Mike Clark rejoined GYC in June of 2009. He previously served as the ED from 1994 to 2001.

Mike has served as the head of nine different non-proft organizations during a 40-year history of work with social change organizations and non-profits in the US, including the Environmental Policy Institute, Friends of the Earth, and Yellowstone Heritage, a ranchlands preservation group he started after leaving GYC in 2001.   He also worked as the director of the Western Water Project of Trout Unlimited, a five-state effort to change water laws in the West.  He has served on 25 different non-profit boards located throughout the United States.  

He grew up on a mountain farm in western North Carolina, on the edge of the Shining Rock Wilderness Area and at the base of Mt. Pisgah and Cold Mountain, two high, remote peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  His family settled there in the 1850s and he still owns the ancestral mountain farm. 

Mike first moved to the Rockies in 1983 to run Northern Lights Institute, a conservation research firm that focused on natural resource issues in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.   He fishes, hunts upland birds, and likes to run rivers and hike throughout the West.  He and partner Barbara Rusmore, a leadership and management expert, live in Bozeman.

Heidi grew up on a farm in northeast Nebraska and attended the same one-room schoolhouse as her father and grandmother.  She identifies strongly with a sense of place and history in rural communities.

The Yellowstone and Beartooth Mountain area became Heidi's second love after a weekend visit to the small hamlet of Silver Gate, Montana in 1983 (Yellowstone’s northeast entrance). The following summer Heidi began work at the Log Cabin Cafe in Silver Gate and continued on for seven more summers. In 1990 Heidi met her husband, Jim and they married the next year making their home in Silver Gate. During that time, Noranda/Crown Butte’s plan to mine next to Yellowstone National Park became public and thus began Heidi’s work in environmental issues facing Yellowstone.

She and her husband led the Beartooth Alliance, a local grassroots group, in the fight against the New World Mine proposal. It was a crash course in activism, organizing, fundraising, and logistical planning for Heidi who was the sole employee of the Beartooth Alliance for five years. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition was a key player in the Noranda battle and Heidi worked closely with many staff and board members of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition before joining GYC in 1997.

Heidi now lives in Livingston, Montana, with husband, Jim, and son, Evan. They have lived TV-free for over18 years and encourage others to give it a try. Heidi enjoys baking, cooking, photography, skiing, hiking, and lounging next to the Soda Butte Creek with family and friends.

Heidi has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Education, from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and before her life in Montana, taught K-12 Art in Nebraska public schools. She currently serves on the board of the Livingston Center for Art and Culture and is the community coordinator for Shakespeare in the Parks for Silver Gate, Montana.

Peter has over 25 years of professional experience in the computer field. He is familiar with many types of computer systems and networks. His supporting role for the GYC staff enables the staff to work more efficiently and securely. In addition to his computer expertise, Peter also has a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Montana State University.

Peter grew up near the woods in Virginia.  His family loved to take nature walks and explore the outdoors. He spent the last two years of high school at a private school in Colorado where backpacking and skiing were required parts of the curriculum.  Montana State University was next and Peter has lived in Montana ever since.  He built a log cabin in the mountains south of Big Timber and has climbed many of the peaks in the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness. Upon moving back to Bozeman, Peter became involved in a local grass roots group that lobbied to raise the money for the Forest Service to purchase four sections of land owned by a timber company and saved them from logging.

Peter is happily married to Robin, a holistic health practitioner. They enjoy organic heirloom gardening, hikes in the mountains, photography and rock collecting together. They have raised their three daughters to continue their passion for nature to the next generation.

Before joining GYC, Barb was the Northern Rockies Program Director at the Sonoran Institute, working with rural communities throughout the region on conservation projects.

Barb's interest in conservation work grows from her deep connection to the wild lands of Greater Yellowstone. Before joining the non-profit conservation world, Barb taught wilderness education to college students, outdoor educators, and land managers for the National Outdoor Leadership School throughout the Rocky Mountains and Alaska.

An avid wilderness lover, Barb continues to travel and explore the backcountry of Greater Yellowstone, Alaska, southern Utah, and the wilds of other countries. She especially enjoys skiing, hiking, mountain biking, running and natural history in her spare time.

Scott joined the Greater Yellowstone Coalition in 2003 after graduating from the University of Utah and working on several political and environmental campaigns in Salt Lake City, Utah. He started in GYC's Idaho Falls office, working with citizens in the Henry's Fork area of eastern Idaho to conserve key private lands, as well as on several river and native trout protection and restoration projects.

In 2007, Scott joined the headquarters office in Bozeman, Montana to become the Private Lands Stewardship Director. In this role, Scott worked to shape and guide the Coalition’s approach to conserving ecologically important private lands across the ecosystem. This included collaborative, community-based work in the Henry’s Fork and in the Madison Valley of southwest Montana to protect critical wildlife habitat, such as migration corridors, winter range and riparian areas.

