Real conservation, based in biology.

In order to honor our supporters’ commitment to conservation, we know our projects must carry lasting impacts for land, wildlife and communities. That’s why we make sure our work is always guided by science.

Our partnerships with the scientific community take many forms. We consult with wildlife biologists and stay current with the latest research in order to identify the right places for habitat protection and conflict prevention. We also support new research through our Conservation Partners Grant Program, periodically helping fund studies that add to public knowledge and the management toolbox of wildlife professionals.

Those partnerships have led to improved electric fencing options that prevent bear conflicts in the Blackfoot Valley (see video below). They’ve helped document the demographics of the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem’s small, fragmented grizzly population. And most recently, they’ve allowed to us to begin a new, science-based strategic planning process for Vital Ground. Over the course of 2017, we utilized our strong reputation in the bear science community to host a series of roundtables with biologists and wildlife managers from across the Northern Rockies region. Nearly 50 experts convened from federal, state, tribal and academic settings to offer first-hand wisdom on the greatest areas of need when it comes to protecting grizzly habitat and preventing bear-human conflicts.

This groundbreaking collaborative effort will help shape our work for years to come. It’s all so we can improve our ability to save the right places. Because as biologist, author and Vital Ground trustee Douglas Chadwick says best, “We don’t need to protect thousands and thousands of acres, but hundreds of acres in exactly the right place.”