History
Vital Ground evolved from a unique relationship between humans and a bear. Doug and Lynne Seus adopted and trained a zoo-born Kodiak grizzly they named Bart to appear in feature films, which include The Great Outdoors, Legends of the Fall, White Fang, The Bear and The Edge. As Doug and Lynne worked with Bart, it became clear that he was teaching them far more than they could ever teach him.
As Lynne said, "From the time we got him in 1977 and until his death in 2000 Bart was a truly magical animal. And his film career took us on many grand adventure—from the majestic peaks of the Austrian Alps and the Alaska wilds, to the backstage of the Academy Awards.
Bart's intelligence and unconditional loyalty demonstrated to Doug and Lynne that brown bears, also known as grizzlies, could help teach our children respect for all living things. The Seuses felt that, as a member of a species truly symbolic of the wilderness, Bart could deliver a powerful message in support of land conservation. Indeed, they hoped that Bart could offer humankind a chance to learn from past mistakes and, in so doing, secure our remaining private wildlands rather than exploiting them.
Inspired by Bart, the Seuses launched Vital Ground through the purchase of 240 acres of prime grizzly bear habitat adjoining protected land in Pine Butte Preserve along Montana's eastern front of the Rocky Mountains.
Bart took on an important new role as Ambassador for Vital Ground, and until his death in 2000, his public appearances with Doug and Lynne sought to convey the dire predicament of our rapidly diminishing natural areas—along with their resident wildlife—while promoting a message of hope that we might become better stewards of these great lands.
As Vital Ground has evolved and expanded its role in conservation, the Seuses have continued to donate use of their animals as Ambassadors to help spread the message about protecting our wild heritage. The presence of these highly intelligent and sensitive grizzlies, combined with the teachings by Doug and Lynne, have made a real difference in motivating individuals to support the organization's work.
Over the years Vital Ground's key conservation partners have included: The Nature Conservancy of Montana; Montana Land Reliance; Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation; Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Foundation; National Wildlife Federation; Ducks Unlimited; Kodiak Brown Bear Trust; American Lands Conservancy; Wildlife Land Trust; Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative; National Wildlife Federation; Idaho Fish & Wildlife Foundation; and The Conservation Fund.
In 2004, the organization formally adopted the Standards and Practices of the Land Trust Alliance (LTA) to guide all of its conservation activities. As a member of LTA, Vital Ground is committed to ensuring that that every land acquisition and easement transaction is legally, ethically, and technically sound.