Scott’s lifelong fascination (termed obsession by his wife, Celia) with rivers and trout led him toward the issue of climate change and in 2010 he took on the position of Climate Change Program Director.

From grizzly bears to cutthroat trout, a warming climate is making life more and more challenging for many of Yellowstone’s most iconic wildlife. Scott is charged with bringing science-based climate change adaptation strategies to bare in GYC’s campaign efforts, as well as working to conserve and protect some of the ecosystem’s most climate sensitive habitats and species – rivers and native trout.

Scott’s interests include exploring the outdoors with his wife Celia and their three children, Henry, Ruby and Abram; climbing in the great mountain ranges of the West; getting lost in southern Utah and chasing large trout (preferably native cutthroats).

Joyce works in the Finance Department, along with a little bit of work in Human Resources. She pays the bills and processes the paychecks, so people are really nice to her. She’s been with GYC since 2002.

“I have lived in Dillon, MT for 30 years and plan to be there forever. I grew up in Nebraska and then Colorado, graduating from Colorado State in 1973 with a degree in Psychology. We escaped to Montana in 1976, searching for a place with lots of mountains (Nebraska’s are fairly limited) and a lot less people (Colorado’s are fairly unlimited!).”

Joyce spends as much time as possible hiking with Mike, her husband of 35 years and with her two grown sons whenever they’re in the area. Her current geographical passion is the northern Yukon, along with canyon country (the more remote the better) and Beaverhead County, Montana (a well kept secret when it comes to the wealth of public lands!).

Jessica is a graduate from Montana State University's Graphic Design program. She got involved with Greater Yellowstone Coalition as a work-study student and happily joined GYC full time after graduation. Born and raised in Colorado, Jessica grew up with the mountains in her backyard and a love of animals, the outdoors and wide-open spaces, which is what led her to Bozeman. She could never live somewhere she can't see the mountains out her window. She enjoys reading, making music, cooking/baking, physical activity and spending time with her husband, daughter, and dogs. She feels strongly about protecting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and all wild places. Jessica believes that everyone should have the opportunity for the outdoors to enrich their lives as it has her own.

Val is responsible for GYC's financial and human resources management. She joined GYC's staff in 1987 as our Office Manager, and has taken on ever greater levels of responsibility and leadership to meet GYC’s evolving needs.

She grew up traveling the world with her family - her father was an Air Force pilot - often living in major cities, such as London, Los Angeles and Tokyo. She grew to appreciate village patterns of development that were set before the time of automobiles. Public transportation in Europe and Japan allowed her to do a lot of traveling with friends without the need for cars, something that is not possible in most of this country.

Her love of wild places stems from her family spending summer vacations on a lake in northern Minnesota’s boundary waters country, juxtaposed by the experiences of living in some of the most developed parts of the world.  Her favorite times are now spent rafting wild rivers, and hiking and skiing - exploring the nooks and crannies of our wildlands.

Terry first worked as a graphic designer when she moved to Bozeman in 1991 from Oregon and graduated from Montana State University with a degree in studio arts. She joined the Greater Yellowstone Coalition staff in 1997, committed to its mission.

For Terry, Yellowstone National Park has everything to do with family. Her son, Taylor, (2006 graduate of Bozeman High School) and Terry have been sharing adventures in the park since he was three. The magic of the park, its landscape and wildlife, have provided cherished memories and valuable experiences, molding their values and inspiring them to protect this place they call home.

Dave Firmage is engaged in a project to develop a geothermal resource map for geothermally-influenced areas adjacent to Yellowstone National Park that identifies geothermal resources and the management prescriptions currently dictating their utilization. As part of this mapping, Dave is reviewing existing science literature for impacts of geothermal energy development on geothermal features worldwide to provide a basis for updating current assumptions about the consequences of geothermal energy development on Yellowstone's geysers, hot springs, and thermal features. The results will be presented in a written report and summarized in educational materials to provide a compelling case for permanent protection for geothermal features and to assist the public and decision-makers working in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in developing appropriate protective management policies. Dave is working with GYC through August, 2010

Chris grew up in San Luis Obispo, Cailfornia, along the beautiful Central Coast, but in the late '80's decided to give up the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean for the majestic mountains, lakes and streams of southwest Montana. With a background in graphic design and web development, Chris handles all the creative print and marketing for GYC. He also has a passion for digital video, photography, creative writing, mountain biking, canoeing, backpacking, racquetball, and paleontology.

As a dedicated Christian, Chris takes his role in protecting and preserving this spectacular area very seriously as a solemn responsibility of his faith.

Chris lives in Bozeman with his beautiful wife Missy and his two kids, Kalen and Kaeana, the two best children in the world (okay, he admits he may be a little biased, but only slightly).

