Mission Statement

Wildlife populations and wildlife habitat have declined dramatically in the United States during the past 150 years, to the point where numerous animal species are on the verge of extinction and biological diversity of our native ecosystems is severely threatened.  Because our government agencies are not meeting the needs for sound ecological information and effective wildlife management policies, it is imperative that private entities participate in ecological research and in the distribution of ecological information to the American public in order to maintain our country’s rich wildlife heritage.  Wild Things Unlimited is involved in the preservation of that heritage.

The purpose of Wild Things Unlimited is to increase the effectiveness of wildlife and habitat management in the Rocky Mountains through two campaigns:

1)      conducting vital wildlife research that is not being accomplished in a comprehensive manner by government agencies or private entities, and 

2)      increasing the public's awareness of and participation in natural resource issues through education and outreach programs that provide individuals with a greater connection to the natural world. 

Organizational Structure

Wild Things Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Steve Gehman and Betsy Robinson out of a desire to create a greater sense of structure, stability, and effectiveness for their research and education efforts in the Yellowstone Ecosystem.  Steve and Betsy are now staff members and researchers for Wild Things Unlimited, and are guided by a five-member Board of Directors.  Our current Board members have expertise in a broad range of areas, including administration of non-profit environmental organizations, business management, organizational structure, communication, law, fund-raising, wildlife observation, environmental education, and public involvement in natural resource management issues. 

We are excited about embracing the passions of our founders for wild things, and are eager to move forward into an age of better information and a more informed public that will result in better efforts to preserve our wildlife heritage.

Research Program

Wild Things Unlimited currently conducts programs and activities in the Yellowstone Ecosystem, which includes portions of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. Our research program consists of the Rare Carnivore Surveys project, a 10-year study designed to gather needed information on the distributions and abundance of Yellowstone's three rarest mammalian carnivores: fisher, wolverine, and lynx.  All three of these species of animals are so rare that the states of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho consider them species of special concern and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that they are candidates for increased levels of protection. 

Many biologists believe that fisher, wolverine, and lynx may be key indicators of an ecosystem's health; however, critical information regarding their distributions, abundance, and ecology is lacking.  For example, in 1995 the founders of Wild Things Unlimited documented the first physical evidence of fishers in the Yellowstone Ecosystem since the late 1800's (Yellowstone Science,  Vol. 3, No. 4).  In addition, there has never been a single research project focusing on wolverines in the Yellowstone Ecosystem, and lynx research efforts consist of one current study in Wyoming.

Wild Things Unlimited's Rare Carnivore Surveys project has the following objectives: 

1)      documenting presence of fishers, wolverines, and lynx at numerous locations throughout the Yellowstone Ecosystem, and thereby assist in the compilation of updated distribution maps for each species, 

2)      documenting habitat use patterns of fishers, wolverines, and lynx in relation to human activities such as recreation and forest management, and

3)      gathering information related to the overall ecology of fishers, wolverines, and lynx.

Data are collected during a four month field season (December through March) each winter of the ten year study.  We use remotely triggered camera systems, snow track transects, hair snares, and interviews with backcountry users to document rare carnivore activity.  Annual progress reports are distributed to resource managers and conservation organizations in the Yellowstone Ecosystem.

During winters 1997-98,1998-99, and 1999-2000, we surveyed portions of five mountain ranges on the Gallatin National Forest in southwestern Montana.  We used remote cameras at 81 sites, conducted 236 snow track transects, and operated 113 lynx hair snares.  These efforts yielded 52 documentations of wolverine, five documentations of fisher, and three documentations of lynx, as well as valuable information related to distributions of other relatively uncommon forest carnivores such as pine marten, river otter, red fox, bobcat, and mountain lion.     

We are currently in the planning phase of a new WTU project that will begin in 2001, and will involve conducting wildlife surveys in key core wildlife habitat areas and corridors in the southern portion of the Yellowstone to Yukon lands network.  The goal of the project is to provide wildlife use data to other conservation organizations that are working to protect wildlife and habitat within the Y2Y region.

Education and Outreach Program

Wild Things Unlimited conducts an education and outreach program that has the following objectives: 

1)      to produce materials that will inform the public about rare carnivores and our methods of studying them, 

2)      to conduct slide presentations and public lectures concerning our research and critical natural resource management issues,

3)      to maintain a internet website that provides natural history information and research field notes developed primarily for secondary school students, and

4)      to offer natural history expeditions that will help people to develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the natural world, with the hope that they will become more involved in resource management issues. 

We work closely with the following organizations

The Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative. Y2Y is a joint Canadian-US network of over 80 organizations, institutions, and foundations, plus individual scientists, conservationists, economists, and environmental advocates who have recognized both the necessity and the advantages of coordinating their efforts transnationally, on a scale that mirrors the area they seek to conserve. Their area of focus includes the Rocky Mountains from the Grand Tetons (Wyoming) north to the Yukon border, adjacent ranges in Idaho and British Columbia (the Cabinet Yaak, the Selkirks, Purcells, Monashees) and the Mackenzie Mountains in Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

American Wildlands is a science-based non-profit conservation organization with a 24-year history of wilderness legislation and natural resource advocacy in the American West. American Wildland's mission is to promote, protect and restore biodiversity and advocate for sustainable management of the West's wildlands, watersheds, and wildlife, with special attention to the Northern Rocky Mountain region.

Predator Conservation Alliance (PCA), founded in 1991, is dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring native predators and their habitats in the Northern Rockies and Northern Plains.