[…] to ranchers. We recognized these partners this month at the Paradise Valley Working Lands Meeting alongside the landowners whose lives they’ve positively impacted. Together with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Spruance Foundation, and Credova, we’re ushering in a new era of cooperative, voluntary conservation. Below are some highlights from the landowner […]
[…] National Park Visitation: An Economic Analysis,” Journal of Leisure Research 46, no. 2 (2014): 153-64. Another study, from 2017, estimated that raising the vehicle entry fee at Yellowstone National Park by more than double—from $30 to $70—would decrease visitation from foreign visitors by a mere 0.07 percent.9The study examined a proposal that would have […]
[…] private lands. To date, the focal point of our work has been in Montana’s Paradise Valley, where cattle ranches play host to thousands of elk descending from Yellowstone National Park each winter. For the hard-working men and women responsible for providing these vital wintering grounds, a generic “thank you” card on nice stationary just […]
Prime habitat for elk in Montana’s Paradise Valley means headaches for ranchers there. PERC’s work to reward the private stewardship—and public benefits—that working lands provide on Yellowstone’s northern doorstep sets the stage for conservation innovation
[…] them for their efforts. The simple idea has significant potential to help shape the future of places like Paradise Valley. Two years ago, PERC and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition partnered with the Petrich family to set aside a portion of their ranch as winter elk habitat. The project was straightforward: install 1.25 miles of […]
[…] looking on with mealtime anticipation is a herd of 20 wild elk. While this scene of mountains, open spaces, ranching, and wildlife at the northern gateway to Yellowstone National Park might appear wonderfully tranquil, it can actually be a recipe for disaster for the rancher and her livelihood—because elk and cattle don’t always mix. […]
[…] three generations, the survival of the family ranch has depended upon it. Every year, Kinkie and her husband stand on their property along the banks of the Yellowstone River in Paradise Valley and, in their minds, trace the path of this storied watercourse upstream more than 100 miles into the interior of Yellowstone National […]
[…] with a question: “You all have bear spray, right?” We’re in the West Fork drainage of Montana’s Gravelly Range—a key corridor for grizzly bears expanding out of Yellowstone National Park. Located just 40 miles west of the park, it’s places like this that have drawn bears in search of new territory after decades of […]
[…] pilot projects that are already underway, including: a privately funded “elk occupancy agreement” that is conserving habitat for migratory species, a disease compensation fund that is helping Yellowstone-area ranchers manage wildlife risks, a “pay for presence” program that is harnessing artificial intelligence to reward landowners that provide habitat for wildlife, a first-of-its-kind ranching agreement […]
[…] river steamer more than 100 years ago. Established in 1902, this historic watering hole has served as the gathering place for locals in Paradise Valley north of Yellowstone National Park. The business of the valley is conducted here. An eclectic group of ranchers, fishing guides, hunters, government land managers, and outlaws commingle comfortably. Our […]