A forest dweller in her childhood, Jen Murray, our Human Resources Manager, lived in wonder of creation.  Her parents’ 15 wooded acres in Meadville, PA, complete with a majestic ravine and stream, were her playground.  Even though catching crawdads, making mud pies and tending baby rabbits didn’t exactly transfer to adulthood, her respect and desire for others to share in that enjoyment has.

Ministering to teens from 1992-2008 has enabled her and her husband, Don, to experience a variety of cultures while living in Tallahassee (FL), Gulf Shores (AL), Pittsburgh (PA), and now Bozeman (MT).  They are instilling in their children, River and Moses, a respect for life as they hike (geocaching is a favorite pastime), camp and fish together.  

GYC’s vision intrigues Jen since working for such an organization enables her to not only impact the lives of staff but help them protect an ecosystem rich with diversity and life.  In 2008, she brought over five years Human Resources experience from for-profit and non-profit organizations to GYC.

Jonquil Nelson is the Associate Development Director. She is responsible for creating and managing GYC’s major donor program and annual fundraising events. She holds a bachelor’s in Environmental Science and a master’s in Environmental Policy and Management concentrating on wildlife policy and threatened and endangered species -both from the University of Denver. GYC allows her to blend her passion for wildlife and the environment with her community outreach and development background. Johni is a happy trail runner/marathoner and, slowly, but surely, learning to flyfish these beautiful Montana rivers.

Mark came to GYC after a 10-year stint as Executive Director of San Juan Citizens Alliance in Durango, Colorado, where he directed campaigns focused on securing new wilderness designations, safeguarding roadless areas from coalbed methane development, and preventing private resort development in the remote East Fork of the San Juan headwaters.

Mark has an abiding interest in writing, and has authored four books on Colorado wilderness. He was a featured columnist with the Durango Herald for over a decade as well, penning biweekly columns on conservation topics.

Mark’s conservation advocacy has strong roots in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Mark’s father grew up in Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin, and a favorite aunt there helped spark Mark’s enthusiasm for conservation with frequent explorations searching for elusive endemic penstemons in the Big Horn Mountains. His earliest backpacking trips including venturing into the Thorofare Valley simply because it was the most distant location from a road in the lower 48.

Mark is an avid rafter, hiker, and backcountry skier. He is particularly keen on exploring the vast wilds of Alaska, and enjoying the marvelous canyon rivers of the Colorado Plateau with his young daughter, Sora.

Hannah grew up in Boise,Idaho in a family of outdoor enthusiasts and sportsman who taught her an appreciation for the outdoors and such life-long philosophies as “always leave a campsite looking cleaner than when you found it”.

After graduating from Boise State University in 2005, Hannah moved to the remote mountain town of Stanley, Idaho at the base of the Sawtooth Mountains where she had spent her summers in college fighting fire for the Forest Service.  Soon after moving to Stanley, for reasons she can’t recall, she ran for mayor, becoming the youngest female mayor in the United States at the time. 

Hannah joined GYC in 2009 as our Montana Conservation Associate. She is thrilled to be moving from the “hot seat” in small town politics to the world of conservation in a rural landscape.  Her hobbies include skiing, whitewater rafting with friends, and exploring new places in the outdoors.

Christi Weber is the Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s Membership Manager. She came to GYC in May 2008 after more than a decade of working in communications, marketing and development in both the public and private sectors. She is charged with building and maintaining GYC’s membership program and keeping members informed of the issues they’ve helped support while creating momentum for future and ongoing conservation initiatives.

As a native Idahoan, she has a deep appreciation for the outdoors and is enamored with all wildlife. She is a sports enthusiast and is usually up to trying anything once.

Christi, along with her husband Doug, son Miles, and dog Jessi enjoy spending time hiking, camping, and exploring new places. She loves languages and hopes to visit all 7 continents in her lifetime.

Jeff Welsch came to GYC as director of communications in February 2008 after nearly three decades as a sports writer and sports editor with newspapers in four western states. Though a sports writer by trade, his passion has always been for the outdoors and related issues. He created outdoors pages for newspapers in Oregon and Montana, and has written about environmental issues ranging from the water crisis in Oregon's Klamath Basin to climate change.

Jeff has written three books, including co-authoring with his wife, Sherry L. Moore, a guidebook called "Great Destinations: Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and Jackson Hole." He continues to serve as an executive editor for Montana Quarterly magazine.

As a writer, Jeff has always attempted to draw new readers into stories and publications with emotion and human interest. He is striving to use a similar philosophy with communications to spread the word about the wonders of Yellowstone and the importance of this intact ecosystem to our national psyche.

Caroline spearheads our foundation fundraising.  She has worked for conservation organizations for many years, both in program and in fundraising.  Before joining GYC nearly ten years ago as Director of Development, she had spent most of her life in the northeast, working in land protection and fundraising in New York and Maine.  She has degrees from Carleton College and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.  She is board president of The Lands Council, an environmental organization in Spokane, Washington where she enjoys reading, travel, and building ever more amazing Lego contraptions with her young sons.