Voices of Greater Yellowstone

Frozen Assets: Why Greater Yellowstone Needs Snow

If you live in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, or have visited during the winter months, you know just how absolutely magical this place is with a thick blanket of snow. Whether you’re out skiing, snowshoeing or admiring it from your cozy fireplace window, a snowy winter in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the best.Snow plays a more crucial role in this ecosystem than you could imagine. Between 70-80 percent of our water comes from snowpack in the West. When the snowpack in the mountains of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and across the West melts in the spring, it feeds the rivers that provide drinking water for millions of people across the country, and irrigation water for the agricultural industry. Snow is big business – the ski industry alone is a $5 billion industry.  Many iconic, cold-loving wildlife species also rely on consistent snowpack to form their winter habitats. The worrisome thing is we’re losing our snow. The amount of snow falling each year is on the decline, and scientists agree that a changing climate plays a lead role. When you hear about drought across the West, it’s often from lack of snowpack in the mountains or too much snow melting too early, leaving little runoff left for the hot late summer months. A drier future seems inevitable, so what can we do about it?Luckily, many smart and determined people are working toward building a resilient Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and beyond. Today, we’re chatting with Dr. Scott Hotaling out of Utah State University’s Department of Watershed Sciences. A leading expert in mountain ecology and hydrology, Scott and his team focus on how the cryosphere—Earth’s collection of frozen water—is changing and how these changes are impacting downstream environments. He’s been working in the Teton Mountains for over a decade studying rock glaciers, which are an exciting ray of hope.The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the land of 49+ Indigenous Tribes who maintain current and ancestral connections to the lands, waters, wildlife, plants, and more.Voices of Greater Yellowstone was created by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, a conservation nonprofit dedicated to working with people to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, now and for future generations.> Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.> Join our Online Community and Receive Two FREE Stickers> Mountain Futures YouTube Channel> Mountain Futures Instagram> GYC's Climate and Water Work> Donate to the Greater Yellowstone CoalitionPodcast Artwork > Rachel Dunlap ArtMusic > Redwood Trail by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)Thumbnail Photo > NPSSend us a note!Support the show

Making Strides for Montana Wildlife Crossings

Wildlife crossings are amazing. They’re one of the greatest tools in the toolbox when it comes to preserving migration and movement corridors in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem while keeping drivers safe on the road. They’ve been proven to reduce wildlife vehicle collisions by up to 90 percent, sometimes even more. It seems like a no-brainer, win-win solution. Well, what may appear to be a simple answer to keeping people and wildlife safe while traveling is much more nuanced than you may think. There are countless people, agencies, and processes involved in taking a wildlife crossing from an idea to reality. We wish we could wave a magic wand and see numerous wildlife crossings pop up across the landscape. By the way, if anyone has a magic wand that they’d let us borrow for a while, please let us know. Instead of sorcery, we have advocacy and collaboration. There are big moves in the Montana wildlife crossing space that we’re so excited to share with you. Joining us on the podcast is the Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s Wildlife Conservation Associate Nick Clarke. Based in Helena, Montana, Nick’s work focuses on making roads safer for people while ensuring Montana’s wildlife can move more easily across the region to reach seasonal habitats. We’ll talk about how a wildlife crossing comes to fruition, what’s in store for Montana when it comes to future wildlife crossings efforts, what the Greater Yellowstone Coalition is currently working on the wildlife crossing world, and, of course, his favorite wildlife crossing structure.Alright, let’s keep this traffic moving and jump into the conversation.The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the land of 49+ Indigenous Tribes who maintain current and ancestral connections to the lands, waters, wildlife, plants, and more.Voices of Greater Yellowstone was created by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, a conservation nonprofit dedicated to working with people to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, now and for future generations.> Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.> Sign-up for License Plate Updates> Check out the License Plate Design and Our Favorite Wxings> Join our Online Community and Receive Two FREE Stickers> Donate to the Greater Yellowstone CoalitionPodcast Artwork > Rachel Dunlap ArtMusic > Redwood Trail by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)Thumbnail Photo > Library of CongressSend us a note!Support the show

