Mike Clark

Mike Clark (born 1945) is a social and environmental activist who worked with several non-governmental organizations, including Greenpeace USA and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.

Early life and work Michael S. “Mike” Clark was born on September 12, 1945, in Durham, North Carolina. He earned a degree in English from Berea College in Kentucky in 1967. Following his graduation, he began working as a photojournalist for the Mountain Eagle, a weekly newspaper in Kentucky. During Clark’s work as a photojournalist, he documented the civil rights movement, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic Selma to Montgomery marches.

In 1972, Clark started working as an educator and organizer at the Highlander Research and Education Center, a Tennessee school that trained activists in civil rights, labor, anti-poverty, human rights, and environmental issues. Clark later served as president of the Center. in the New World Mine, which was located at Yellowstone National Park’s northeast entrance. Clark and other environmentalists believed that the mine would cause irreparable damage to Yellowstone’s ecosystem and watersheds, The GYC's activism prompted then-President Bill Clinton to fly out to Yellowstone and “announce that the federal government would buy out the mine” by outbidding the company Crown Butte Mines

Between 2001 and 2009, Clark led the water management program Western Water Project, which aims to increase streamflows in Western rivers to improve water system health, through Trout Unlimited and served four months as interim executive director of Greenpeace USA before returning to his second term at GYC. In 2014, he served another five months as director for Greenpeace USA.

Awards and recognition At the 2019 winter commencement ceremony, Montana State University granted Clark an honorary doctorate in letters for his contributions to civil rights and conservation.

Later years In 2013, Clark retired from public activism. He became a consultant and pursued several book projects. Clark also focused on preserving public ranch lands from private developers in Montana to protect ecosystems while maintaining “open spaces for both wildlife and people”. He currently lives in Montana and continues private environmental and writing projects.