narrows stretch is too important for its recreation opportunities and as a stronghold of the imperiled Bonneville cutthroat trout, and the state agreed.

2 – Solution in search of a problemEven though Montana’s Gallatin County has had zero — count ’em, zero — wolf predations since reintroduction in 1995, that hasn’t stopped the county’s commissioners from creating a predator policy to deal with all of the, uh, problems. Memo to commissioners: Let the wildlife managers manage predators; they’re doing just fine.

3 – When less is moreFuture generations of Americans earned a huge victory when the Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to the so-called Clinton “Roadless Rule”, which leaves protections in place for 45 million acres of unroaded public lands — many in Greater Yellowstone. Unfortunately, the ruling doesn’t cover more than 400,000 acres in southeast Idaho, which were sacrificed to the phosphate mining industry when the state created its own roadless rule.

4 – Expanding the toxic footprintUnfazed by the deaths of 95 more sheep in the two-headed trout district of southeast Idaho, a Canadian phosphate mining company is hoping to fast-track yet another mine adjacent to two existing Superfund sites in the upper Blackfoot River watershed. Nu-West’s Husky 1-North Dry Ridge Mine would be in an area where streams already have more than double the amount of toxic selenium than creeks from which the infamous two-headed trout came.

5 – It’s the bear spray, stupidDespite tireless education efforts from state wildlife agencies and conservation groups (including GYC), hunters and hikers continue to traverse grizzly country without bear spray. The result is injured humans and dead bears. As of Nov. 15, there had been a record-tying 50 known grizzly mortalities in the ecosystem during 2012 — 34 the result of human-bear conflicts.

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“The earth dries up and

withers...The earth is defiled by

its people; they have disobeyed

the laws, violated the statutes and

broken the everlasting covenant.” – Isaiah 24:4-5

Thumbs up, Thumbs Down


NATIONALELK REFUGE

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Beaverhead National

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Caribou- Targhee National

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Gallatin National

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Grand TetonNational

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THE BEST of the GYE6 glaciers threatened by climate change

1. Teton Glacier Teton Range. Surrounded by Mount Owen, Teewinot and Grand Teton, Teton Glacier is the majestic range’s largest. Still two-thirds of a mile long and three football fields wide, Teton Glacier (along with nearby Middle Teton Glacier) has lost more than 20 percent of its surface since the mid-1960s, enough to fill 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

2. Gannett GlacierWind River Range. The largest glacier in the Lower 48 outside of Washington state has shrunk by nearly 50 percent since the end of The Little Ice Age. Located on the north and east faces of Gannett Peak — at 13,809 feet, Greater Yellowstone’s highest — Gannett Glacier has consistently fed tributaries that have long been a key source of water for agriculture and recreation.

3. Galena Creek Rock GlacierAbsaroka Range. One of the most studied glaciers in the Lower 48, Galena Creek Rock Glacier, west of Sunlight Basin, is a debris-covered glacier (hence “rock”). The overlay of debris helps protect one of the Wyoming Absarokas’ two glaciers from solar radiation. A road leads to the glacier and switchback trails cross the debris on top of it.

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4. Falling Ice GlacierTeton Range. Falling Ice is the only glacier among the 10 in the Tetons that faces southeast instead of north and east, making it especially vulnerable even though it’s in a deep mountain pocket. Its melt runs into Leigh Lake.

5. Grasshopper glaciersWind River, Beartooth and Crazy mountains. No fewer than three glaciers in Greater Yellowstone are named for the tens of millions of locusts found encased in ice. More of these grasshoppers are being exposed as the ice retreats. Grasshopper is the only named glacier in the Crazies, an island mountain range northeast of Livingston in Montana. Once five miles long, the Beartooths’ Grasshopper Glacier is now a series of smaller “glaciets”, all facing north.

6. Castle Rock GlacierBeartooth Mountains. Of the 401 perennial ice fields in the Beartooths, Castle Rock is the largest at nearly a square mile. It’s on the flanks of 12,604-foot Castle Mountain and its the best of the gye: glaciers

runoff drains into Proglacial Lake. Studies show that Castle Rock lost a staggering 60 meters of ice between 1952 and 2003, a greater decrease than neighboring glaciers because it faces southeast and is impacted more by solar radiation.

Note: Wyoming has 38 named glaciers, all but one in Greater Yellowstone — 25 in the Wind River Range, 10 in the Tetons and two in the Absarokas (the other is in the Bighorns). The 401 glaciers and perennial snowfields in the Beartooths and Absarokas of Montana represent about 35 percent of those in the state. Southeast Idaho has no glaciers.

“Parks like Yellowstone are not a petting zoo. I have learned my lesson, and I hope many

others will learn from it, too.’”— Robert Dea, after approaching too

closely to a Yellowstone bison, resulting in getting tossed head over heels

Say What...?

Teton Glacier. Hassan Basagic

Gannett Glacier. John Scurlock/Portland State University & USGS

Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s winter wolf watching trip in Yellowstone National ParkJan. 14 -17 – Lamar Buffalo Ranch

Join us for three very special days of wolf watching with Greater Yellowstone Coalition staff, expert Yellowstone Park interpretive guides, and special guests.

We will stay in cozy cabins at the rustic Buffalo Ranch in Yellowstone’s famed wildlife haven, the Lamar Valley.

Mornings will be spent touring the park to visit places where Yellowstone wolf packs roam. Afternoons include

plenty of free time to ski, snowshoe or explore the park. Guest speakers will join us to talk about the

Yellowstone wolves and their restoration.

Price per person is $1,015* This includes three nights accommodations in the Buffalo Ranch’s rustic log cabins, three daily catered meals, transportation in Yellowstone National Park for wolf watching, and professional guiding/interpretive services.

Lamar is undoubtedly the best place to view Yellowstone’s gray wolves in their natural habitat ... the wild.

* Note: Trip prices do not include airfare or transportation to/from the Buffalo Ranch.

About the Lamar Valley Buffalo RanchThe historic Lamar Buffalo Ranch was built in the early part of the last century in an effort to save the few remaining bison in Yellowstone, preventing their extinction. Buildings from the original ranch are contained within the Lamar Buffalo Ranch Historic District. In addition, new buildings with old-style charm now complete the ranch — which is fully powered by solar panels. The ranch includes rustic and comfortable guest cabins (each includes three single beds, lamps, and heaters), a heated deluxe bathhouse with private showers, a gift shop, and unparalleled views of Lamar and its wildlife.

Cancellation policy: Full payment is due at the time of reservation. A 50% refund will be given if cancellation is made more than 60 days before the trip. No refund is given if cancellation is made less than 60 days before the trip. Non-refundable deposits are considered a 100% tax-deductible contribution to GYC.

