Cabinet-Purcell Wildlife Linkage Initiative

Overview

The Cabinet-Purcell Wildlife Linkage Initiative is an endeavor to seek out strategic conservation opportunities (fee title acquisitions and conservation easements) on private lands in northwest Montana (as well as nearby northern Idaho) within wildlife linkage zones identified by state and federal agency biologists and NGO conservationists. As an iconic umbrella species, the grizzly bear serves as the compass for this work. This "umbrella species" approach benefits the threatened grizzly bear populations in the region and the many other species that share their ecological community. To be effective, linkage zones should provide food, shelter, and security for foraging and movement across the landscape. These linkages allow animals to disperse to new ranges and exchange genes between populations.
 
The overarching goal of the Initiative is restore and maintain the habitat connectivity between the large blocks of public land in the region, and to foster wildlife movements between ecosystems across a permeable landscape. For the grizzly bear, Vital Ground's goal is to help facilitate recovery in the Selkirk-Cabinet-Purcell region and to promote natural dispersal into the Selway-Bitterroot ecosystem. Vital Ground's efforts include identifying land ownership within the priority linkage zones; conducting outreach activities to targeted landowners; developing individual relationships; identifying project opportunities; promoting conservation solutions; and negotiating transactions.

Challenge

Subdivision and development are the primary threats to private lands in the Cabinet-Purcell region, which increase the potential for wildlife-human conflicts as animals travel between large blocks of core habitat. The U.S. Highway 2 corridor from Troy, MT to Idaho and the Montana Highway 200 corridor are no exception, where grizzly bears and other wildlife must also cross multiple transportation corridors to access other blocks of habitat. These transportation corridors are experiencing increased traffic loads as a result of development in the region. Wildlife must navigate through rapidly development human inhabited areas, highways with increased traffic loads, and busy railroads.

Solution

Fee title land acquisition and conservation easements are the two activities or tactics that Vital Ground will employ to address the landscape-scale threats in the Cabinet-Purcell region. Both address the many risks to healthy wildlife populations and linkage opportunities by either: 1) bringing key private lands into conservation ownership (fee title acquisition) or 2) restricting development and uses incompatible with habitat and linkage effectiveness (conservation easement).

Impact

If the core grizzly populations in the Cabinet-Purcell region can expand in size, it is believed that they will eventually disperse and recolonize old territories, including the vast Selway-Bitterroot Ecosystem of Central Idaho. The Cabinet-Purcell Wildlife Linkage Initiative has broad transferability to wildlife conservation, particularly in landscapes with mixed ownership or where trans-boundary (Montana/Idaho) or trans-border (US/Canada) stewardship is desired. The Initiative will have direct applicability to states in the Intermountain West and provinces of Western Canada where development and agricultural activities overlap with carnivores. Those that stand to best utilize this work will be partnerships involving land-based conservation NGOs, private landowners, wildlife management agencies, watershed groups, and agricultural interests.

Milestones

As of December 2010, Vital Ground has executed two purchase options on private linkage lands in northwestern Montana, one near the Yaak River/Kootenai River confluence and another near the Bull River/Clark Fork River confluence. In 2011, Vital Ground and its partners will place great effort in fundraising in order to close on this phase of the Initiative by year-end. The Wildlife Conservation Society has made an initial commitment of $50,000 toward the effort, and has extended an informal invitation for subsequent proposals as we make progress. On January 19, 2011, Vital Ground presented at the Winter meeting of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC), providing updates of our progress in the Purcell/Cabinet-Yaak region (identification of key parcels, options placed on two). The committee’s reaction was very positive and Vital Ground was thanked for its commendable grizzly bear/wildlife linkage work. Further, with the cooperation of the National Geographic Society, Vital Ground’s Cabinet-Purcell Wildlife Linkage Initiative has a permanent place on the Global Action Atlas website, providing an opportunity for conservation-minded persons from around the country and world to learn more about our work in the region and contribute financially toward our efforts online.

Project Contact

Ryan Lutey, Director of Lands
406-549-8650
Send email to Ryan

Contact for Foundations, Corporations, and Philanthropists

Mark Brennan, Director of Development
406-549-8650
Send email to Mark

You can also view additional information about the Initiative on The Conservation Registry and National Geographic's Global Action Atlas.

Please consider making a restricted donation to Vital Ground's Cabinet-Purcell Wildlife Linkage Initiative Fund and help us carry out our on-the-ground protections in northwestern Montana.