Award recognizes lasting commitment to wildlife in the state
Grizzly bears may not be able to recognize state boundaries, but state-level conservation groups have played a major role in the species’ recovery from the brink of extinction in the Lower 48. Vital Ground was proud to have our own habitat protection and conflict prevention efforts for grizzlies and all things wild—the majority of which occur in Montana—recognized recently by a longtime state-level conservation leader, the Montana Wildlife Federation (MWF). This spring, MWF selected Vital Ground as its 2025 Conservation Organization of the Year.
Each year, MWF recognizes its Conservation Organization of the Year based on a group or nonprofit’s measurable efforts to conserve Montana’s natural resources and wildlife, their history of consistent commitment, and their continued promise to advance the cause of conservation in the years ahead. The award honors organizations that have most effectively promoted natural resource conservation in Montana through on-the-ground work, public education and long-term impact.
“We look at the success we’ve had with species like the grizzly bear, and it’s clear that conservation wins are built on decades of quiet, steady work,” said Frank Szollosi, Executive Director of the Montana Wildlife Federation. “Vital Ground has been one of those key contributors, advancing landscape-level protection in a way that benefits not just wildlife, but also unites Montanans.”
Starting with our first conservation project along the Rocky Mountain Front 35 years ago, Vital Ground has focused the bulk of our efforts on Montana, where grizzly bears continue to slowly re-connect their fragmented habitat strongholds. From working lands and riparian corridors along the Front to the rugged Yaak Valley in the state’s northwestern corner to rangelands outside Yellowstone National Park in Southwest Montana, Vital Ground’s conservation easements, land acquisitions and conflict prevention partnerships have helped build a safer, more open landscape for the benefit of wildlife and people alike.
Vital Ground has directly conserved more than 6,500 acres on private lands in Montana, with our partner projects positively impacting hundreds of thousands more. Those numbers are set to rise significantly in the next year, with more than a dozen habitat protection projects currently moving forward, including the two largest conservation easements in our history.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by Montana’s oldest conservation organization,” said Ryan Lutey, Executive Director of Vital Ground. “We greatly appreciate how effectively the Federation brings together Montana’s wildlife enthusiasts to unite their voices on myriad conservation issues that may fall outside the scope of Vital Ground’s mission but that benefit grizzlies and other wildlife nonetheless. We’re also deeply grateful to Vital Ground’s community of supporters that extends far beyond Montana and without whom none of the organization’s conservation successes would be possible.”