Conservation is everyone’s responsibility.

We work to preserve the beauty of wildlife through environmental stewardship.

Our Mission

Founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Joe Ricketts, The Ricketts Conservation Foundation supports the conservation of wildlife and wilderness areas, promoting the importance of environmental stewardship as an enduring value. Underlying the Foundation’s mission is the belief that conservation is everyone’s responsibility.

In a world facing increasingly complex environmental challenges, private sector resources play an ever-greater role in the conservation of wildlife and wilderness areas. By answering this need, and encouraging others to do the same, the Ricketts Conservation Foundation aims to make a difference in the quality of life enjoyed by future generations.

Our Projects

The Clarks Nutcracker:  My Whitebark Pine Story

The Clarks Nutcracker:  My Whitebark Pine Story

The Wind River Range (WRR) is a scenic, 100-mile-long mountain range that includes the highest point in Wyoming, Gannett Peak (13,804’), and 19 of the next 20 highest peaks in Wyoming. This expansive range includes part of the Wind River Indian Reservation, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Shoshone National Forest, and three designated wilderness areas. Among this vast expanse with 500+ named lakes you may find something unexpected: Common Loons, the rarest breeding bird species in Wyoming.

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Where Loons Hide and RCF Seeks: Wyoming’s Wind River Range

Where Loons Hide and RCF Seeks: Wyoming’s Wind River Range

The Wind River Range (WRR) is a scenic, 100-mile-long mountain range that includes the highest point in Wyoming, Gannett Peak (13,804’), and 19 of the next 20 highest peaks in Wyoming. This expansive range includes part of the Wind River Indian Reservation, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Shoshone National Forest, and three designated wilderness areas. Among this vast expanse with 500+ named lakes you may find something unexpected: Common Loons, the rarest breeding bird species in Wyoming.

read more
The Early Bird Gets the Ice

The Early Bird Gets the Ice

The number 17 does not come to mind when you think of big numbers, but when you’re working with Common Loons in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an isolated population numbering only 22 territorial pairs, small numbers like 17 can be relatively massive.

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Start of Season and Covid-19

Start of Season and Covid-19

The number 17 does not come to mind when you think of big numbers, but when you’re working with Common Loons in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an isolated population numbering only 22 territorial pairs, small numbers like 17 can be relatively massive.

read more
Sometimes 17 Is a Big Number

Sometimes 17 Is a Big Number

The number 17 does not come to mind when you think of big numbers, but when you’re working with Common Loons in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an isolated population numbering only 22 territorial pairs, small numbers like 17 can be relatively massive.

read more
Monument Ridge Aspen Regeneration Study

Monument Ridge Aspen Regeneration Study

Since 2018, the Ricketts Conservation Foundation has worked with Bridger-Teton National Forest, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies to assess how forest management activities designed to benefit game animals affect non-target species.

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Foundation News

The Clarks Nutcracker:  My Whitebark Pine Story

The Clarks Nutcracker:  My Whitebark Pine Story

The Wind River Range (WRR) is a scenic, 100-mile-long mountain range that includes the highest point in Wyoming, Gannett Peak (13,804’), and 19 of the next 20 highest peaks in Wyoming. This expansive range includes part of the Wind River Indian Reservation, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Shoshone National Forest, and three designated wilderness areas. Among this vast expanse with 500+ named lakes you may find something unexpected: Common Loons, the rarest breeding bird species in Wyoming.

read more
Where Loons Hide and RCF Seeks: Wyoming’s Wind River Range

Where Loons Hide and RCF Seeks: Wyoming’s Wind River Range

The Wind River Range (WRR) is a scenic, 100-mile-long mountain range that includes the highest point in Wyoming, Gannett Peak (13,804’), and 19 of the next 20 highest peaks in Wyoming. This expansive range includes part of the Wind River Indian Reservation, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Shoshone National Forest, and three designated wilderness areas. Among this vast expanse with 500+ named lakes you may find something unexpected: Common Loons, the rarest breeding bird species in Wyoming.

read more