As a small (but thriving) land trust with a unique mission, Vital Ground has to be both selective and strategic to effectively carry out its primary goal of reconnecting isolated fragments of wildlands that are important for grizzly recovery and biodiversity. As such, Vital Ground uses its financial resources and real estate expertise to identify and protect those parcels of private land crucial to the survival of the grizzly.
Acreage size is not the critical determining factor in our conservation endeavors, but rather overall habitat value for the endangered grizzly. We place special emphasis on protecting private lands where grizzly bears reside or could possibly expand, especially spring and fall range habitat; private lands adjoining or adjacent to public lands or existing protected private lands; and linkages between grizzly bear ecosystems.
Vital Ground endeavors to preserve a wildlife legacy for future generations in spite of a rapidly urbanizing society, which has altered the face of North America. We focus on grizzly habitat because the grizzly is nature's umbrella species and the barometer of a healthy and whole environment. If we can permanently enable the long-term survival and growth of grizzly bear populations, we truly can preserve North America's wild heritage for our children and beyond.
Vital Ground seeks and accepts donated lands and conservation easements on lands possessing crucial habitat for grizzly and other wildlife. Our goal with every landowner is to build a solid, interactive relationship that will help foster long-lasting and meaningful conservation. We fully recognize the importance of partnerships with other conservation organizations, community groups, and agencies; and believe it to be entirely possible and desirable to preserve the ecological integrity of grizzly range alongside informed human communities and vibrant economies.
Vital Ground's conservation easements and land acquisitions permanently safeguard the core wildlife habitat characteristics unique to each property, while concurrently maintaining and enhancing essential grizzly habitat and wildlife corridors on a landscape scale.
Since its founding in 1990, Vital Ground has help to protect and enhance nearly 600,000 acres of wildlife habitat in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Alaska, and British Columbia.
Our efforts to accomplish our mission include the following approaches:
Establishing Conservation EasementsPreserving Grizzly Habitat through Land Purchases
Linking Protected Lands
Prevention of Human-Bear Conflicts
Encouraging Conservation-Minded Land Owners
Partnerships with Other Conservation Organizations
Establishing Conservation Easements
Wherever possible, we encourage property owners to write permanent conservation easements on their ecologically sensitive land, and then donate them to Vital Ground. Conservation easements protect wildlife habitat from the multiple threats of residential and commercial development and overuse, thus safeguarding and strengthening the wildlife populations within. Where donated easements are not financially possible, we may purchase an easement, or team up with other conservation groups to support the easement purchase.
Bud Moore, a property owner in the Swan Valley of Montana near the town of Condon, said the following: "You look out the window and you can see conservation and wildlife values of all kinds right there in front of your eyes. And all those values are intertwined and dependent on each other. I see our conservation easement with Vital Ground as a long-term partnership to try to live a little better with the Earth."
Preserving Grizzly Habitat through Land Purchases
We strengthen existing grizzly populations that are often forced into non-optimal high-elevation ranges by targeting lowland private properties such as wetlands, meadows, and valleys that border mountain ranges and foothills, and provide access to streams or rivers. These lower elevation parcels allow for early spring and late fall usage by bears, improving their nutritional intake and often enhancing reproductive rates. In many areas, research shows that healthy mothers produce more cubs with a higher survival rate. Land purchases in these areas often have a direct impact on the recovery rate of an existing grizzly population.
Linking Protected Lands
Underlying these purchases, Vital Ground's goal is to expand existing protected lands, both public and private, by protecting adjoining usable grizzly habitat. We place a high priority on creating large protected areas by linking multiple adjoining private properties in a given area.
Most of our private land projects are adjacent to or adjoin protected national and/or state forests and national parks, or are part of a network of private tracts that link up with other protected acreage. This is especially important for grizzlies because they require vast home ranges and prefer to be solitary during most of the year.
Prevention of Human-Bear Conflicts
We seek to prevent unnecessary human-bear conflicts, which tend to decimate the bear population. Riverfront properties in undeveloped, scenic areas are highly desirable for recreation, so the threat of subdivision or commercial development looms large in prime locations. Not surprisingly, people and bears share the same views with respect to what is prime real estate. The presence of roads, pavements, pets and pet foods, garbage cans, bird feeders, fruit trees, and noise in the midst of wilderness can spell disaster for resident bears.
When people move in, most of the experienced bears move out. But a few stick around, often the younger males trying to establish their own piece of territory. In areas where multiple vacation home sites spring up in the midst of bear feeding grounds, grizzlies are bound to cause trouble and often are killed as a result.
We work to prevent human-bear conflicts by prioritizing protection of "inholdings"—private land that is located in the midst of protected habitat, but is targeted for residential or commercial development or sale. Unfortunately, these development pressures tend to push land prices up, often preventing direct purchase by a conservation organization. When feasible, Vital Ground seeks the assistance of conservation buyers to protect these critical parcels.
Encouraging Conservation-Minded Land Owners
Since the early 1990's, Vital Ground has witnessed drastic price escalation in many desirable areas. As a result, wherever possible, we seek to keep key properties in the hands of conservation-minded property owners, while obtaining conservation easements to restrict future development. More and more ranchers and farmers are growing concerned about the imbalance in nature caused by human interference and overuse, and are increasingly interested in an approach to property management that is friendly to, and supportive of, native wild animals and plants.
Partnerships with Other Conservation Organizations
In some instances, we double or triple leverage our land preservation funds through state and federal government matching grants. On large tracts, we form partnerships with other conservation organizations to leverage our resources. As a result, Vital Ground is increasingly developing a reputation among peer organizations as a cooperative partner on projects that fulfill our mission requirements.
After Vital Ground stepped up to the plate to support The Kodiak Brown Bear Trust on a key project in Alaska, Executive Director Tim Richardson exalted, "Vital Ground is again coming through as a key partner for Kodiak bear conservation. Being the first group to commit to 1% of the remaining funding shortfall to protect Afognak Island is an act of conservation leadership sure to set a trend in the nonprofit community."
Jamie Williams, former State Director of The Nature Conservancy of Montana, remarked, "We're thrilled to partner with an organization like Vital Ground, whose mission to protect grizzly bear habitat so closely coincides with our own. By combining forces, we’ve been able to leverage more money toward direct habitat preservation."
After an important deal linking protected tracts, Program Director Dave Carr, also of TNC-Montana, observed, "Grizzlies are seasonal migrants. Due to Vital Ground’s knowledgeable support, we’ve been able to secure protection on some of the key riparian corridors and wetlands that provide a direct linkage for grizzlies to roam from the mountains to the prairies."