Story Time in the Gallatin and Madison Mountain Ranges

Just northwest of Yellowstone National Park rise two remarkable mountain ranges home to a host of iconic wildlife, the headwaters of significant river systems, and world-class recreation opportunities. Encompassed in the 3.1-million-acre Custer Gallatin National Forest, these are the Madison and Gallatin mountain ranges. The Madison and Gallatin ranges are some of the wildest places left in the continental United States. As more and more people move to the communities surrounding the Madison and Gallatin ranges – often drawn by unmatched access to public lands – this wild landscape is experiencing unprecedented use.  Montana is changing fast, and these ranges are under threat. While the Madison and Gallatin ranges have some protections under the current Custer Gallatin National Forest management plan, these protections are not permanent. We need a solution to forever protect these lands for all of us. That’s why the Greater Yellowstone Coalition partnered with a group of local businesses, recreationists, outdoorsmen, and conservationists to develop a durable solution – the Greater Yellowstone Conservation and Recreation Act. The Greater Yellowstone Conservation and Recreation Act is proposed legislation that will permanently protect 250,000 acres of public land in the Madison and Gallatin mountain ranges and the clean drinking water, incredible access to outdoor recreation, and critical wildlife habitat they provide.  We’re mixing up our usual podcast format today! To start off, we’ll hear four stories from people who love this landscape and work to protect it. Then, we’ll chat more in depth with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s Montana Conservation Associate Erin Steva, who you may remember from our episode on backcountry trail work.The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the land of 49+ Indigenous Tribes who maintain current and ancestral connections to the lands, waters, wildlife, plants, and more.Voices of Greater Yellowstone was created by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, a conservation nonprofit dedicated to working with people to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, now and for future generations.> MONTANANS: ENDORSE THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE CONSERVATION AND RECREATION ACT> Follow the Greater Yellowstone Conservation and Recreation Act on Facebook and Instagram> Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.> Join our Online Community and Receive Two FREE Stickers: https://greateryellowstone.org/podcast-sign-up-stickers> Donate to the Greater Yellowstone Coalition: https://lovegyc.org/podcastgivingPodcast Artwork > Rachel Dunlap ArtMusic > Redwood Trail by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)Thumbnail Photo > Louise Johns PhotographySend us a note!Support the show

Thermophiles: Life in Yellowstone's Geothermal Features (Part 2)

Welcome back to part 2 of our thermophiles in Yellowstone conversation! If you haven’t tuned in to part 1 first, I recommend pausing this episode and hopping into the previous one to learn the basics about the terrific thermophiles. I’m excited to continue our conversation with Dr. Eric Boyd and dive deeper into the world of thermophiles. Did you know that a thermophile species discovered in Yellowstone has been used in important scientific discoveries related to crime scene investigation? If you’re an avid true crime podcast listener, you’ll definitely want to stick around to learn about that discovery and application. We’ll also cover how thermophiles played a role during the Covid-19 pandemic, what could still be waiting to be discovered in Yellowstone’s thermal features, and get into some great listener questions submitted by our podcast insiders. Alright, let’s continue this burning conversation about thermophiles.The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the land of 49+ Indigenous Tribes who maintain current and ancestral connections to the lands, waters, wildlife, plants, and more.Voices of Greater Yellowstone was created by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, a conservation nonprofit dedicated to working with people to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, now and for future generations.> Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.> Become a Podcast Insider and Receive Two FREE Stickers> Donate to the Greater Yellowstone Coalition> Dr. Eric Boyd's Lab> Yellowstone Summit Presentation: Life in Geysers> Dr. Boyd on PBS NaturePodcast Artwork > Rachel Dunlap ArtMusic > Redwood Trail by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)Send us a note!Support the show

Thermophiles: Life in Yellowstone's Geothermal Features (Part 1)

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is known for a lot of big things. Charismatic megafauna like bears and bison, expansive forests as far as the eye can see, and mountain ranges that seem to touch the sky are all found in this unique region. However, did you know that the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is also home to some of the most fascinating microbes found on the planet?Enter thermophiles: microscopic creatures found in Yellowstone’s geothermal regions that thrive in scalding hot temperatures. The name thermophile comes from the Greek word thermē meaning heat and the Greek word philos meaning love or an affinity for something. They’re not often the stars of the show when it comes to visiting the park, but these thermophiles are at the center of some of the most interesting stories and scientific discoveries in a national park. After listening to this conversation, we hope that even the greatest Yellowstone experts can head into the park armed with a new subject to explore.  Joining us on the podcast is Dr. Eric Boyd, a professor of environmental microbiology at Montana State University. For the past 20 years, Dr. Boyd has studied the microbiology and geochemistry of the thermal features in Yellowstone National Park to better understand the processes that support diverse microbial ecosystems in high temperature environments. He’s also authored over 190 scientific articles on extremophilic microorganisms, which live in environments with conditions approaching or stretching the limits of what known life can adapt to such as temperature, pressure, salinity, and pH level. If you want to learn about the incredible thermophiles found in Yellowstone, Dr. Boyd is your guy.We chatted for quite a while so we’ve split this episode into two parts. In this episode, part 1, we’ll take a deep dive into what exactly a thermophile is, how thermophiles are able to thrive in these crazy hot conditions, how Dr. Boyd collects thermophiles in the park—including some interesting methods for Old Faithful—and much more.I can’t wait for you to learn more about this “hot” topic!The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the land of 49+ Indigenous Tribes who maintain current and ancestral connections to the lands, waters, wildlife, plants, and more.Voices of Greater Yellowstone was created by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, a conservation nonprofit dedicated to working with people to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, now and for future generations.> Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.> Join our Online Community and Receive Two FREE Stickers> Donate to the Greater Yellowstone CoalitionPodcast Artwork > Rachel Dunlap ArtMusic > Redwood Trail by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)Send us a note!Support the show