YELLOWSTONE TO YUKON CONSERVATION INITIATIVE
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Science, knowledge and policy
We collaborate on and deliver the best available science and/or knowledge to power decision-making and expand understanding of species.
Advancing science
Y2Y has been referenced in more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles to date. This work guides our collective efforts and provides resources to support our partners’ work.
Influencing policy for conservation action
Y2Y has engaged in the creation of global guidelines for habitat connectivity, area-based conservation targets such as 30×30, and their use in law and policy to implementation.
Habitat
We work with hundreds of partners to make sure wildlife has secure places to call home so they can move, mate and munch.
Protecting core habitat
Our work identifies core wildlife habitat under risk of development and finds ways to protect it. Since 1993, we have increased protected areas by 50 percent, and improved conservation across an additional 30 percent of lands. This includes supporting three new Indigenous-led conservation efforts.
Restoring core habitat
We heal damaged landscapes to increase habitat available for wildlife. We have treated hundreds of acres of land for invasive plant species, decommissioned long stretches of road to restore natural habitat, planted tens of thousands of trees and shrubs, and restored miles upon miles of streams.
Connectivity
We help wildlife stay connected and remove barriers to their movement — essential to their ability to survive and thrive.
Enhancing connectivity between protected areas
By working with willing property owners, we have helped advance more than 550,000 acres of private land conservation in key wildlife linkages.
Making roads safer for people and animals
Y2Y advocates for infrastructure to keep wildlife connected. With more than 116 existing wildlife underpasses, overpasses and fencing, the Yellowstone to Yukon region now has more such crossing structures than anywhere else in the world.
Communities
We expand our impact by working with and supporting communities and partners across the Yellowstone to Yukon region in their conservation efforts.
Investing in the conservation community
We have helped bring more than $60-million of new conservation funding into the Yellowstone to Yukon region to keep conservation moving forward on the ground.
Helping people and wildlife share space
We have long supported the proven education programs and tools that keep communities and animals safe, including bear-proof food storage bins, bear spray education, wildlife-friendly fencing, and more.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Yellowstone to Yukon region remains one of the last intact mountain ecosystems on Earth; it is home to the full suite of wildlife that were present when Europeans first arrived to North America; and it is the source of 13 major rivers, all of which provide clean, safe drinking water for more than 15 million people. Y2Y's goal is to keep it this way.
PROTECT, CONNECT, RESTORE, INSPIRE
The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative carries forth the big-picture vision, and helps bring together the right people in the right places to develop and implement regional, scientifically- grounded conservation strategies at the right time. These strategies focus on four main objectives: protect core habitats; keep these habitats connected; restore them where necessary; and inspire others to engage in similar work, both in the Yellowstone to Yukon region and beyond.
We break our goals up into regions across the Yellowstone to Yukon landscape:
In the northern portion of our region (northern BC, Yukon and the North West Territories), our goal is to Keep It Wild. The northern third of the Yellowstone to Yukon region is the most intact, with few roads, little settlement and modest development. Our best defense against climate change is to keep it this way.
In the center (Canada/US Border north to northern BC) our goal is to Keep It Connected. The area from northern British Columbia to Alberta's Central Rockies contains one of the largest contiguous blocks of protected lands in the Yellowstone to Yukon region and provides essential habitat for wildlife.
In the south (Canada/US border south to Grand Teton National Park) our goal is to Restore and Reconnect Degraded Habitats. The landscape from Canada's Highway 3 to Grand
Teton National Park has more private lands than the northern and central regions, and a greater density of trails, roads, highways and railroads.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We employ seven key strategies to to reach our conservation goals:
- Protected Areas: We IDENTIFY core habitat under risk of development and find ways to PROTECT it.
- Private Land: We work with willing property owners to SECURE land and maintain key connections.
- Policy: We act as a VOICE for the Yellowstone to Yukon region in decision-making processes that affect our goals.
- Transportation: We FACILITATE human travel and wildlife movement to allow for the safety of each.
