Introducing PCEC’s Strategic Priorities for the Next Three Years

Last week, we shared the news about PCEC’s 2026–2028 Strategic Plan. Today, we want to pull back the curtain and show you exactly what that means — and what we're hoping to accomplish together.

Our plan is centered around five priorities.

Protect our land, wildlife, air and water resources.

We will safeguard Park County’s irreplaceable landscapes and natural resources. From defending open spaces against unchecked development to protecting the free-flowing Yellowstone River and its tributaries, we are committed to science-based solutions, future-focused planning, and community partnerships that ensure thriving habitats for generations to come.

You see this in our work to balance rapid defense against immediate development threats with proactive policy advocacy to safeguard local landscapes, public lands, and waters. Our critical community defense efforts included providing Suce Creek residents expert advice to help establish a citizen-initiated zoning district to block a sprawling luxury resort development, our years-long efforts to stop a proposed gravel pit and asphalt plant on public lands north of Emigrant, our advocacy for wildlife coexistence and the preservation of the habitat they need to thrive, and protecting the headwaters of the Yellowstone River

Educate community members to inspire and inform conservation action.

We believe knowledge sparks action, and that education will save the world! Through youth programs, community workshops, and intentional leadership engagement, PCEC will empower people of all ages to become effective stewards of our environment. By cultivating informed citizens and equipping decision-makers with conservation knowledge, we will build a stronger, more engaged community.

Our education efforts have advanced local conservation and civic empowerment through youth mentorship, ecological innovation, and community education. We’ve helped the Park High Green Initiative students host a successful statewide youth climate summit, while the Barbara Hays Fellowship and internship programs continued cultivating the next generation of conservation professionals. We foster robust civic engagement to ensure all residents have the actionable knowledge needed to be empowered citizens

Advocate for the policies, practices and people that advance our mission.

We will continue to be a trusted local voice for conservation and land-use planning, advancing policies and practices that support our mission. Whether standing up to threats against public lands, supporting litigation to defend environmental protections, or helping conservation-minded leaders in their service, PCEC will advocate for the well-being of both people and nature.

This is really how we do our work. PCEC helps build the essential legal and policy frameworks driven by science and community voices to secure lasting environmental protections. We show up to serve as a critical line of defense for wildlife and wild places. Our legal victory in PCEC v. DEQ perfectly exemplifies this effort. In that landmark case, the Montana Supreme Court upheld our constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. The Court ruled that DEQ had failed to properly evaluate Lucky Minerals’ permit application, establishing that the agency must thoroughly review cumulative impacts on local watersheds. This historic decision was a win not just for our community, but for all Montanans.

Create the resilient and climate-adaptive communities we want to live in today and in the future.

We will help shape communities that are resilient to a changing climate. Our initiatives include advancing smart growth strategies in towns and cities, improving wildfire preparedness, and fostering climate-adaptive infrastructure. Together with local partners, we will create places where people and wildlife can flourish side by side.

Our create priority envisions a future in which we want to live by fostering civic engagement, ecological resilience, and local solutions. The Livingston Loves Trees program has expanded and diversified the city's tree canopy to enhance climate resilience and wildlife habitat, while the L-Town Soup micro-granting dinner supports creative, resident-led projects. PCEC mobilized robust public participation to strengthen the City of Livingston Parks plan and actively works to ensure Park County is prepared for and able to respond to climate driven natural disasters like flooding and wildfires

Ensure a strong and nimble Park County Environmental Council.

Strong organizations make lasting impact, and we’re committed to ensuring PCEC remains well-positioned to meet urgent mission-critical challenges and advance long-term opportunities for generations to come. We will strengthen PCEC’s financial health, communications, governance, and leadership capacity by investing in our talented staff, dedicated board, and core systems. We will employ metrics to ensure accountability and measure our progress over time, adapting based on what we learn

This behind-the-scenes work often doesn’t get the same recognition as our program work, but it is always going on in the background, allowing PCEC to remain stable and ready to serve Park County for another 35 years. We cannot do this work without your support and generosity, and we understand the importance of investing in the health and stability of our organization to ensure PCEC will continue to serve Park County.

If you would like to learn more visit our website to review our priorities and program work. Be sure to browse our Stories blog for all the latest on our work and local issues we’re addressing.

Once again, as we step into this next chapter, we invite you to stand with us. Your financial support today ensures we have the resources to meet the challenges of tomorrow. Please consider making a meaningful gift to PCEC to invest in a resilient, sustainable future for Park County and the northern Yellowstone ecosystem.

We are excited for the solid foundation our new strategic plan will give PCEC as we continue to engage in the deep community work that has defined our organization for the last 35 years and will guide us going forward.