For more information about this trip or to reserve your spot, please call Heidi Barrett at 800-775-1834 or email [email protected]

We accept VISA, Master Card, money orders, and personal checks.

GYC Archives


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by Scott Christensen, Climate Change Program Director

We showed up at Mallard’s Rest on the Yellowstone River early in the morning thinking we’d beat the heat if we launched

at first light. It was warm even for 6 a.m. and the river looked low and sluggish.

On this hot, smoky August day, the early start didn’t make much difference. The fishing was slow and the temperatures soared to the mid-90s by early afternoon. As we floated through the parched Paradise Valley, we watched the 12,000-acre Pine Creek wildfire fill the valley with smoke and eventually obscure the Absaroka Range altogether. Dipping my oars into the warm waters of the Yellowstone, I wondered: is this what climate change in Greater Yellowstone looks like?

To put things in perspective, from Jan. 1 through the end of October, the weather station at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport recorded 7.6 inches of precipitation, the lowest on record for that 10-month period dating to 1941 when observations began. Montana State University’s weather station recorded the driest August through October since 1904, with only 1.6 inches of precipitation. If you visited Greater Yellowstone in 2012, you probably didn’t need a weather station to tell you it was hot and dry. Most of the region was shrouded in wildfire smoke from mid-July until late September as large blazes in Idaho, Wyoming and southwest Montana marched across the thirsty landscape.

One year with a slim snow pack and a dry summer doesn’t necessarily confirm a change in climate, but the longer-term trends certainly indicate we’re headed

Warming’s impact looms over lands, waters, wildlife

to a place that is increasingly outside the norm of the past century. In a report GYC released last year in collaboration with the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization, an analysis of regional weather stations showed the last decade (2000-2010) was 1.4 degrees warmer than the region’s 20th century average. The summer season trend is even more pronounced, with average temperatures 2.3 degrees above average for 20th century summers.

Much uncertainty remains over how Greater Yellowstone’s lands, waters and wildlife will respond to changes in climate. We are, however, getting a glimpse at what the future may hold as we document the retreat of glaciers in the Tetons and Wind River Range (see page 4), the loss of whitebark pine, and the decline of flows and warming of trout streams.

Will grizzly bears, the wild icon of Greater Yellowstone, be able to find new food sources as climate change diminishes their formerly reliable ones? Will

Searching for relief? As Greater Yellowstone temperatures increase, water levels are shrinking. Warming waters affect trout and trout fishing, which in turn affects creatures that depend upon them for sport and sustenance — including humans and grizzly bears. Photo: Hilary Eisen.


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Idaho communities taking actionby Andrea Santarsiere, Idaho Conservation & Legal Associate

Most everyone is aware of the high-profile fires that occurred throughout the West this summer. While the reasons for increasing

fire issues are debatable, many are pointing to climate change as a factor. Several recent studies and reports have revealed that fires are generally burning hotter and longer, and that the season is lengthening. Many experts are quick to point out that fire is part of a natural cycle necessary to ensure long-term forest health. Nevertheless, in the face of several large fires close to home this year, some communities are being called to action. Island Park, Idaho, is one example of a town taking steps to prevent and minimize fire hazards. Island Park lies entirely within the Caribou-Targhee National Forest just west of Yellowstone National Park. It is a prime example of a community at risk. Multiple subdivisions lie within Wildland Urban Interfaces (WUI) where forest is right out the back door. Indeed, most who own homes in Island Park were drawn to the natural beauty and wild scenery. But living there is a fire gamble. Experts cite numerous factors in Island Park that make it a prime location for implementation of fire prevention and minimization strategies. For example, many people have a high density of fuel, including trees and other vegetation, near their homes. Many subdivisions also have just a single point of ingress and egress, making evacuation tricky and even impossible under some scenarios. But the community is being proactive. Earlier this year, a group of citizens comprised of Forest Service personnel, fire safety officials, residents, and others formed the Island Park Sustainable Fire Community team. Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s Idaho office has joined the team and will ensure that all projects, including potential fuels-reduction efforts, are backed by science and will protect wildlife and fish habitat in the region. We believe this group’s creative ideas and projects could lead to a future of fire prevention and minimization throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

native cutthroat trout be relegated to a handful of high elevation lakes and streams? How will elk, moose and bison fare as their winter ranges become more arid?

As America’s Voice for Yellowstone for almost 30 years, GYC is actively working to understand and meet the challenges posed by climate change. With generous support from many of our dedicated members, we took a big step this year in reducing our own carbon footprint when we purchased and moved our headquarters into a renovated warehouse and installed one of the largest solar electric systems in Montana. Curtailing the use of fossil fuels is obviously priority No. 1 in curbing climate change impacts. If you need a nudge to make simple changes in your own life like driving less, turning down the thermostat or replacing old light bulbs, make Yellowstone and its wildlife your reason for action.

GYC has also partnered with such scientists as Dr. Healy Hamilton to bring cutting-edge climate research to Greater Yellowstone. As you read through this edition of the Advocate, I hope you will get a feel for how GYC is using climate science to inform our projects and campaigns. Whether it is securing protections for key grizzly habitat, restoring degraded watersheds or allowing pronghorn and other species to successfully navigate highways and gas fields, all of this work is in some sense guided by our desire to help this amazing place adapt to a warmer, drier future.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the challenge of climate change. But to me, Greater Yellowstone and its wildlife are a limitless supply of inspiration. The track of a grizzly, howl of a wolf or silhouette of a bison give me hope that we can sustain this great ecosystem. Let this be the place we take a stand for our future.

To learn more about climate change in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and how GYC is responding, please visit: www.greateryellowstone.org/climatechange or www.greateryellowstone.org/watershedreport


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by Chris Colligan, Wyoming Wildlife Advocate

Moose in Wyoming and most western states have experienced population declines, yet the underlying causes remain unknown.

Moose numbers in and around Jackson Hole have dropped from around 4,000 animals to less than 1,000 from the early 1990s to 2012.

Similarly, moose in northwest Minnesota also have dramatically declined, from about 4,000 to less than 100 in 30 years. This decline has been linked to rising temperatures, which appear to make moose more susceptible to parasites and ticks.

While there have been attempts to link declines to increasing numbers of carnivores, the data suggests otherwise. Wyoming’s declines correlate to rising temperatures, though it is too early to conclusively declare climate change as the culprit. Declining populations began trending downward before wolf restoration and are occurring in other areas with very few carnivores. Recent studies have also shown a link to declining habitat and parasites such as ticks and carotid artery worms.

Approximately 50 percent of moose sampled near Jackson harbor carotid artery parasites. Carotid artery worms occasionally cause death but are more associated with blindness, deafness and cropping of ears from frostbite. Adult worms form dense bundles in the carotid arteries, slowing blood flow. These parasites might benefit from rising temperatures, which compound variables associated with the decline.