- Co-existence: We work with the community to provide people with the TOOLS and KNOW-HOW to share space with wildlife.
- Smart Development: We SUPPORT development that is consistent with our vision and we SPEAK OUT when it brings more damage than benefit.
- Promoting the Vision: We SPREAD OUR VISION for a connected Yellowstone to Yukon landscape via our ever-growing networks.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
One of our greatest strengths is our ability to form and lead powerful collaboratives that avoid duplicating skills and use resources efficiently. There are few comparable efforts operating at the scale of Y2Y, and there are even fewer that engage in such widespread collaboration. Everything Y2Y does, we do with our partners. Whether it's other conservation groups, local landowners, businesses, government agencies, funders and donors, Native American and First Nations communities, scientists, or otherwise, these partners are the force behind our momentum. Y2Y's role is to bring the partners, the matter and energy, together to achieve as a network what none of us can accomplish alone: a conservation initiative that sees the world as nature sees it. We knit together the landscape from one jurisdiction to the next.
Within the Y2Y Team, Y2Y's Board of Directors contributes to our strategic planning and fiduciary oversight from a rich combined experience in the fields of law, science, government, fundraising, finance and the arts. Our team's staff and strategic advisors are responsible for some of the most important conservation achievements of our time. Our network of funders, donors and other supporters believe in the Yellowstone to Yukon vision, and know that we have the creativity, determination and collective experience to break new trails in conservation.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Our track record is strong. Since 1993 Y2Y, together with our partners, has:
Secured Core Habitat
- Facilitated the conservation of 17,660 ac (7,150 ha) in B.C.'s Flathead and Elk River Valleys.
- Established two new national park reserves, Nahanni (2009) and Naats'ihch'oh (2013), that together are equivalent in size to four Yellowstone National Parks.
- Collaboratively purchased 460,000 ac (186,15 ha) of private lands, which secures key wildlife movement routes.
- Established the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area, a 16-million-acre complex of protected lands and special management zones.
Helped Make Roads Safer
- Inspired the addition of wildlife overpasses on Highway 1 through Banff National Park. These structures have decreased wildlife-vehicle collisions by 90 per cent, and to date have detected more than 140,000 animal crossings.
- Advocated for Montana Department of Transportation to require wildlife-friendly fencing along state highways in places recommended by state biologists.
- Today more than 600 mi. (1,000 km) of highway across Alberta, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming are in the process of becoming wildlife friendly.
Helped People and Wildlife Live in Harmony
- Helped fund more than 40 projects that help people coexist with wildlife.
- Influenced Policy for Conservation Action Contributed to efforts that led to the Alberta government listing the province's grizzly bear population as “Threatened", opening the door to greater protection.
Invested in the Conservation Community
- Helped bring more than $45 million of new conservation funding into the region.
Advanced Science
- Authored or commissioned more than 30 technical research studies that provide the scientific rationale to guide conservation work in the region.
Inspired Millions to Care for Keeping Nature Healthy
- In 1998, sponsored then wildlife biologist Karsten Heuer, who hiked the Yellowstone to Yukon region. His book has enamored, inspired and educated thousands of readers.
- Inspired countless print, art and film projects that highlight the beauty of the Yellowstone to Yukon region and its need for protection.
Y2Y media exposure has reached more than 60 million people and underscored the value of the Yellowstone to Yukon vision.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
YELLOWSTONE TO YUKON CONSERVATION INITIATIVE
Board of directorsas of 11/26/2021
Pat Smith
Colleen Brennan
Charles Chester
Brandeis University, and The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Peter Aengst
The Wilderness Society
Bill Weber
International Conservationist
Jeremy Guth
Woodcock Foundation
Josh Whetzel
Scientist, Conservationist and Philanthropist
Debby Carlson
Trilogy Ventures Corp.
David Johns
Portland State University
Mark Hebblewhite
University of Montana
Mike Brennen
Conservation Law and Policy
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data