Yellowstone Migrations

Joe Riis

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem harbors the last great populations of elk, pronghorn antelope, and mule deer. Photographer Joe Riis has spent a decade here, revealing these animals' previously invisible migrations. Each year, these animals face natural challenges and man-made obstacles on their journeys--but Joe's images are galvanizing action in the Yellowstone ecosystem to preserve these fragile, ancient migration routes.

View the Yellowstone Migrations project site.

As snows begin to fall each autumn, pronghorn gather and begin their trek back to their Upper Green River valley winter range. They must reach and cross the divide between the Green and Gros Ventre rivers before snow blocks their way. Their migrati

With stout, muscular bodies and durable hooves, elk are built to migrate.  The bull elk above was photographed moving through Eagle Pass, on the south boundary of Yellowstone National Park, on October 1, as fall turned to winter.

The natural world presents many challenges along these hooved mammal's migration routes.

People have also put unnatural challenges in front of these animals, in the form of fences, highways, climate change, habit fragmentation and more. These are the challenges that we can address, through scientific research, cooperation and innovation

About the author / photographer

Joe Riis is a wildlife biologist turned wildlife photojournalist and filmmaker known for his pioneering documentation of animal migrations in the West. He is a Photography Fellow at National Geographic as well as the Wyoming Migration Initiative. Since 2009, he has worked on natural history photography assignments for National Geographic on five continents. His photographs have been exhibited widely and are included in private and public collections worldwide.

Recent successes

Volunteers from the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation remove obsolete barbed wire fencing to protect migrating elk and deer. Learn more.
A group of diverse stakeholders in Wyoming rallied together to build a freeway overpass to protect pronghorn antelopes during their migrations. Read more & view Joe's photos.
2018 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Award— Animals & Nature category
2018 Independent Publisher Book Awards Silver Award— Environment, Ecology & Nature category

Purchase book

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Conservationists, hunters, and policymakers are collaborating to improve conditions for Yellowstone's migrating animals, National Geographic, August 2, 2018

“Simply put, this book is a gem.” Review by Rick Graetz, Crown of the Continent and the Greater Yellowstone Magazine, University of Montana, Winter/Spring 2018

“A beautiful and ambitious illustrated study of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.” Big Sky Journal's book list “Reading the West,” Summer 2018

"Protecting America's Last Great Animal Migrations," Arthur Middleton, New York Times, Feb. 23, 2018

Contributors

Gretel Ehrlich / Emilene Ostlind / Thomas Lovejoy

Arthur Middleton / James Prosek

Partners

George Storer Foundation

Yellowstone Migration Initiative

upcoming Events

Through August 19: "Invisible Boundaries" exhibit at National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, Wyoming / details here

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