Moose have evolved for cold climates. One theory is that moose at the southern extent of their range might be sensitive to climate warming. Moose have low tolerance for high temperatures during both summer and winter.

When temperatures rise above 23 degrees in winter, moose burn calories to stay cool. Likewise, during summer months, temperatures above 67 degrees are stressful. Recent research in Wyoming shows warming temperatures in the past four decades, with increases in both seasons. This might impact the number of calves produced each spring or make adults more vulnerable to parasites due to lack of body fitness.

While wolves and bears certainly consume moose, the reasons behind the declines are much more complex. One lingering question is whether moose are more susceptible to predation because of climate changes. What are the long-term impacts to predator, prey and habitat in this multi-carnivore environment?

Despite shrinking numbers, plenty of opportunities to view moose in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem remain. Grand Teton National Park has some of the highest populations that are readily viewable, especially during the fall rut or on winter ranges.

A climate minefield for moose

Struggling for survival. Moose have been especially hard hit by the warming climate and loss of habitat. Photo: Rick Konrad

Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s Jackson Wildlife Tripin Grand Teton National ParkFebruary 5 - 8

Reserve your spot now for an incredible experience to view Jackson Hole’s diverse wildlife, including wolves!

Winter is one of the most spectacular times to view wildlife in Jackson Hole. With large mammals concentrated on winter ranges at

lower elevations, moose, elk, deer, bighorn sheep, bald eagles and bison are common. With the experience of Wildlife Expedition professional guides, there is a chance of encountering wolves in their natural habitat. Guests will have an even better chance of finding tracks, scat and other signs of wolves. The area in and around Jackson Hole has approximately 60 wolves and five or six active packs. Last year, the GYC group was successful in spotting wolves.

During the trip you’ll visit with GYC staff about current issues in the region and learn from local professionals about wildlife ecology. Plus, the sights and sounds of Grand Teton National Park in the grips of winter are awe-inspiring.

Jackson has much to offer in the winter — skiing, snowshoeing, and a variety of art and cultural activities, to name just a few. Join GYC for the wildlife trip and extend your stay and enjoy Jackson!

Price per person is $850*. This includes three nights accommodations and meals at the Kelly Campus of the Teton Science Schools, transportation in and around Grand Teton National Park, and professional interpretive guiding services. Space is limited.

All GYC participants will be staying at the beautiful and rustic Kelly Campus of the Teton Science Schools. You will find the scenery breath-taking, the accommodations cozy and charming.

*Note: Trip price does not include airfare or transportation to and from the Teton Science Schools.

Full payment will reserve your space on this trip. Cancellation policy: A 50% refund will be given if you cancel 30 days before the trip. There is no refund if cancellation is less than 30 days. However, non-refunded deposits are considered a 100% tax-deductible contribution to GYC.

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This past summer I spent several days surveying streams in southwest Montana’s beautiful Madison Valley. One day, as I drove through the Wall Creek

Wildlife Management Area I noticed a dark object loping across a grassy bench. I stopped the car, planted myself on the hood with my binoculars and focused on a black bear moving at full speed. The bear appeared to be nervous, swinging its large head in all directions as it ran. After covering several hundred yards of open ground, the bruin ducked into a lush riparian area along a tributary to the Madison River. I wandered over to find the bear ambling through the thick cottonwood, aspen and willow corridor, grazing calmly as it moved toward the river.

My black bear encounter drove home an important ecological lesson on which biologists have shed light in the past decades: riparian corridors are critical areas of movement for many species, especially such rare carnivores as grizzlies and wolverines, because of the thick cover and security they provide. For fish and other aquatic species, riparian areas along streams also play a critical role. Healthy, lush streamside vegetation provides shade and cools water temperatures, traps sediment and contributes wood and other habitat diversifying structure to the stream.

As we grapple with the warming and drying trends of climate change in Greater Yellowstone, developing on-the-ground conservation actions that help sensitive species adapt to a new norm is an important strategy. In a recent paper by Seavy et al, researchers noted that, “Riparian ecosystems are naturally resilient, provide linear habitat connectivity, link aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and create thermal refugia for wildlife:

Adapting to climate change

all characteristics that can contribute to ecological adaptation to climate change.” In layman’s terms, having healthy habitats along streams can make life a lot easier for fish and wildlife as our climate warms.

Over the next two years, GYC is leading a collaborative climate change adaptation project in the Madison Valley that will focus on improving riparian habitat conditions on several important tributaries to the Madison River. Working with the Forest Service, Madison River Foundation, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and other local stakeholders, we will restore and enhance streamside vegetation in areas where it has been degraded, ensure

fish can access colder, high-elevation water sources and springs, and increase flows in chronically dewatered areas. Part of this exciting project includes the opportunity to restore beavers to watersheds where they have been extirpated and use their natural ability to store water and build wetlands.

This type of on-the-ground conservation action is a bold, new enterprise for GYC and wouldn’t be possible without support from our dedicated members, the Cross Charitable Foundation and the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Climate Adaptation Fund. Ultimately, our goal is to provide safe passage to sensitive species such as cutthroat trout, grizzly bears and wolverines as they seek suitable habitats and adapt to a warmer world. Stay tuned for updates on our progress and opportunities to volunteer as we work to ensure Greater Yellowstone’s incomparable fish and wildlife have the best chance possible to adapt and thrive.

Repairing riparian corridors key to wildlife dispersal

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A new wilderness legacy?

by Barb Cestero, Montana Director

Across southwest Montana’s High Divide, autumn means bugling elk, yellowing aspen and gathering snows in the high country. And hunting season.

The region’s wild backcountry habitat supports some of the best big-game hunting in Montana. Sportsmen from around the state descend on the mountains of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, providing a $30 million economic shot in the arm for the area’s rural communities.

This fall brings new opportunity to permanently protect the mountains of southwest Montana. Congressional passage of the made-in-Montana Forest Jobs & Recreation Act – which will add more than 670,000 acres of new wilderness across western Montana – could very well brighten the new year.

These lands provide secure habitat for such iconic wildlife species as grizzly bears, wolves, elk and wolverine as well as habitat for native fish. The headwaters of some of Montana’s most famed rivers are here: the Ruby, Madison, Gallatin, Beaverhead and Big Hole, among others.

A made-in-Montana solutionThe Forest Jobs & Recreation Act represents a new vision for Montana’s forests, born of local efforts to find solutions to old battles over timber and wilderness. The protection, restoration and stewardship of southwest Montana’s public lands resulting from this bill’s passage will greatly benefit the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Almost 170,000 acres of new wilderness will be designated in Greater Yellowstone alone if this bill becomes law. Some of Greater Yellowstone’s hidden gems – including the craggy peaks of the Centennial Mountains and the remote, undiscovered Snowcrest Range – will finally see the permanent protection they deserve. This bill will also protect an additional 320,000 acres as special conservation and recreation areas where logging, mining and road building will be limited.

