A brief history of some of the

Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee's many milestones.

1964

Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee (GYCC) formed with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Park Service and Forest Service.

1979

GYCC units jointly issued Guidelines for Management Involving Grizzly Bears in GYA.

1983

Five GYCC units participated in Greater Yellowstone Bald Eagle Working Group, which issued the Greater Yellowstone Bald Eagle Management Plan.  (1996 Revision)

1987

GYCC issued Greater Yellowstone Area Aggregation of National Park and National Forest Management Plans, summarizing existing national park and national forest management plans in the GYA, and depicting future conditions resulting from management plan implementation.

1990

GYCC issued Greater Yellowstone Area Interagency Fire Planning and Coordination Guide to provide coordinated direction for fire management issues and operational procedures throughout the GYA.  (Guide updated in 1995, 2000, 2006).

GYCC issued draft Vision for the Future, describing a desired future condition of the GYA through coordinated management goals. Extensive public review and comment followed.

1991

GYCC issued A Framework for Coordination of National Parks and National Forests in the Greater Yellowstone Area. The Framework is the final version of the1990 Vision document, and included principles and guidelines to coordinate management of GYA national parks and forests.

1990-1997

Several committees and working groups formed, including Hydrologists (1992), Weed Committee (1993), Winter Visitor Management working group (1994), Clean Air Partnership (1997), and Trumpeter Swan Working Group (1997).

1992

Development of Guidelines for Coordinated Management of Noxious Weeds in the Greater Yellowstone Area.  These guidelines provided a unified effort in developing a weed management program. This work guided the development of many CWMA’s in the region. 

1999

GYCC Winter Visitor Management working group completed the Winter Visitor Use Management: A Multi-agency Assessment, which identified goals and future opportunities, described differences between goals and current conditions, and provided recommendations.

Clean Air Partnership produced the GYA Air Quality Assessment (updated in 2005). 

US Fish and Wildlife Service, represented by the National Elk Refuge and Red Rock Lakes Refuge, joins the GYCC. 

2000

GYCC hired Executive Coordinator to serve as staff for the coordinating committee.

GYCC initiated a MOU for the conservation and management of Yellowstone Cutthroat, which has served as a model of state and federal coordination for other native trout species.

2000-2001

GYCC made funds available for unit projects advancing GYCC priorities. 

GYCC identified important GYA lands for conservation; identified GYA land priorities collectively for Land and Water Conservation funding.

Developed Winter Visitor Use Monitoring Strategy; implemented on all six GYA National Forests. 

Whitebark Pine Committee formed (2001).

2002

GYA Hydrologists completed Watershed Management Strategy (updated in 2006). 

2003

The GYCC Weed Pocket Guide completed, a consistent guide to important invasive species found throughout the GYA.

2003-2005

Hydrologists conducted Reference Stream Surveys on 80 GYA streams for use in restoration and management.

GYCC charted development and testing of a FARSITE fuel model vegetation database for use across GYA forests and parks.

GYCC received a Forest Health grant to develop a landscape level whitebark pine monitoring program.

Sustainable Operations Subcommittee formed (2005).

2006

Completion of Greater Yellowstone Area Recreation Assessment for spring - fall season.

Completion of Range-Wide Status of Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout. (3,676 KB pdf)

Aquatic Nuisance Species Committee formed; now the Aquatic Invasive Species Cooperative.

The six GYA National Forests signed one Record of Decision to amend their Forest Plans to incorporate the habitat standards from the Final Conservation Strategy for the Grizzly Bear in the Greater Yellowstone Area.

2007

Yellowstone population of Grizzly Bears and bald eagles delisted from endangered species list. 

2009

Completion of a GYA-wide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for GYCC federal facilities and fleet.

Gray wolf removed from the endangered species list in Montana and Idaho.   In Wyoming the wolves remain regulated as a nonessential, experimental population.

Yellowstone population of Grizzly Bears relisted as a Threatened Species.