Todd Wilkinson – Yellowstonian

Ten Big Cheers For The Mighty Mustelids

From wolverines and river otters to black-footed ferrets and badgers, this amazing family of species is well represented on Helen Seay’s outdoor wildlife mural in Jackson, Wyoming. No mere fashion statements, many face an uncertain future

Todd Wilkinson May 8, 2025

Wildlife

The Spillover Effects Of Big Sky’s Ravenous Appetite For More

As Greater Yellowstone contemplates the future and ponders how it can protect its special sense of place, Big Sky represents sprawl’s unwanted poster child. A story about why better ecologically-minded planning matters in Greater Yellowstone

Todd Wilkinson April 25, 2025

Columnist

For Real Patriots, Truth Must Triumph Over Hate

The words of former US Senator Al Simpson ring wiser after America’s citadel was sacked. A tribute to him for being firm in his convictions and a devotee to comity as a principle vital to a functioning society

Todd Wilkinson March 23, 2025

Opinion

Is The Death Of The Legendary Grizzly Bear Study Team Near—And What Does It Symbolize?

An analysis: It’s one of the most famous consequential wildlife research units in the world, and helped to bring Greater Yellowstone’s iconic grizzlies back from the brink. Are the you-know-whos now trying to kill it?

Todd Wilkinson March 15, 2025

Difference Makers

Swan Songs And Trumpets Of Biological Recovery

They’re angelic symbols of how a species can be brought back. But as the plight of trumpeter swans in Yellowstone shows, they’re also reminders of how wildlife conservation is not a destination but a duty of care passed along from one generation of advocates to the next

Todd Wilkinson March 10, 2025

Community

Their Montana Legacy: Crawfords Put Faith In Bright Young Minds To Secure Future Of Wildlife

$30 million gift from Kathy and late Tim Crawford is largest in history of Montana State University and will underwrite scholarships for students advancing public understanding of wildlife and habitat protection

Todd Wilkinson February 25, 2025

Community

Can We Save America’s Wildest Backyard?

Each of us savors ‘the nature of place’ our communities offer but nowhere is there more at stake for the country’s wildlife heritage than in Greater Yellowstone. You are invited to a panel discussion Weds, April 9 on how to rescue it

Todd Wilkinson March 31, 2025

Books

Gettin’ Western: ‘The Spirit of 1889’ Explains How Five States Were Born And Then Went Off The Rails

Writer Sam Western is back with a book about how Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and the Dakotas held the promise of being beacons of enlightenment. Today they are dimming

Todd Wilkinson February 5, 2025

Community

Conservation Easements Saved For Now, As Common Sense Prevails In Montana

Tristan Scott, managing editor of the Flathead Beacon, explains what happened with a unpopular push to undo the legacy of conservation easements with a Madison County rancher/legislator listening to the people and changing his mind

Todd Wilkinson February 9, 2025

Wildlife

No Mere Pipsqueaks: They Are Pikas, Hear Them Roar

WildJourneys with WU: As we explore the wildlife imagery in Helen Seay’s mural in Jackson Hole, we begin by celebrating a mountain underdog and indicator of change affecting our bigger world

Todd Wilkinson January 7, 2025