Selkirk-Cabinet-Purcell Linkage Zone Initiative
The Selkirk-Cabinet-Purcell Linkage Zone Initiative is an endeavor to seek out strategic conservation opportunities (fee title acquisition and conservation easement) on private lands in northern Idaho and northwest Montana 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.