Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee
A brief history of the Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee’s important 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. (Greater Yellowstone Bald Eagle Management Plan 2 MB pdf)
1987—GYCC issued Greater Yellowstone Area Aggregation of National Park and National Forest Management Plans (section 1 (39 MB pdf), section 2 (24 MB pdf) section 3 (47 MB pdf), section 4 (MB pdf), section 5), summarizing existing national park and national forest management plans in the GYA, and depicting future conditions resulting from management plan implementation. Aggregation Section 5 Appendices (11 MB pdf)
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, 2010). GYCC issued draft Vision for the Future (34 MB pdf), 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.
1992-1997—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 (48 MB pdf), (Winter Use Assessment maps (16 MB pdf) 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 (307 kB pdf) (updated in 2005).
US Fish and Wildlife Service, represented by the National Elk Refuge and Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, joins the GYCC.
2000—GYCC hired Executive Coordinator to serve as staff for the coordinating committee, and 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.
2001—Whitebark Pine Committee formed.
2002—GYA Hydrologists completed Watershed Management Strategy (292 kB pdf) (updated 2006 Water Strategy Update and 2011 Water Strategy Update).
2005—Sustainable Operations Subcommittee formed.
2006—Completion of Greater Yellowstone Area Recreation Assessment for spring – fall season.
Aquatic Nuisance Species Committee formed; now the Aquatic Invasive Species Cooperative.
The six GYA National Forests signed one Record of Decision (1.2 MB pdf) to amend their Forest Plans to incorporate the habitat standards from the Final Conservation Strategy for the Grizzly Bear in the GYA.
2010—Completion of GYA Climate Action Plan (2.2 MB pdf).
2011—Completion of GYA Whitebark Pine Strategy (2 MB pdf).
2012—Bureau of Land Management joined Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee. 2012 GYCC MOU (691 kB pdf)
2020—The wildlife and fish directors of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming were invited to join the GYCC as co-equal executive members.