That’s nearly 1 million acres of spectacular backcountry, including wild lands along the Idaho-Montana border that are essential to keeping Greater Yellowstone from becoming an island, isolated from other large ecosystems in central Idaho and northwest Montana. Montanans and people from across the country hunt, fish, hike, camp and ride their horses through these special places. Grizzlies, wolves, elk and wolverine all roam these unroaded backcountry habitats.

In addition to protecting these wild lands, this bill proposes a new way of doing forestry to increase the stewardship and restoration of forests damaged by past practices. Timber harvest will focus on reducing the risk of wildfire near homes and managing the insect infestations that are turning our forests brown. Revenue generated from these types of timber projects will help fund restoration projects on these same landscapes, reducing road densities and improving fisheries and water quality.

Since 2009, GYC has been working with a broad Montana coalition including sportsmen, loggers, business owners and conservationists to pass this legislation. The bill has come close to passing several times.

Now, with the 2012 election behind us and continued broad support from Montanans of all stripes, lawmakers have a unique opportunity to unite behind the Forest Jobs & Recreation Act. Its passage will leave a legacy of which we can all be proud.

Innovative made-in-Montana forest effort gaining momentum

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Columbia-spotted frogs, climate change and chytrid fungusby Barbara Cozzens, Northwest Wyoming Director

Kermit said it best: It’s not easy being green ... or, in this case, brown.

Scientists generally agree that five great mass extinctions have occurred during the history of life on Earth. Amphibians – the first terrestrial vertebrates – evolved during the late Devonian, the time of the second great extinction. When more than half of all marine genera disappeared, amphibians survived.

At the time of the Permian-Triassic extinction – the worst of the five mass extinctions – 95 percent of all species, both terrestrial and marine, were lost. Spared were early representatives of the three orders of amphibians that survive today. Through two additional mass extinctions, not only did representatives of these orders survive, but in the most recent event most if not all families of amphibians escaped extinction.

Yet today, many scientists – including David Wake, professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California at Berkeley – argue that we are entering, or perhaps in the midst of, a sixth great extinction precipitated by global climate change and habitat destruction. And the species most affected by the current extinction trends? Amphibians. In 1985, the first comprehensive

worldwide assessment reported approximately 4,000 amphibian species; today that number exceeds 6,300, with new species being named each year. More startling than the sheer numbers of species is the reality that one-third are threatened with extinction.

Scientists attribute regional amphibian declines to a number of factors. Most significant: habitat destruction, climate change, and the virulent, infectious fungus chytridiomycosis,

the effects of which could be exacerbated by global warming. Amphibians are seen as sentinels of environmental health. Typically, their life cycle takes them from the water as egg and larvae, to activity on land as adults, exposing them to wide-ranging environments. Unlike humans and other mammals, they are thermal conformers, unable to regulate their body temperature, making them especially sensitive to environmental changes. Their skin – moist, well-vascularized, and capable of respiration – puts them in direct and intimate contact with external pollutants. As a result of these and other factors, amphibians are especially vulnerable to habitat changes that result, either directly or indirectly, from human activity.

From 2006-08, Sarah McMenamin and her colleagues surveyed kettle ponds in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park. They found that decreasing precipitation and increasing annual temperatures – due largely to climate change – have led to a four-fold increase in the number of permanently dry ponds over the past 16 years. In the remaining ponds, the number of amphibian species has declined, as has the proportion of ponds supporting amphibians. As a result, three of Yellowstone’s four native and once abundant amphibian species have experienced severe population declines. In their paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the authors’ conclude: “climatic warming has already disrupted one of the best-protected ecosystems on earth.”

So if our region’s amphibians are feeling such significant impacts in protected areas, free of human impacts, than what about those less-protected areas?

The Columbia-Spotted FrogImmediately east of McMenamin’s study area sits America’s first national forest, the Shoshone. Established in 1891, the Shoshone encompasses 2.4 million acres of some of the wildest country in North America. Grizzly bears, wolves, bighorn sheep, elk and genetically pure Yellowstone cutthroat trout grace its lands and waters. And the Shoshone is home


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Columbia-spotted frogs, climate change and chytrid fungus

to the Columbia-spotted frog, one of the once-common amphibians found to be declining in Yellowstone. In fact, with the exception of a small, isolated population in the Big Horn Mountains, the Shoshone represents the easternmost edge of the species’ range, an important distinction for evolutionary biologists who use ‘range edges’ to assess trends in population and identify rapid range shifts brought on by climate change and other ecological factors.

Because most remaining Columbia-spotted frog populations in northwest Wyoming occur on Forest Service lands, the agency has deemed the species “vulnerable.” Current information on their abundance and distribution is speculative, due largely to agency-acknowledged lags in surveying, monitoring and research. What is known is that these populations, as with elsewhere, face threats related to climate change as well as disease. And outside the protection of wilderness, these threats expand to include direct human impacts such as recreation, logging, grazing, road construction, and trout stocking. Most of these factors are within Forest Service management control, and many will be addressed in the Shoshone’s forthcoming forest plan.

Over the past six months, GYC has actively participated in development of the draft Shoshone plan, a document that will guide management of the forest for the next 10 to 15 years. Unlike the National Park Service, the Forest Service is held to a ‘multiple use’ mandate. So as it considers the best ‘use’ of the forest, the agency will consider not only outdoor recreation, hiking, camping, angling and wildlife watching, but also oil and gas development and motorized use.

Organizationally, GYC has argued that the ‘best use’ of the Shoshone National Forest is to honor its wild, backcountry character and in doing so limit degrading uses, many of which have been identified as threats to vulnerable populations of Columbia-spotted frogs. Furthermore, we have advocated for designating new Research Natural Areas and Special Interest Areas – such as Swamp Lake – to protect important ecologically significant resources as well as highlight historical, geological, botanical, zoological or paleontological features for public education and research.

A Lesson for Us AllIn 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reached consensus that climate change is happening and that it is largely due to human activities. With climate change, plant and animal communities will shift to higher altitudes, and amphibians must either move or acclimate. One of the first events predicted by the IPCC panel – increasing extinctions of amphibians in the mountains – has already occurred. So what does this mean for Greater Yellowstone’s more charismatic species? David Wake probably put it best: “Amphibians have been around for about 250 million years. They made it through when dinosaurs didn’t. The fact that they’re cutting out now should be a lesson for us all.”

