IN THE EARLY 1990S, the founders of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative envisioned a network of protected habitats along the spine of the Rockies — one that would allow wolves, grizzly bears, golden eagles, and other wide-ranging species to breed, feed, and succeed. Y2Y was an audacious idea, to say the least, and it attracted plenty of attention, including from skeptics who believed it was unachievable.
During its early years, Y2Y was a loose coalition of groups interested in ecological connectivity, and
