traute parrie - yellowstone business partnership

Beartooth Ranger DistrictYellowstone Business Partnership

http://www.fs.fed.us/climatechange/advisor/scorecard/sustainable-operations.html


Here to describe a Federal – Private alignment in promoting sustainable operations that I believe is:

• A good model• Easily replicated• Holds participants accountable – but at a scale of their choosing• Promotes Sustainability Leadership • Rewarding!• Expanding



WHO ARE WE?



Beartooth Ranger District (Custer NF) in GYA map Yellowstone Business Partnership map



HOME OF MOUNTAINEERS



Ralph Saunders as Fred Inabnit 1866-1928

East Rosebud, Beartooth Mountains

First ascent of Granite Peak,highest point in Montana

Elers KochForest Supervisor Ferguson,

and JC WhithamAugust 19, 1923

Last of the state highpointsto be climbed

Chad Chadwick

displaying“vintage” ice gear

Doug Chabot

Climber –

Director, Gallatin Avalanche Center

Co-founder, with Genevieve Chabot, of the Iqra Fund

onHellroaring Icefall, Beartooths

Headwall Skiing

Beartooth Basin

formerlyThe Red Lodge International Ski and Snowboard Camp,

Beartooth Pass

at nearly 11,000’ elevationopen Memorial Day to July 4

“You could call it backcountry skiing with a lift.”

Beyond the Beartooths:

Renny Jackson

Todd Skinner

Bobby Model

Pho

to: B

ill H

atch

er

Ice ClimbingHyalite

THESE MOUNTAINSBREED

PASSION!

INSPIRING RANGES



Granite Peakhighest point in Montana, Beartooth and Yellowstone Districts

Black Canyon LakeSpirit and Forget-Me-Not Mountains

Beartooth District

Mystic Lakein front of

Mystic Equinox TowerOuzel Lake,

East Rosebud Trail

Beyond the Beartooths:

Grand Teton

from Teton Crest

Wind River Range –

Titcomb Basin TrailPhoto: Copeland

Photo: SummitPost.org

Pilot and Index – Shoshone National Forest

Greater Yellowstone Area

What’s at risk??



Plight of the Pika

Alpine vegetation - Gentian

Cascade Fire 2008

10,000 acre fire6 mi outside Red

Lodge

Smoke above Absaroka Mountains,

outside CodyAugust, 2007

Glacier below Rearguard

Beartooth Mountains

Grasshopper Glacier – Beartooth Mountains

1951


1953


1976


1988


1994


2002

Ice Patch Archeology – Coiled Basket

found August 2013

Ranger on Teton Glacier

Loss of Teton Glacier

Whitebark Pine

WHAT OPPORTUNITIES DO WE HAVE?

Definition of Sustainable Development:

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".



WHAT OPPORTUNITIES DO WE HAVE?We can accomplish more together -



Federal side:Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee (GYCC )

Formed in 1964 = core federal lands in the Greater Yellowstone area:2 National Parks Yellowstone NP Grand Teton NP6 National Forests Shoshone, Bridger-Teton, Caribou-Targhee, Gallatin, and portions of the Beaverhead-Dearlodge and Custer National Forests2 National Wildlife Refuges Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole Red Rocksand more recently, adjacent BLM Resource Areas.



Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee (GYCC)

Sub-Committees to address various resource issues in common, such as invasive speciesfire managementfisheries issuesair quality, climate change, and sustainable operations.



GYCC Sustainable Operation Subcommittee Cultivating Change Today, Growing Environmental Stewardship for Tomorrow Focus Areas — SOS:

• Water Conservation

• Recycling and Waste Stream Reduction

• Energy Conservation

• Employee, Visitor and Community Education

• Green Purchasing

• Fleet and Transportation Management

Strategic Vision:

As stewards of this very special place, our objective is to cultivate a behavioral shift amongst permittees, concessionaires, employees, and visitors that will promote a heightened awareness of our connectivity to and responsibility for the environment. The SOS through the support of the GYCC will continue to emerge as a leader in ecosystem wide sustainability. Through the efforts of dedicated employees the committee will advance sound environmental stewardship practices.



Yellowstone Business Partnership

The Yellowstone Business Partnership unites businesses dedicated to preserving a healthy environment andshaping a prosperous and sustainable future for communities in the Yellowstone-Teton region. The Partnership promotes scientific understanding, informed dialogue, and collaborative approaches to resolving our region’s most complex cross boundary socioeconomic and natural resource challenges.

Modeled after Sierra Business Council



Yellowstone Business Partnership just finished it’s 10th year. Note UnCommon Sense program.