Swamp Lake Special Botanical Area (above). Swamp Lake, a 581-acre calcareous fen on the Shoshone National Forest, supports a number of rare and sensitive plants as well as the Columbia-spotted frog and boreal toad, both Region 2 sensitive species. Photo: Dave Burke. Amphibians in decline (far left). Elias, one of GYC’s youngest members, holds a Columbia-spotted frog found on a GYC field trip to Swamp Lake. Photo: Barbara Cozzens

New Englanders Marilyn and Jay Sarles were young newlyweds when they first traveled to the Greater Yellowstone area as part of a six-park trip to the American West. The trip imprinted a spiritual connection and love of nature and the outdoors, values they passed on to their three children. Family vacations were planned around hiking, skiing, horseback riding and rafting in the West. These experiences framed the family’s decision to support GYC through their charitable foundation. Since 1998, Eaglemere Foundation has funded many projects in GYC’s effort to protect this magnificent ecosystem.

“Through GYC we were introduced to the Lamar Valley on a winter wolf-watching trip. We’ve returned to hike, cross-country ski, watch spring babies and other wildlife, take geology tours and lots of photos. We’ve visited in all seasons and stayed at all park entrances. We’ve driven roads along most tributaries of the watershed, including the Chief Joseph and the Beartooth. The experience of Yellowstone is magical: a feast for the senses and emotions that is impossible to describe to someone who hasn’t been there.

MEMBER PROFILEMarilyn & Jay Sarles

GYC is a high giving priority for us because of its commitment to conservation principles that we share. We like its pragmatic science-based identification of problems at an ecosystem scale and its emphasis on coalition building. GYC seeks a balance between the need for human activity with a respectful understanding of the environment.”.

— Marilyn and Jay Sarles, Wellesley, Mass.

Give the gift of Yellowstone this holiday season! Help protect the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem by giving your friends and loved ones a gift membership in the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.

For just $50, each recipient will be given a one-year membership and a special ornament of an iconic animal of Yellowstone National Park. These ornaments are cut from steel and hand-fired for a rustic look. Choose from a bison, grizzly bear, cutthroat trout, wolf or moose.

To place your order call 1-800-775-1834!

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Wyoming forges ahead with flawed wolf plan

Hunter and the hunted. Wolves are now hunted in all three Greater Yellowstone states, including Wyoming, where the state’s flawed plan took affect Oct. 1. As of Nov. 15, 34 wolves had been killed in the “trophy-game area.” Photo: Photos.com

by Chris Colligan, Wyoming Wildlife Advocate

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service removed wolves in Wyoming from the endangered species list on Oct. 1. With more than 80 percent of the state

having a shoot-on-sight policy, Wyoming’s management plan is not based on sound science or wildlife-management principles. Wyoming’s added “flex-zone” is an area south of Jackson where wolves are considered predators for most of the year and as trophy game for a few months. That it supposedly protects dispersal – even though wolves are known to disperse all months and there is no data to suggest this is an adequate area or time frame to protect dispersal – demonstrates the lack of science in this plan. Immediately after delisting, Wyoming opened hunting seasons for a limited quota of wolves in the trophy game area; unregulated wolf killing began in the rest of the state.

Granted, Wyoming’s quota of 52 wolves in the so-called “trophy-game area” around Yellowstone National Park is the most conservative of the three Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem states. Wyoming also doesn’t trapping in the trophy-game area. As of Nov. 15, 34 wolves had been killed in the trophy-game area and 16 in the “predator zone.” Three of twelve hunting units closed once quotas were met and all the trophy-game hunting areas will close Dec. 31. Wyoming’s wolf population is expected to be about 170 at the end of 2012.

GYC continues to work with agencies, communities and stakeholders to ensure that wolves living in Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks aren’t harmed by state management and that they are not hunted in the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway (a National Park Service unit) between the two parks. We’re also working to improve quotas and modify hunting areas to lessen harm to wolves in and around national parks and prevent wolf trapping in the GYE.

Help Preserve and Protect the Ecosystem for Years to Come:

Join the Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s

“Legacy Society”

Consider joining other members of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition who have expressed their deep commitment to

supporting the organization’s mission by including a gift to GYC as part of estate planning.

The Legacy Society honors donors who have indicated they have arranged for planned or deferred gifts to be given to GYC. Consult with your financial advisor or attorney about the planned giving options that might be right for you, or call our major gifts manager, Heidi Barrett, at 800-775-1834.

Leave a legacy to the lands, waters, and wildlife of this special ecosystem. Your generosity will allow GYC to pursue important conservation goals for years to come.


GYC, BRIDGER-TETON N.F. PARTNER FOR GRIZZLIESGYC partnered with the Bridger-Teton National Forest this fall to cost-share an additional staff person as a Forest Bear Patrol on the Jackson and Buffalo Ranger Districts. Increasing conflicts in recent years with recreational users have increased our focus on conflict prevention to reduce the number of preventable mortalities through proper food storage, education on bear safety and use of bear pepper spray.

HELLO AND GOOD-BYE FROM GYC OFFICESWhile we at GYC are excited to welcome our new Director of Development, Majken Mechling, first we bid a fond farewell to Hannah Stauts, our Montana conservation associate.

Hannah was a driving force behind our push for wilderness in the Gallatin Range, which has the last large unroaded area adjacent to Yellowstone National Park without permanent wilderness protections. Working with our conservation

As of mid-November, 34 human-caused mortalities of grizzly bears had been counted in the GYE. We’ll continue to look for proactive ways to address conflicts by working with agencies and seeking methods to better educate the public.

ELK REFUGE TURNOUT SHOWS INTEREST IN KEY JACKSON HOLE TOPICOn Sept. 26, our Jackson office hosted the last of five meetings in Jackson to help the community understand and prepare for the likelihood of change

partners, she helped draw up a road map for involvement and support from a variety of stakeholders in the community.

Hannah has moved closer to her family in Idaho, where she has taken a job with the city of Ketchum. We wish her continued success.

Originally from Cape May, N.J., Majken comes to us after 25 years in Hawaii. Though she has spent almost her entire life about as far East and West as one could possibly be in the Americas, a six-week college-era journey through Yellowstone, Grand Teton

and Glacier national parks etched the Northern Rockies — and the desire to one day help protect the region’s lands, waters and wildlife — into her consciousness. Welcome Majken!

FIGHT FOR BISON IN GARDINER BASIN CONTINUESWe’re ever so close to more free-roaming bison around Yellowstone National Park — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is proposing five new areas for

bison to disperse — but one more hurdle must be overcome in the Gardiner Basin north of the park. Final arguments were heard in a Livingston, Mont., court on Nov. 6 in a case where livestock interests want to keep bison in Yellowstone. The judge must make a final decision by January.

on the National Elk Refuge as we hopefully begin a transition from a century of winter feeding to a more natural approach.

Each meeting featured an expert guest speaker and Danny Schmidt’s acclaimed film “Feeding The Problem.” In all, nearly 150 people attended the meetings, and roughly two-thirds filled out a 14-question survey about Wyoming’s controversial feedgrounds. More than 85 percent said they recognize disease as a threat to healthy elk herds in places where they congregate in unnatural numbers.

