OUR RESPONSIBILITY

To study, protect and enhance populations of at-risk species.

The Ricketts Conservation Foundation is a lean organization — and we prefer it that way. Our structure positions us to identify conservation opportunities within the Yellowstone Ecosystem and to act swiftly to address them.

OUR FOUNDER

Joe Ricketts

A native Nebraskan, entrepreneur and philanthropist Joe Ricketts founded The Ricketts Conservation Foundation to support the conservation of wildlife and wilderness areas, promoting the importance of environmental stewardship as an enduring value. Central to Mr. Ricketts’ belief is the idea that conservation is everyone’s responsibility.

Latest Bulletins

Current Associates

Walter Wehtje, Ph.D.

Director

Originally from Connecticut, Dr. Wehtje has spent most of his career in the Western U.S.. He holds a Ph.D. from UC Riverside and has conducted research across North and South America. Since 2018, he has led The Ricketts Conservation Foundation’s conservation efforts across the Yellowstone Ecosystem and beyond.

Josh Lefever

Associate Biologist

Josh grew up in Pennsylvania and earned a Wildlife Science degree from Penn State in 2013. After years of fieldwork across the U.S. focused on birds, he joined The Ricketts Conservation Foundation in 2023 to oversee bird banding, owl studies, and an aspen regeneration project.

Shari Meeks

Project Manager

Shari’s interest in land and ecology began in high school and led to a Rangeland degree from SDSU and a Master’s from the University of Idaho. With 18+ years of experience in South Dakota and Wyoming, she now manages habitat projects for The Ricketts Conservation Foundation in western Wyoming.

Graduate Students

Cody Lane

University of Montana

Cody grew up exploring the lakes of southern Wisconsin and earned a Wildlife Biology degree from the University of Wisconsin. He has worked across the U.S., Australia, and the Caribbean on diverse wildlife projects. Now a master’s student at the University of Montana, he manages The Ricketts Conservation Foundation’s Monument Ridge Aspen Regeneration Project and conducts avian fire ecology research.

Kelsey Cronin

University of Montana

Kelsey discovered her passion for wildlife biology while working in Yellowstone and later earned a Biology degree from Oregon State. She’s since worked on studies of bumblebees, golden eagles, and Antarctic seals. Now a master’s student, she returns to the Yellowstone Ecosystem to research Common Loons with The Ricketts Conservation Foundation.

Karina Li

University of Colorado Denver

Karina is a master’s student in the Tomback Forest Ecology Lab at the University of Colorado Denver. With five years of field experience in bird monitoring and bear management, she is passionate about collaborative bird conservation. Her graduate research with The Ricketts Conservation Foundation focuses on Clark’s Nutcracker movement in Yellowstone.

Grants & Funding

The Ricketts Conservation Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. It is Ricketts Conservation Foundation policy to pay direct costs when providing grants to other entities. The Ricketts Conservation Foundation grants do not cover indirect costs (i.e. Overhead).

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