Yellowstone to Uintas Connection (Y2U) works to restore native wildlife habitats in Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming through science, education, and advocacy. Formed in 2012, founders Jason Christensen and his foster father, Dr John Carter, drew on their experience of environmental consulting, ecology and public land issues. Christensen traces his interest in the region’s ecosystems back to his youth: “Growing up, we’d spend a lot of time scoping out areas for our hunting season. Then they’d bring a herd of sheep or cattle through there and it was like Silent Spring after – everything was denuded,” Christensen says, listing Canada lynx and wolverines among the species that have declined. Road construction, timber operations and livestocking grazing have degraded habitats in the regionally significant wildlife corridor, he says, referring to the 350-mile pathway that allows wildlife to migrate, connecting multiple ecosystems. The pair formed Y2U to take action on public land and counter the intensifying threats to biodiversity and the climate.
Alongside other work, Y2U regularly hosts educational events for children and young people. Source: Y2U website
With just three employees, Y2U focuses on critiquing environmental impact statements for projects that threaten local ecosystems, alongside educational initiatives like teaching young people “basic ecology” in the Paris canyon each summer. Chistensen and Dr Carter also regularly meet with local governments in Paris, Idaho, and Bondurant, Wyoming, to discuss zoning and planning and educate them on biodiversity. In 2024, the group was able to stop the development of a luxury resort in the Bondurant valley by presenting the science about wildlife migration routes. Y2U also takes action through litigation where needed: in 2022, it succeeded in halting a pipeline in southeast Idaho. “We get small wins – but even when we stop a project, it’s usually only for two to three years,” he says, adding that four or five projects are halted annually. The small but mighty team works closely with other groups with similar missions: “When we combine forces, we cover a lot more ground. We all have different educational specialities, so together we’re very powerful.”
Yellowstone to Uintas Connection members and environmental activist partners at Utah State Capitol. Source: Y2U website