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SPRING INTO WILDLIFE FESTIVAL IN CODYThe first “Spring into Yellowstone: Cody Birding and Wildlife Festival” will take place May 15-19 in Cody. For five days, discover the iconic birds and wildlife of Wyoming’s Absaroka-Beartooth Front — from sage grouse to grizzly bears, and everything in between.

The festival will feature guided field trips and interactive seminars led by some of the biggest names in birding and nature photography, as well as some of the top regional biologists. Each evening, take in Buffalo Bill country’s finest restaurant fare, check out bird and wildlife-themed art at the galleries, tour the spectacular museum, and partake in evening festivities.

The event — the first major nature festival of its kind in Wyoming — has garnered unprecedented support and cooperation from the community, state and federal agencies, and NGOs. GYC is partnering with the Cody Chamber of Commerce, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Friends of a Legacy (FOAL), the Shoshone National Forest, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Yellowstone National Park to help promote

the rich diversity of birds and other wildlife found in the region, as well as to develop a nature-based activity that results in education and economic benefits during the region’s “shoulder season.”

Registration and details will be posted soon at www.springintoyellowstone.org. For more information, please contact Barbara Cozzens at [email protected].

A FULL-COURT PRESS ON IDAHO ROADLESS RULEIn late September, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal filed by the State of Wyoming, the mining industry, and others over the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which means the rule is the law of the land. The roadless rule establishes national policy for the Forest Service to protect roadless areas from harmful activities, thereby preserving backcountry recreation and securing wildlife habitat and pristine watersheds.

Unfortunately, the upheld rule does not apply to national forests in Idaho, which was allowed to concoct its own plan for managing roadless lands. Not surprisingly, the Idaho Rule gives less protection to its 5.3 million acres of roadless forests than the 2001 Rule, including removing all protections from approximately 300,000 acres of roadless lands within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Most egregious, it allows phosphate mining to occur within roadless areas. GYC, along with its conservation partners, have challenged the validity of the lesser protections for Idaho’s roadless lands.

On Nov. 9, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard our arguments as to why the Idaho rule is illegal. After more than a decade in limbo, we hope these priceless lands will finally receive the protections they deserve.

ISLAND PARK LOSES CONSERVATION CHAMPIONLike most newspaper editors, Elizabeth Laden kept true to her oath of objectivity. But above all else, the innovative owner/publisher of the Island Park News loved her town and her region, and she understood the value of conservation

to the integrity of Greater Yellowstone.

Elizabeth’s untimely death at age 63 on Sept. 20 leaves a great void in the Island Park area. “The Voice” of Island Park, she was a great champion of her community and the ecosystem.

Elizabeth threw her unabashed support behind many GYC efforts, including Island Park’s bear-proof bin program and the upcoming Cycle Greater Yellowstone bicycle tour. She will be missed.

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Cycle Greater Yellowstone with GYC!Here’s your chance to see Greater Yellowstone like you’ve never seen it before — from the seat of a bicycle! Join fellow cycling enthusiasts from around the world Aug. 18-24, 2013, on a fully supported ride that will take you over some of Greater Yellowstone’s most breath-taking mountain passes, along the region’s most beautiful streams, and through picturesque countryside. This tour is filling rapidly, so don’t delay!

Go to www.cyclegreateryellowstone.com

for more information or to sign up for “The First Great Ride in the Last Best Place”

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Join us for GYC’s Holiday Open House!Dec. 6 • 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. GYC Headquarters, 215 S. Wallace, Bozeman, Mont.

Upcoming EventsDec. 6 – Holiday Open

House, GYC Headquarters, Bozeman — see above

Jan. 14-17 – Wolf Watching Trip, Yellowstone National Park — see page 5

For more information on any of these events, please call 800-775-1834 or visit www.greateryellowstone.org/events/

Feb. 5-8 – Jackson Wildlife Watching Trip, Grand Teton National Park — see page 9

May 16-19 – Spring Wildlife Watching Trip, Yellowstone National Park — see page 21

July 6 – A Day at the Flying D Ranch Hosted by Ted Turner, Gallatin Gateway, Mont.

Aug. 18-24 – Cycle Greater Yellowstone — see page 18

Jim Adelson Family Foundation FundMr. Joseph Albright and Ms. Marcia KunstelMr. and Mrs. Donald AllenKaren and Richard AllenMs. Diana AllisonAnonymousMr. and Mrs. Rutgers BarclayBarnard Family Foundation Ms. Pilar D. BassMr. and Mrs. John BellerNatalie and Warren BergholzMr. and Mrs. Charles S. BerneyMr. John BjerkeBlue Ribbon Flies Mr. and Mrs. David BrakebillMr. and Mrs. John BrockwayMrs. Patricia Brockway Ms. Charlotte Caldwell and Mr. Jeffrey SchutzMr. Giordano Caponigro and Mrs. Whitney HableKirk and Leslie CarlsonScot and Christine CarlsonMr. and Mrs. William B. ChitwoodMr. Paul C. Chrostowski and Ms. Lorraine J. PearsallCommunity Foundation of Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance Mr. and Mrs. Andrew CookAlan and Nancy CrawfordDr. and Mrs. Chris DalyMr. and Mrs. Joseph K. DavidsonMr. and Mrs. Swep T. DavisDejanikus FamilyMr. and Mrs. Charles D. Dickey, Jr.Lloyd and Michele DorseyMs. Lynn ElliottMr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Evans, Jr.Fanwood Foundation/WestMrs. Nancy M. Folger

Ms. Vera FordDr. and Mrs. David FosdickMr. Mike GarciaDenise Garro Mr. and Mrs. Steven GewirzMr. Bob GiurgevichMs. Judith P. GouldMr. and Mrs. Robert H. GrahamGregory and Jennifer GroseLarry and Kniffy HamiltonAlex and Karen HammerMs. Ann HarveyMr. and Mrs. William G. Hayward, Jr.Dr. June HeilmanDr. and Mrs. Ronald W. HelmsRobert and Claire HeronHardy and Jennifer HillMr. and Mrs. David HollierMr. George S. Howard, Jr.Mr. Eric HuberMr. Theodore L. HullarMr. Ned Jannotta and Ms. Erika PearsallMr. and Mrs. Ned JannottaMr. A.J. JesaitisHolly and Victor JettMr. Robert JohnstonTobin and Susan Jones Kane Family Foundation, Inc. Ms. Harriet KarkutMr. and Mrs. Kenneth KaufmanMr. and Mrs. Robert B. KeiterThe Kendeda FundMr. Craig Kenworthy and Ms. Karen LarsenKerasote Books Carroll KlingelhoferMs. Alberta KnoxThe Lacy Foundation, Inc. Beedee and Ted LaddDr. and Mrs. Roger LangMr. Jay R. Larson

Membership UpdateThe following supporters made a contribution to the Greater Yellowstone Coalition between August 8, 2012 and November 5, 2012*. THANK YOU!

