Do You Give a Hoot about Wildlife?

Living in Park County, it’s easy to take for granted just how rare and special it is to share a landscape with wolves, grizzlies, and bison. As the Give a Hoot campaign continues, we wanted to share more about the work we’re doing to protect this incredible place and the wildlife that call it home.

The Yellowstone ecosystem remains one of the only areas in the lower 48 where all the major wildlife species that lived here before European settlement still exist. At PCEC, our goal is to make sure it stays that way.

Support PCEC through Give a Hoot Today

At PCEC, our wildlife advocacy begins with a commitment to coexistence. Living in the heart of wild country, we believe that respecting this shared landscape means minimizing conflict and ensuring wildlife have access to the habitat, food and water they need to thrive. 

We advocate for science-based policy at the local, state and national levels—whether it’s defending Yellowstone wolves from overhunting, protecting grizzly bear habitat from development threats, or advocating for continued Endangered Species Act protections. We stand with Tribes and partners to support bison transfer efforts to prevent unnecessary slaughter. 

From challenging harmful legislation to removing physical barriers on the landscape, we work alongside landowners, agencies, and community organizations to build a future where people and wildlife can thrive together.

We can’t do this work alone—it takes strong partnerships and, most importantly, community members like you who are willing to speak up, take action and stand for the wild.

The following are just a couple examples of PCEC’s recent wildlife work:

Wolves

Wolves that wander beyond Yellowstone’s boundary face steep odds. Last year PCEC and our partners helped secure a key policy win to reduce that risk. We successfully advocated for the restoration of Wolf Management Units 313 and 316 to their historic, separate boundaries, reversing a consolidation that had led to the loss of an entire Yellowstone pack. 

As the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) Commission prepares to set quotas for the upcoming season, PCEC will continue advocating for more protective, science-based regulations and responsible hunting practices.

The 2025 Montana Legislative session did not take kindly to wolves. Several harmful bills were introduced that would have decimated wolf populations and stripped FWP of the ability to manage wolves regionally. PCEC worked in coordination with other organizations, including our partners at Wild Livelihoods, to be a voice of reason for Montana’s wildlife. 

Throughout the legislative session, we worked to keep our members informed and engaged. Thank you to everyone who stepped up—making calls, sending emails, and helping stop the worst of these bills in their tracks.

Grizzly Bears

The biggest threat to grizzly bears today is the steady encroachment on their habitat, not only from industrial projects like gold mines, but also from expanding commercial resorts and residential subdivisions. At PCEC, we promote local coexistence practices that reduce conflicts and minimize bear mortality, while also addressing the broader landscape-level challenges that threaten the species’ survival.

We advocate for the protection of habitat and the adoption of sound land use policies that put guardrails on development and preserve core wildlife habitat. Our work focuses on both public and private lands in Park County and supports long-term connectivity between Yellowstone-area bears and other grizzly populations across Montana.

Recently, PCEC along with fourteen other organizations signed an  EarthJustice petition urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to adopt a new science-based grizzly bear recovery strategy. The petition draws on a detailed report by Dr. Christopher Servheen, former USFWS Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator, which outlines site-specific management actions needed to ensure the long-term recovery of grizzlies in the Northern Rockies.

Bison 

Bison management remains one of the most complex and contentious wildlife issues in the Yellowstone region. PCEC was deeply involved in educating the public and encouraging meaningful engagement during the federal comment period for the 2024 Yellowstone National Park Bison Management Plan. 

The Park formally adopted Alternative 2, managing an average population of 5,000 bison. While PCEC advocated for stronger protections and a higher population threshold, we were encouraged to see the plan expand tribal hunting opportunities to honor treaty rights, enhance tools for providing meat and hides to Tribes, and broaden the Bison Transfer Program to return brucellosis-free bison to Tribal lands.

In December 2024, the State of Montana filed a lawsuit to overturn the Bison Management Plan, claiming it would allow the Yellowstone bison population to grow too large and pose a risk of spreading brucellosis to livestock. In response, PCEC alongside Tribes and partner organizations joined a lawsuit in February to defend Yellowstone’s science-based management plan.

Your support during Give A Hoot allows us to continue this important, collaborative work. Our ability to advocate for science based wildlife management, promote sound coexistence practices and create spaces for wildlife to thrive will help to safeguard the incredible diverse wildlife populations in the northern Yellowstone’s region.