GREEN RIVER - Some conservationists believe that conserving the remaining wildlife and wildlife habitat in Wyoming and the West is not enough. An additional step of restoration is also needed.

And the restoration of America's native wildlife population must include key predator species like the wolf and grizzly bear.

With that idea in mind, "Restoring the Whole: A Conservation Vision for the Northern Rockies and Northern Plains" seems a natural topic for the Predator Conservation Alliance's (PCA) Fourth Annual Conference, which begins today at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel in Yellowstone National Park.

"Predators play keystone roles in their ecosystems," PCA Director of Development Cecily Clemons said.

"We've chosen the theme of ecological restoration to invite discussions on how we can do more than just recover predator wildlife from the brink of extinction," she said. "Ecological restoration provides a positive and hopeful vision of what can be."

Clemons said the northern Rockies and the northern plains hold the "greatest potential for restoring, and ultimately conserving, the full suite of forest and prairie grasslands carnivores that once populated America."

PCA Communications Director Jon Schwedler said in an interview that last year's conference was on the coexistence of humans and wildlife species.

"What we're building on is the idea of … what are our strategies now that we have (predators like the wolf and grizzly bear in Wyoming) for getting along with them and reestablishing them on the landscape," he said.

Schwedler said just over 100 people from about 20 states are expected to participate in the three-day conference.

Saturday night's keynote speaker for the conference banquet will be Don Barry, a former Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks for the U.S. Department of the Interior during the Clinton Administration, and the current executive vice-president of the Wilderness Society.

Clemons said Barry will give a "political perspective" on the opportunities and challenges for ecological restoration, and how organizations and individuals can work more effectively on wildlife restoration efforts.

She called Barry an expert on the Endangered Species Act and said he is well known for his efforts to rid the National Parks of snowmobiles and jet skis.

Other keynote speakers include former National Park Service leader for gray wolf restoration Mike Phillips; Rick Bass, a conservationist and author from the Yaak valley in Montana; and Ray Rasker, director of the Sonoran Institute's SocioEconomics program.

Clemens said in addition to the keynote speakers, there are six other experts that will be discussing a variety of topics ranging from forest carnivore restoration to the restoration of grassland prey, including bison and prairie dogs. The conference will also include several field trips into the Lamar Valley and Yellowstone to scout for wolves and bears.