Nels and Liz Leutwiler FoundationMs. Mary LindbladMs. Melissa Parker Lindsay and Mr. Lynn LindsayDr. Ellen MacfarlandChris Malloy and Josephine HattonThomas and Linda Markovits Mr. and Mrs. Jon MaroonMr. John F. Mars and Ms. Adrienne B. MarsMs. Mary MarshallMs. Mariam McCallMichael and June McCollisterMs. Ellen McCoy Mr. Patrick A. McKee and Ms. Sally BartowPat McKernan and Chip PetrieMs. Mimi McMillenDave and Lisa MiniatKathryn and Mike MortonMr. and Mrs. Ron MurphyMr. Peter Murray and Ms. Mary SwansonAnn and Kent Nelson Michael NevinMr. and Mrs. Paul NewhagenMr. and Mrs. Marc NoelNorth Wind GroupKen and Collett OlsonMrs. Martin OttenDaryl and Sherrie ParkerPatagonia Inc. Dorothy A. Pearson The Orvis Company, Inc. The Perkins Charitable FoundationMr. Henry C. Phibbs II and Ms. Leslie PetersenMr. and Mrs. Igor Potym Peter and Coleen ReganMr. and Mrs. James ReillyStephen and Lisa Robertson

Dan and Linda RosensonMs. Carolyn K. RosinMrs. Birdie RossetterMr. and Mrs. Ben RuehrMs. Laura Ryan and Mr. Chris NaumannSarah SailerJulian and Anita Saul and Linda Saul SchejolaMr. Stephen B. Sayre and Ms. Nancy E. WattersCarol and Robert ScallanMr. and Mrs. Jerry H. ScheidMr. and Mrs. Michael SchmertzlerMs. Elizabeth Catto Shaw and Mr. Daniel ShawMr. Jim ShawMr. and Mrs. Barry SibsonDr. and Mrs. Frank SmithMr. and Mrs. Horton S. SpitzerHoward and Cara Smith StirnBill Stoddart and Heidi RobisonMs. Catherine SymchychJacquette TheisMr. James ThompsonMac and Lisa Tichenor Turner Foundation, Inc.Ms. Karen K. Uhlenbeck and Dr. Robert WilliamsMr. and Mrs. Stephen M. UnfriedMr. Peter VaughanCourtney WalkerEdna Wardlaw Charitable TrustDon and Sheri WeberJulie and Charles WempleGibbs and Catherine Smith Mr. Ben Winship and Ms. Caroline HerterDavid Winton and Charlotte Vaughan WintonMrs. Sally Wise and Mr. Robert MaertzWolfensohn Family Foundation Dr. Charles WoodwardMs. Sandra Young and Mr. Robert Young

*Due to space limitations, we are only able to list members contributing $250 or more.



The year 2012 marked a number of significant milestones for our work to restore the once-great population of cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Lake.

First, we signed a Native Fish Conservation Memorandum of Understanding with Yellowstone National Park and our conservation partners that formalizes our joint effort on this important effort. Second, the radio telemetry project that we helped initiate last year allowed National Park Service biologists to locate and delineate a substantial lake trout spawning area at West Thumb. Third, crews set a record by removing almost 300,000 lake trout from Yellowstone Lake.

And finally, for the first time in 12 years, Yellowstone cutthroat trout numbers are slowly beginning to improve. Much work remains over the coming years, but we can begin to celebrate the fact that trends are now heading in the right direction for the first time in ages.

The number of lake trout removed comes on the heels of the 224,000 taken from the lake in 2011. But the total for the entire previous decade was 500,000.

Yellowstone Lake is considered the safety-deposit box for the imperiled Yellowstone cutthroat trout, whose numbers

have dropped dramatically since illegally introduced lake trout were discovered in 1994. They historically migrated into 60 tributaries to spawn, providing sustenance for no fewer than 47 Yellowstone species, most notably grizzly bears, otters, eagles and osprey.

GYC continues to support this effort financially and in other ways, along with our partners at Trout Unlimited, the National Parks Conservation Association and the Yellowstone Park Foundation.

Cutthroat trout show signs of bouncing back in Yellowstone Lake

Surgical precision. Scientists insert transmitters in lake trout so that their movements can be tracked, ultimately leading to the non-native fish’s spawning grounds. Photo: ©2011 Dave Showalter/iLCP

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By Susan Linney

Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s spring wildlife trip offers you the opportunity to watch grizzlies and

their cubs, wolves and their pups, and bison with calves the color of cinnamon that are in deep contrast to the bright green grass of spring. Expert guides and GYC staff members will share their knowledge and stories about the wildlife of Lamar Valley while you enjoy the views.

Silver Gate is a small, rustic, alpine town nestled at an elevation of 7,438 feet on willow-banked Soda Butte Creek, amid a conifer forest and meadows carpeted with wildflowers. It is only 17 miles from Lamar Valley.

Guests will stay in cozy rustic cabins at Silver Gate Lodging Company. Meals will be provided by the historic Log Cabin Café just across the street. Gourmet meals are prepared with local fare whenever possible and the freshest ingredients, making for a delightful beginning and ending to each day.

Our Spring Wildlife Experience“Our spring wildlife trip last May (2012) was so incredible!

It was all that I had hoped for. GYC took care of all the details and accommodated us in every way. The lodging was classy yet cozy and the food was fresh and delicious. We had time in the wild as well as presentations in the evening, with time to get to know other participants.

This trip focused its time in the Lamar Valley and was particularly special for me. I had worked in Yellowstone Park (Canyon Village) for two summers in the early 1980s. Being in the park again with GYC enabled me to catch a glimpse of the wildlife and be in areas others might not see/experience on their own.

Our sightings included wolves, coyotes, elk, deer, grizzly and black bears, bison with their cinnamon-colored babies, moose, eagles, fox, and more.

I would highly recommend this trip ... it is one not to miss!”

Spring Wildlife ViewingMay 16 - 19 – Silver Gate, Mont.

Yellowstone National Park

Price per person is $1,395 and includes three nights’ lodging in the quaint cabins of Silver Gate Lodging Company in the alpine community of Silver Gate, three meals per day, and expert guides and transportation to and from Yellowstone National Park.

This trip is sure to please and space is limited. Call 1-800-775-1834 today and reserve your space for Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s spring wildlife watching trip.

*Price does not include transportation to or from Silver Gate, Montana.

‘One not to miss’. Susan Linney (left) and friend Vicky Buchheit on May 2012 wildlife trip in Yellowstone National Park. Photo: Heidi Barrett

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Parting Thoughts

One of my favorite posters from the 1960s is a black and white image of two calloused African-American hands holding a twig of fully blooming cotton balls. Below the image is a statement, “These hands that once picked only cotton now pick our nation’s leaders!”

