“Wilderness without wildlife is just scenery” Lois Crisler -- I have spent a lot of time lately thinking about my art and why I spend so much time in wild places. It is where I feel at home and find true peace and joy. It is why I fell in love with wildlife and nature photography; it is who I am. I have increased my efforts to use my photography, writing, and energy toward fighting to protect our public lands and endangered and threatened species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. I will also work anywhere else I can as we, conservationists, face the new administration's stance on our environment. We may lose protection through both the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), among others. As I process this, I constantly think about grizzly bears and all that has gone into creating a viable population in and around Yellowstone over the last 50 years. These bears have been protected, and hunting them is illegal as they are designated threatened species by the ESA. They have also continued to have this protection thanks to NEPA, which requires federal agencies to use the best available science to assess the environmental impact of proposed actions. This has protected grizzly bear management from being turned over to the states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, which all want to allow trophy hunting. There is a good chance their protection will change in the next couple of years, and if so, grizzlies who are unaware of invisible national park boundaries and have been protected for 50 years, could cross that line and be immediately hunted for trophies. Grizzly bears are my favorite species, and I love nothing more than watching them in their natural habitat and photographing them. Cubs are always a bonus, as they are so playful and incredible to watch as they interact with each other and their mother. I spent an amazing two hours with a sow grizzly and her three yearling cubs in early June 2024 in the northwest corner of Yellowstone. It was an experience I will never forget, and I will do everything in my power to protect them. I will donate 25% of the profit from this piece to Earth Justice, an organization that has done an incredible job protecting grizzly bears in the past and continues to do so today

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