The Ricketts Conservation Foundation and The Wyoming Wetlands Society share a common passion for conservation. 

The Swan Project brings together The Wyoming Wetlands Society’s extensive experience with Trumpeter Swans and The Ricketts Conservation Foundation’s deep commitment to conservation issues.

The Ricketts Conservation Foundation supports the conservation of wildlife and wilderness areas and promotes the importance of environmental stewardship as an enduring value. Underlying the Foundation's mission is the belief that conservation is everyone's responsibility. As we move toward the future, government resources may not be sufficient to deal completely with environmental challenges, requiring private sector commitment to conserve our 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. 

Based in Jackson, WY, the Wyoming Wetlands Society works to aid in the restoration of the Rocky Mountain population of Trumpeter Swans and to protect, preserve, restore and enhance the wetlands they depend on. All of this is accomplished through partnerships with private landowners, state and federal agencies, and other non-profit organizations. Since its inception in 1986, the Wyoming Wetlands Society has created several projects to accomplish these goals, including the Trumpeter Swan Captive Breeding Program and the Canadian Egg Collection Project. The Canadian Egg Project occurred from 2007 to 2009 and had as its goal increasing genetic diversity in the Greater Yellowstone area swan population, a population that has gone through several genetic bottlenecks. The Wyoming Wetlands Society collected 60 eggs per year, a total of 180 eggs, hatched those at the Wyoming Wetlands Society facility in Jackson, and then used those birds for restoration projects in  Montana and Idaho. The Wyoming Wetlands Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service retained 10 of the first years hatched cygnets to increase genetic diversity in the Wyoming Wetlands Society captive flock as future breeders as an investment in the program. The Wyoming Wetlands Society also works to restore wetlands in and around the area of Jackson, WY.  Some of the projects include the restoration of gravel pits to reestablish historic wetland habitat south of Jackson and improvement of existing water control structures to restore habitat that is critical for many native wildlife species. 

The Swan Project shows how private resources play an essential role in safeguarding our natural treasures for future generations. Working to repopulate the Trumpeter Swans in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem was a perfect opportunity for the Wyoming Wetlands Society and The Ricketts Conservation Foundation to partner on an important conservation project.