I thought of that image last week as the vote counts across the country delivered once again the electoral voice of the American people in choosing its nation’s leaders.

Times have changed. We should be glad that the full spectrum of political views and the wide diversity of experience in the American experiment can be delivered without violence and terrorism. Now we turn to the aftermath.

The vast public lands that make up roughly one-half of the area of the American West were almost never mentioned in the presidential campaigns. But for those of us who live in or visit here to experience Greater

Yellowstone, the federal public lands are a treasure house of biological diversity, beauty, hope and opportunity.

Faced with rough economic times and a roaring debate over tax policies, rates and revenue, it now seems likely that the federal role in the West may diminish somewhat over the next decade due to budget cuts and conflicting mandates. But the importance of the public lands will only increase.

We have explored some of the emerging and also the well-established forces that affect our public lands and resources in this issue, especially as they relate to climate change.

Tell us what you think of the work we do to preserve and protect the Yellowstone Region. We appreciate and value your feedback. And best to each of you in the coming holiday season.

— Mike Clark, Executive Director

Looking at public lands in the aftermath of the elections

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Board of DirectorsMarcia Kunstel, Chair .............................................. Jackson, Wyo.Kuni Schmertzler, Vice Chair ................................. New Canaan, Conn.Cynthia Murphy, Secretary .................................... Ketchum, IdahoNed Jannotta Jr., Treasurer .................................... Teton Village, Wyo.Audrey Cole ................................................................ Pocatello, IdahoSwep Davis .................................................................. Bozeman, Mont.Dave Delehanty ........................................................ Pocatello, IdahoMike Finley .................................................................. Medford, Ore.Kniffy Hamilton ......................................................... Jackson, Wyo.Jodi Hilty ...................................................................... Bozeman, Mont.Bob Keiter .................................................................... Salt Lake City, UtahRobert Keith ............................................................... Bozeman, Mont.Brian Kuehl .................................................................. Sheridan, Wyo.Ken Lichtendahl ....................................................... Powell, Wyo.Melissa Lindsay ......................................................... St. Paul, Minn.Chris Naumann ......................................................... Bozeman, Mont.Pete Riede.................................................................... Afton, Wyo.Jerry Scheid ................................................................ Idaho Falls, IdahoFarwell Smith, Emeritus .......................................... Big Timber, Mont.Jim Spencer ................................................................ Portland, Ore.Geoff Stephens .......................................................... Bozeman, Mont.

StaffHeidi Barrett ............................................................... Major Gifts ManagerPeter Bennett ............................................................. Information Systems ManagerBarb Cestero ............................................................... Montana DirectorScott Christensen ..................................................... Climate Change Program DirectorMike Clark .................................................................... Executive DirectorChris Colligan ............................................................. Wyoming Wildlife AdvocateJoyce Connors............................................................ Finance AssociateBarbara Cozzens ....................................................... Northwest Wyoming DirectorJessica DeJarlais ....................................................... Membership ManagerLloyd Dorsey .............................................................. Wyoming Representative, JacksonValorie Drake .............................................................. Director of Finance & AdministrationCharles Drimal ........................................................... Wyoming Public Lands AdvocateTerry Dumont ............................................................. Executive Office ManagerChris Grinnell ............................................................. Graphics SpecialistMarv Hoyt .................................................................... Idaho DirectorMajken Mechling ...................................................... Director of Development & MarketingJennifer Murray ......................................................... Human Resources ManagerMark Pearson ............................................................. Conservation Program DirectorAndrea Santarsiere .................................................. Idaho Conservation & Legal AssociateChristi Weber .............................................................. Online Development & Marking MgrJeff Welsch ................................................................... Communications DirectorCaroline Woodwell................................................... Director of Foundation Relations

OfficesMontana P.O. Box 1874 Bozeman, MT 59771 (406) 586-1593 | fax (406) 556-2839 [email protected]

Idaho 162 N. Woodruff Avenue Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (208) 522-7927 | fax (208) 522-1048 [email protected]

Wyoming P.O. Box 4857 Jackson, WY 83001 (307) 734-6004 | fax (307) 734-6019 [email protected]

1285 Sheridan Ave., Suite 215 Cody, WY 82414 (307) 527-6233 | fax (307) 527-6290 [email protected]

Toll free (800) 775-1834


...how your advocacy has made a difference

www.facebook.com/greateryellowstonecoalition

www.twitter.com/gycyellowstone

It’s a brave new communications world out there, and at Greater Yellowstone Coalition we are using a variety of tools to keep you informed — and give Your

Voice a chance to be heard.

You have helped many of our efforts by responding to the e-mails and postcards we send. Those successes have been documented in this space in previous issues.

As the world’s technology evolves, so does GYC.

You might have noticed we have started a regular blog (www.voiceforyellowstone.org). Here you can catch up on the most current information about happenings in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem — and let us know what you think.

Thus far, nearly 200 people have visited the blog simply via reading our monthly E-news. Our most active form of social media clearly is Facebook (www.facebook.com/greateryellowstonecoalition). As of mid-November, 10,458 people from around the world have “liked” GYC’s page — an eye-popping total we’ve built in roughly two years.

Along with the “GYE News” section of our Web site (www.greateryellowstone.org), our Facebook page is another place to get news as it’s happening. We also regularly post beautiful photographs to remind us just how magnificent Greater Yellowstone is, conduct giveaway contests, and use the page to give you an opportunity to be heard for government agencies.

Thanks to the support of our faithful Facebook friends, GYC won $10,000 this past summer in Chase’s “Vote For The Planet” contest. A special bow to our loyal Facebook follower Jake Plummer, whose unabashed online cheerleading helped push us across the finish line to become the only group in the Wyoming, Montana, Idaho region to win a prize!

Finally, Communications Director Jeff Welsch is now on Twitter. Keep apprised of current events at GYC and Cycle Greater Yellowstone, and tell us how we’re doing, at https://twitter.com/gycyellowstone.

Thank you for all you do for GYC — and the magnificent Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem! And, as always, let “Your Voice” be heard!

Visit our action center at www.greateryellowstone.org/advocacy. Thank you for lending your voice. It makes a huge difference!

Printed on 100% recycled paper with vegetable-based inks.

Greater Yellowstone CoalitionP.O. Box 1874

Bozeman, MT 59771(406) 586-1593


OA large wolf print in the freshly fallen Yellowstone snow. Winter and early spring are the best times to spot wolves in Yellowstone National Park. See page 5 for information on the next GYC-led winter wolf watching trip . Photo: Cindy Goeddel, www.goeddelphotography.com

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2012, winter: the greater yellowstone advocate

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