What is the UnCommon Sense program?

A two year leadership program for businesses and organizations seeking to operate more efficiently and responsibly. There are 28,000 business in the GYA. Think of the potential!

8 Modules:1. Leading the Way2. Waste Stream Managemet3. Responsible Purchasing4. Social and Community Investment5. Energy Efficiencies6. Water Efficiencies7. Transportation Efficiencies8. Business Response to Climate Change (including our ghg emissions reduction action plan)

UCS accountability! Scorecards for each module with points required for graduation. Viewed as a regional certification.



Who is in the UnCommon Sense program?

USFS Partners in UCS: Red Lodge Mountain ski area• Bridger Bowl ski area• Stillwater Mining Company (platinum, palladium) – 2nd largest employer in State of MontanaGreater influence; Reach more members of the public, employees

Fellow UCS classmates – Montana State U, Teton Science School, several architectural firms, City of Bozeman, NOLS, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, Post Register newspaper, First Interstate Bank, several restaurants and travel companies

Expanding to the Crown of the Continent – to Glacier NP/Big Mountain/Whitefish area



WHAT OPPORTUNITIES DO WE HAVE?We can accomplish more together -



Federal – Private partnership WHY DID WE JOIN?

My rationale for joining YBP, then UnCommon Sense program:

Want to support YBP’s commitment to the triple bottom line:• Environmental, • Social and • Economic well-being of the communities of the GYA

• Well aligned with our own objectives• Our agency needs to “Walk the Talk”,

• as land managers• for Consistency with our Permittees in the UnCommon Sense program

• Red Lodge Mountain• Stillwater Mine



Quote from Paul Hawken - environmental entrepreneur and widely published author:

“Business is the only mechanism on the planet today powerful enough to produce the changes necessary to reverse global environmental and social degradation.”



Federal – Private partnership Common goals for and barriers to sustainable operations –

for both Government and Business

• Common Drivers:• Reduce overhead costs to free up more money to do mission work• As taxpayers, we all have an interest in reducing operating costs• Common interest in maintaining natural resources

• Common Challenges:• Employee capacity; It takes time• It can take money• Skepticism

• Unique Challenge (Federal side):• Incentive to reduce our overhead costs is much more indirect. How to get those savings back to the unit?

• Therefore, looking for opportunities to leverage our own practices with those of neighboring participants including our own permittees (ski area, platinum mine)

– influence vendors, bring in bio-fuel, etc



GYCC Sustainable Operation Subcommittee Cultivating Change Today, Growing Environmental Stewardship for Tomorrow

Accomplishments—SOS:

Energy Conservation:• GYA Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory completed on all units. This was the first

ecosystem-wide GHG inventory. • Subsequent GHG Emissions Reduction Action Plan – 20% by 2020• Georgia Tech interns conducted GYA wide assessment of energy conservation opportunities

in historic buildings, while maintaining historic integrity• Exploring micro-hydro opportunities at remote work centers

Water Conservation:• Kohler, Inc. donated 37 water conserving fixtures to be installed across the GYA, resulting in

a projected reduction of water consumption by an estimated 450,000 gallons per year.



solar panels,

Ennis Ranger Station

Pulling barbed

wire fence.

Recycled12.8 miles of fence, or 14.5 T of steel.

Photo: Beau Fredlund

Laurance S Rockefeller Preserve

Tetons

Red Lodge Mountain

Glass pulverizer - YNP

RECYCLING

Stillwater Mine

Bio-diesel – at the mine, the Park, and the Forest?

Wildlife

Lamar Buffalo Ranch,

YNP and Yellowstone Institute

Mobile propane canister

and bear spray canister

recycling units

Local partnership:

Coupons from us, to get a discount on reusable bottles at the local mountaineering shop

Sharing the news with the public:

- the need- how can visitors help?

Beartooth District Green Team - graduates! - 2013

BEYOND THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE



Central Cascade Mountains – Leavenworth Climbing Rangers –

Recovered webbing

Prusik Peak – Enchantments

Alpine Lakes Wilderness

10th Mountain Huts – solar panels at Betty Bear Hut

Mountain Culture• Indigenous cultures - Inherently sustainable?

• Effects of tourism



Khumbu

The journey continues…!

– it is SO rewarding, refreshing, and inspirationalinteracting with businesses outside the usual USFS sphere, and to see how much they can accomplish!

I would highly encourage folks to look into joining similar organizations in your area.



Lead From Where You’re At



Beartooth Ranger DistrictYellowstone Business

PartnershipTraute Parrie

District RangerBeartooth Ranger DistrictCuster Gallatin National Forest

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

