Fish & Wildlife Conservation
We protect and restore healthy native fish and wildlife populations, with an emphasis on species at risk.
Photo credit: Glacier NPS
Photo credit: Glacier NPS
The northeastern Crown of the Continent provides one of the last, best strongholds of native fish and wildlife species anywhere in the West. Grizzly bears, check. Wolverines, check, Bull trout, check. Wild bison, yep they’re here now too thanks to the leadership of the Blackfeet Nation.
The amazing menagerie of native species found here is vital to the ecological health and integrity of the region as well as its cultural identities, quality of life, and economic well-being. Unfortunately, these animals face a daunting array of threats to their survival, such as changing human land use, accelerating development, misguided policy and management, invasive species and climate change.
At Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance, we are working to address these and other threats to the recovery and conservation of healthy, robust populations of native fish and wildlife. We advocate for science-based conservation management and policy, work to protect, connect or restore vital habitat, and conduct on-the-ground projects to reduce conflicts and promote coexistence between people and bears.
Current Priorities
Wildlife Connectivity
Wildlife need to move freely across the landscape to survive. However, roads, railways, and other human development increasingly impede their ability to wander. We are working to address barriers and to improve connectivity so wildlife can safely roam, with a particular focus on Highway 2 and the Burlington Northern Railroad corridor.
Grizzly Bear Recovery and Coexistence
The revered grizzly bear has made a remarkable comeback in the Crown; yet their recovery remains tenuous and future far from secure. We advance recovery by protecting and connecting core habitat, shaping science-based management and policy, and preventing conflicts with people, so bears and people can better share the landscape.
Other Initiatives:
Welcome Wild Bison Home
Iinnii (buffalo or bison in the Piikuni language) were extirpated in the Crown during European colonization. Now, thanks to the leadership of the Blackfeet Nation, they are returning home. We are pleased to help advance this tribal-led effort to restore wild bison to suitable habitat on tribal and public lands.
Restore Native Trout
Even here in one of their last strongholds, native trout face an increasingly perilous future due to competition from non-native species, habitat modification, and climate change. We work to protect clean, cold, and connected streams and advocate management efforts to protect or restore genetically healthy and resilient native trout populations.
News
Latest News Related to Fish & Wildlife
Bring Them Home – Reflections on the World Premiere
Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya Reflections on the World Premiere A stream of enthusiastic people wrapped around the block from the entrance to the Wilma Theater in Missoula on Saturday, […]
Food Security and Climate Change: A Conversation with Danielle Antelope
Like many communities across the United States, the Blackfeet reservation community suffers from widespread food insecurity and lack of access to nutritional resources. Danielle Antelope, Executive Director of FAST Blackfeet, […]
A Bold Step: Bison Return!
By Peter Metcalf, Executive Director The air was electric with anticipation as about 100 people waited near Chief Mountain on the Blackfeet Reservation for a moment years, if not decades, […]