YERC lives on as we adapt and transition to the next phase, a sister organization called Incline Conservation
Incline Conservation, a non-profit organization, will transform conservation through truth-telling, hard-hitting, action-oriented communication. In an era of rampant misinformation, we aim to forge a new conservation culture, drawing on 37 years of experience from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), perhaps the most studied ecosystem on Earth. At its core is Yellowstone National Park, a global leader of conservation action. It provides a baseline to gauge the impacts of humans, paving the road to the restoration of ecosystems worldwide. Our long-term and large-area research programs have captured a treasure trove of natural and policy experiments to guide how humans can successfully adapt and coexist with the other 10 million species on Earth. To save biodiversity (Life on Earth), humankind must adapt and learn to coexist in a way that protects and restores wildlife and the safe, stronghold habitats they need to survive and reproduce. Such adaptation is also true for YERC as we transition, grow, and become more effective. With your support and the hundreds of field biologists, grad students, colleagues, and an army of field technicians, YERC has amassed a treasure trove of information about how the species and processes of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) interact and work together. We sponsored 120 research projects over the last 37 years and produced over 200 scientific publications, countless presentations, and popular articles. Having worked in the GYE – probably the most studied large ecosystem on Earth – we filled in the missing information gaps. We have researched enough to understand what we must now do: Move on and successfully communicate what we have learned to forge conservation solutions, restoration, and management actions that work. The adaptive approach is timely as we find ourselves in a challenging moment in history where mis- and disinformation campaigns have reached unprecedented levels, we realize our communications must focus on hard-hitting, truth-telling stories based on science, common sense, and traditional evidence-based knowledge. As such, we have created a new non-profit called Incline Conservation to accomplish these goals with its sister organization, YERC. Incline Conservation is dedicated to reshaping conservation through honest, science-based storytelling and action rooted in decades of ecological research in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. It emphasizes a shift from human-centered to biocentric values, calling for habitat restoration, coexistence with wildlife, and community-level solutions. The organization aims to combat misinformation, foster ecological literacy, and inspire a new, adaptive conservation culture grounded in truth, nature’s wisdom, and hope through publications, multimedia outreach, and support for conservation-minded landowners.