WE ARE ...making connections, naturally 2011 Annual Report WE ARE ...protecting and maintaining one of the world’s last mountain ecosystems Table of Contents Letter from Our Chairpersons 1 The Story of Y2Y 2 The Yellowstone to Yukon Region 4 In 2011, Y2Y… 5 WE ARE…seeing results 6 Collaborate 8 Educate 10 Protect 12 Connect 14 Restore 16 Supporting the Community 19 Y2Y’s Investment in the Community 20 Y2Y Team 23 Financials 24 Our Funders 25 2011 Y2Y Annual Report Cover: Banff National Park, Alberta. Photo by Michael Interisano. Inside Cover: Mountain goat. Photo by Joe Riis, International League of Conservation Photographers Flathead RAVE. Back Cover: Hawk, Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Wyoming. Photo by Kent Nelson. Letter from Our Chairpersons We were standing outside Troy, Montana, looking out at sustainable solutions to come to the forefront—and by low-lying hills, sagging fences, and some old, run-down “sustainable,” we mean solutions that balance the long-term shacks. It’s not the picture of natural beauty you’d find interests of both wildlife and human communities. on the cover of National Geographic magazine, but to us We want this unique natural world to be here for and our partners, The Vital Ground Foundation—not to our grandchildren to enjoy. But as we see continuing mention the grizzlies that depend on this area to travel from disappearance of habitat and species from their natural one habitat to the next—it was a treasure worth protecting. ranges, we realize that nature is vulnerable. Climate change is The vision of connecting core habitats from Wyoming’s intensifying the situation, prompting wildlife and ecosystems Yellowstone National Park to the Yukon Territory in literally to move northward or to higher elevations in order northern Canada is daunting. But when you think about the to thrive and even, increasingly, to survive. landscape as puzzle-sized pieces that need to fit together, As board members, we are proud that the Y2Y vision is and then work with partners to keep it together, you realize recognized as a global conservation model in the face of it is achievable. these challenges. Y2Y’s transboundary approach ensures we Protecting that piece of land outside Troy is the Yellowstone take care of the entire ecosystem, not just those parts within to Yukon vision in action. And as we look back on 2011, we our borders. And the vastness of the strategy gives nature appreciate that action comes in various forms. Sometimes it’s a chance to respond so that we will still find the region’s about influencing policy to protect sensitive ecosystems from native vegetation in years to come. development, or providing the scientific data to help land The achievements outlined in this 2011 Annual Report managers make wise decisions. It can be as simple as installing give us hope for the future: hope that we will still be able bear-proof garbage bins to reduce wildlife-human conflict, to see grizzlies in the wild, to drink clean, glacier-fed water, or as complicated as creating a shared regional conservation and to experience solitude while hiking in the mountains. plan with 66 different groups. No matter how simple or It’s a dream we hold not only for our children, but our complicated, each action helps to complete the puzzle. grandchildren too. As you read through the pages of this report, you’ll see that collaboration is the primary tenet of our work. Ranchers, anglers, hikers, residents, industry, First Nations, government, Yours in conservation, and conservationists alike all treasure this unique mountain ecosystem, and together WE ARE protecting it. That is, by working together, the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) helps facilitate the connections that allow Charles Chester Sarah Palmer Chairperson Chairperson Montana Board of Directors since 2011 Alberta Society Board of Directors since 2011 Board Member since 2005 Board Member since 2008 2011 Y2Y Annual Report 1 The Story of Y2Y It’s a Human Problem The Spaces in Between Over 100,000 grizzlies once roamed from Mexico to Alaska, The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative but the expansion of human settlement dramatically represents an approach to conservation that differs from reduced the bears’ range. Today few grizzlies are found the traditional protected areas method. It’s one that looks south of Yellowstone National Park, and grizzly populations beyond protected islands, and considers the spaces in are missing from some areas north of Yellowstone, such as between. The vision is to connect core habitats, ensuring central and northern Idaho, and southwestern Montana. that wildlife can move throughout the landscape that Unless reconnected with their counterparts farther north, stretches from Yellowstone National Park some 2,000 miles Yellowstone’s grizzlies are in jeopardy. (3,200 km) north to the Yukon Territory. The loss of grizzlies isn’t just a wildlife problem: it’s a human problem. Grizzlies need large, intact landscapes with diverse A Global Model ecosystems