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Man on horse riding through a prairie.

How We’re Investing in Our Planet This Earth Day

[…] through government action, but through individual cooperation and voluntary trade. 1. Elk Occupancy Agreement As elk herds make their annual migration out of the high country in Yellowstone National Park down to their winter range on the private agricultural lands of Paradise Valley, they find themselves at the center of controversy. While the elk […]

Published on: April 18, 2023
Temple Stoellinger

University of Wyoming Professor Temple Stoellinger Promoted to PERC Senior Fellow

[…] topics such as reforming federal grazing to enable markets for voluntary conservation, encouraging species recovery under the Endangered Species Act, motivating private land conservation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and channeling visitor enthusiasm into more sustainable funding mechanisms for national parks.  “Temple’s contributions to PERC’s scholarship have been invaluable,” said PERC Vice President of […]

Published on: April 13, 2023

A New Tool to Help Share the Cost of Living With Wildlife

Spring has arrived, and for many Montanans that comes along with excitement for warmer days ahead. But for the hard-working cattle ranchers in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, springtime brings new challenges. One of those is the risk of brucellosis, a reproductive disease that elk and bison can transmit to cattle. Each year, thousands of […]

Published on: April 10, 2023

Colorado Should Help Ranchers Minimize Conflicts Between Wolves and Livestock

[…] abundance. Today, the wolf is following in their footsteps. Wolf restoration in the West began in 1994 when 41 wolves were reintroduced to their former range in Yellowstone National Park. They were followed a year later by an additional 15 wolves released into the wildlands of Central Idaho. Three years later, 11 wolves of […]

Published on: April 4, 2023

A Conservation Approach Where Everyone Wins

[…] West-style violence. And wildlife issues, especially when they involve large carnivores, arouse intense controversy. Several decades ago, when one Montana environmentalist, Hank Fischer, met with ranchers in the Yellowstone region to discuss reintroducing wolves, his proposal was met with hostility. “Hank Fischer!” a rancher shouted as the meeting began, “Ain’t nobody killed you yet?” Wolves have […]

Published on: March 24, 2023

Public Comment Supporting Montana FWP’s Draft Grizzly Bear Management Plan

[…] Parks’ draft grizzly bear management plan. PERC applauds FWP for its role in recovering grizzly bears, Montana’s state animal, in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and for the work that went into this proposed statewide plan. The recovery of grizzly bear populations in the state has been an incredible conservation […]

Published on: February 27, 2023

PERC Launches Brucellosis Compensation Fund with Partners to Support Ranchers Who Provide Elk Habitat

[…] critical habitat for migrating elk. The project brings together a coalition of conservationists, hunters, ranchers, and community members to protect elk migration and open space. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem’s iconic migrating elk herds depend on working lands for their survival. Thousands of elk descend on Montana’s Paradise Valley every year to feed on ranch […]

Published on: December 8, 2022

Testimony on Overcrowding in National Parks

Crowding at Midway Geyser Basin boardwalk near Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park. © NPS Testimony before the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing on “Lessons from the Field: Overcrowding in National Parks” Main Points Recent visitation growth in some national parks comes with real management challenges for ensuring […]

Published on: December 6, 2022