Stone Center Co-Director Arthur Middleton recently published a guest essay in the New York Times that discusses the possible linkages between the TV show “Yellowstone” and increased development in the area. Arthur argues that "Yellowstone" made owning a piece of this landscape glamorous around the same time the pandemic and remote work drove more people to do so. While there are no data explicitly linking the television show to development, home values in Montana and Wyoming have shot up since 2018. After season three, two-thirds of tourists reported that their visit to Montana was partly inspired by the show. Arthur points out that this development boom threatens an important ecoystsem for thousands of elk, pronghorn, bison, bighorn sheep, moose, wolves, grizzly bears, and eagles.
Places like Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks are critical to conservation but private lands can encompass important habitat too. Arthur discusses opportunities with conservation easements, removing or modifying fences so wildlife can roam freely, and bipartisan federal investments to help curb the impacts of development.
Image credit: Alex Bruno / New York Times