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The Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC) was founded in 1983 with a mission to protect the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for current and future generations. The group’s vision is a healthy and intact Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem where critical lands and waters are adequately protected; wildlife is managed in a thoughtful, sustainable manner; and a strong, diverse base of support is working to conserve this special place as part of a larger, connected Northern Rocky Mountain Region. The group supports policies which will protect the environmental integrity of Yellowstone National Park and maintain to the highest possible extent the natural condition of the lands surrounding Yellowstone which together with the park comprise the Great Yellowstone Ecosystem. They are a nationally known advocate for the idea that ecosystem level sustainability and science should guide the management of the region’s public and private lands. States that are a part of this coalition include Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. Issues that the GYC takes on include environmental impacts, as well as conservations battles to preserve the Yellowstone National Park ecosystem and the areas that surround it. The GYC covers more than 20 million acres, three states, and Yellowstone National Park.

Rick Reese became involved in Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem issues circa 1980. In 1983, he became the founding president of the GYC. Reese grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah before moving to Montana with his family. After moving to Helena in 1970, Reese started a job as an assistant professor of political science at Carroll College. As a founding member and president of GYC, Reese assisted in creating and building a solid foundation for the coalition. His work and contributions with the GYC lasted beyond his three years as president. In subsequent years he served as Deputy Director of the State Commission on Local Government, Executive Secretary to the Montana Board of Public Education, and was director of the Yellowstone Institute. Reese is also a noted alpinist and known for his part in a 1967 rescue effort in the Grand Teton which was highlighted in documentary “The Grand Rescue”.