Conservation Fund and Forest Service Secure 161 Acres Near Yellowstone, Blocking Gold Mining
A tract of land on the northern edge of Yellowstone National Park — once eyed as a potential gold mining site — has been permanently transferred into public ownership after a coordinated effort by two conservation organizations and the U.S. Forest Service.
The 161-acre parcel, located near Gardiner, Montana, has been added to the Custer-Gallatin National Forest in two separate acquisitions. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition took ownership of one portion, while The Conservation Fund secured the other. Together, the transaction also transferred 208 acres of mineral rights to the Forest Service, permanently removing the threat of gold extraction from land that encompasses portions of Palmer and Crevice Mountains.
The U.S. Forest Service used approximately $2 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to complete the purchases — federal dollars designated specifically for expanding and protecting public land access.
Years of Effort to Close a Mining Loophole
The deal closes a chapter that began in 2023, when the Greater Yellowstone Coalition moved to purchase mineral rights, leases, and claims covering nearly 1,600 acres held by the Crevice Mining Group. That initial purchase helped neutralize an immediate threat, but privately held land and mineral rights in the area remained a concern — leaving open the possibility that mining activity could eventually resume.
The newly completed transaction resolves that vulnerability. The land now falls under the protections of the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act, a measure passed by Congress in 2019 specifically to shield the region from future mining operations.
The area in question serves as critical habitat for some of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem’s most iconic wildlife. According to information released jointly by the participating organizations, the land provides habitat for grizzly bears, a migration corridor for elk, mule deer, and bighorn sheep, and is among the limited areas outside Yellowstone National Park’s formal boundaries where bison are permitted to roam freely.
What the Conservation Groups Are Saying
Officials from both organizations framed the agreement as a long-term win for wildlife and local communities alike.
“Protecting Yellowstone from the impacts of gold mining and securing new public land is a great outcome that benefits both iconic wildlife and local communities,” said Scott Christensen, executive director of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.
Gary Sullivan, Montana senior advisor at The Conservation Fund, emphasized the cultural dimension of the acquisition. “By securing land within this critical landscape on the edge of Yellowstone, we’re doing more than safeguarding a vital habitat,” Sullivan said. “We’re honoring a way of life that defines Montana.”
The Yellowstone region carries significant economic and recreational importance for communities throughout East Idaho and the broader Mountain West. Visitors traveling from Idaho Falls and surrounding Bonneville County communities frequently make use of public lands and wildlife corridors in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Decisions about land use and mineral extraction in this corridor — even across the state line — carry downstream consequences for Idaho’s tourism economy and the health of shared wildlife populations.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund, which financed the Forest Service’s portion of the acquisition, is a federal program that uses revenues from offshore energy development to pay for public land purchases and outdoor recreation improvements. Supporters of the fund argue it represents a fiscally disciplined way to expand public access without drawing on general tax revenues, while critics have at times challenged its use for large-scale land consolidation.
For East Idaho residents and visitors who rely on the Yellowstone region for hunting, fishing, and recreation, the permanent protection of this corridor represents a meaningful development. Projects like this also intersect with broader conversations about federal land management in the region — a topic with direct relevance to Idaho communities that border millions of acres of federally administered land. For more on energy and land-use developments with local implications, see coverage of the Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative at Idaho National Laboratory.
What Comes Next
With the land now formally incorporated into the Custer-Gallatin National Forest and protected under the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act, no further legislative action is required to maintain its status. The Forest Service will manage the parcel as part of the broader national forest system. Conservation organizations involved in the deal have indicated they will continue monitoring land and mineral rights in the surrounding region for additional acquisition opportunities.