Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y)

About us

The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) is a joint Canada-US not-for-profit organization that seeks to preserve and maintain the wildlife, native plants, wilderness and natural processes of the mountainous region from Yellowstone National Park to the Yukon Territory.

Y2Y takes a scientific approach to conservation and is recognized as one of the planet’s leading mountain conservation initiatives. Officially established in 1997, Y2Y has two offices, one located in Canmore, Alberta and the other in Missoula, Montana.

The Y2Y Conservation Initiative is one of the largest connectivity projects in the world. The landscape is the world’s last intact mountain ecosystem and Y2Y is working to keep it that way. Their goal is to ensure that the region’s wilderness, wildlife, native plants, and natural processes continue to function as an interconnected web of life, capable of supporting all of its natural and human communities, now and for future generations.

The Y2Y organization promotes this large-landscape conservation vision to the world, and works with over 100 partners who take local conservation action within the 2000 miles long (3,200 km) landscape. Y2Y plays a key role in envisioning the region’s overall condition and conservation needs by commissioning scientific research and pulling together the knowledge and work of their partners.
In creating and sharing this collective knowledge, Y2Y provides a context that can help other organizations working on behalf of the Yellowstone to Yukon vision to identify conservation priorities that benefit the entire region. The exchange of ideas and research, as well as the international attention and funding to the region Y2Y attracts has been key to their success. By working collaboratively the organization and its partners has been able to achieve more than if they were working on their own.

Activities
• Encourages and facilitates collaboration between individuals and groups working on conservation efforts throughout the Yellowstone to Yukon region
• Attracts funding for conservation efforts in the region and provides grants to partners whose projects support the Y2Y vision
• Works with partner organizations on events, projects, publications, communications and funding opportunities that contribute to the Y2Y vision
• Uses science to identify Priority Areas for conservation efforts in the region, and works with biologists and landscape ecologists to refine priority area boundaries and goals based on the most current research
• Uses science to identify threats to conservation in the region
• Promotes education and awareness to enable human communities to successfully coexist with wildlife in the region
• Promotes the Yellowstone to Yukon region and garners public support for the vision

Renee Krysko is the Communications Manager of the The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y).

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.