to survive. Their health signals the health not Y2Y and this continental-scale conservation strategy only of other species, but also of ecosystems and watersheds provide a global model for the reconciliation of humanity on which people rely. and nature. This approach not only remedies genetic The Yellowstone to Yukon region is one of the last intact isolation and the loss of habitat, but scientists believe it is mountain ecosystems in the world. Over 16 million people also big enough to allow wildlife and vegetation to adapt to depend on the water arising from this region, an area that our most pressing issue - climate change. includes six of the world’s 50 largest rivers. Decreasing In 2011, Y2Y was featured in President Obama’s America’s grizzly numbers in the southern portion of this region signal Great Outdoors report, as well as the world’s premier serious issues, which increasingly are seen farther north, and scientific magazine,Nature , as a leading example of how to which need to be addressed or prevented to protect both approach large-landscape conservation. wildlife and people. source of water ? for 16 million people Grizzly habitat once Human development The health of grizzlies By protecting, connecting, reached from Alaska to greatly reduced and indicates the health of the and restoring this critical Mexico. fragmented grizzly habitat. entire regional ecology, landscape, we can benefit including things that impact both humans and wildlife. humans, like water. Y2Y Mission People working together to maintain and restore the unique natural heritage of the Yellowstone to Yukon region. 2 2011 Y2Y Annual Report WE ARE ...protecting wildlife and human life “There are lots of groups out there working on very important, but narrowly focused, projects. Y2Y is able to bring them together in an integrated way that makes the collective effort that much more powerful.” Adam Switalski Science Program Director of Wildlands CPR & Y2Y Partner 2011 Y2Y Annual Report 3 Grizzly cub, Grand Tetons, Wyoming. Photo by D. Simon Jackson. The Yellowstone to Yukon Region Eagle Northwest Territories Dawson 12 Fort Good Hope 12 Priority Areas Yukon 12. Peel Watershed 11. Upper Liard Basin 10. Wolf Lake Ecosystem Whitehorse 9. Greater Nahanni Watershed 10 9 Yellowknife 8. Muskwa-Kechika 7. Peace River Break 11 6. Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks Fort Nelson 5. Crown of the Continent 8 4. Cabinet-Purcell Mountain Corridor 3. Central Idaho Complex Fort St. John 2. High Divide Prince Rupert 1. Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem 7 British Prince George Columbia Alberta The Approach Edmonton Jasper It’s the Big Picture. Grounded in Science. 6 Carried Out in Collaboration. Kamloops Banff The work that we do is multifaceted. We carry forth the Calgary big-picture Yellowstone to Yukon vision, and help create Vancouver Kelowna strategies and support on-the-ground projects that realize three main goals: protect core habitats, keep them Cranbrook connected, and restore connections where they are lost. Seattle Based on geographic characteristics and conservation needs, Whitefish the Yellowstone to Yukon region is divided into 12 Priority WashingtonSpokane Kalispell Areas. We bring together the right people in the right place 4 5 Montana to develop regional conservation strategies—grounded in Portland Missoula science—which contribute to realizing the larger Y2Y vision. Helena By investing in the conservation community in 2011, we put the plan into action. Bozeman 3 Oregon 2 Boise 1 Idaho Jackson Wyoming 4 2011 Y2Y Annual Report North – Protect In 2011, Y2Y... The north zone is the most intact part of the Yellowstone to Eagle Yukon region, with few roads, little settlement, and modest Partnered with 118 organizations. Northwest Territories development. 118 12 Dawson Fort Good Hope • Only 3.8% of land (roughly the size of Vermont) is protected from development. • Home to more than 12,000 grizzly bears. Yukon $370,000 Distributed over $370,000 • 44,000 people benefit from the three major rivers and US ($360,000 CAN) to the the headwaters arising in this area.* conservation community. • Wood bison and woodland caribou are threatened Whitehorse with extinction. Goal: Keep it wild. 10 9 Yellowknife 60 * includes the Yukon, Peel, and Mackenzie rivers, whose headwaters include Participated in 60 projects. the Liard River. 11 Center – Connect And Together with Our Partners, WE... Fort Nelson 8 It has one of the largest contiguous blocks of protected lands in the Yellowstone to Yukon region. Protected 405,100 acres (163,938 • Some 18.5% of land (approximately the size of West 405,100 ha) of land. Virginia) is protected from development. Fort St. John Prince Rupert • Home to as many as 5,000 grizzlies. 7 • 4.3 million people benefit from the seven major rivers and their headwaters arising in this area.** Maintained the protection of over British Prince George • American badgers, westslope cutthroat trout, and 13mil 13 million acres (5,260,913 ha) of Columbia short-eared owls are at risk here.