Montana's Outdoor Legacy Foundation

10/01/2026

MOLF partners with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff to support programs that reduce conflicts between people and wildlife, including bears, through education, partnerships, and community engagement. Bear specialists like Jeremiah Smith work tirelessly through programs such as Missoula Bears to help communities prevent terrible situations like this.

"The loss of 14 bears brings painful weight to the familiar warning: “A fed bear is a dead bear.” Food left within reach can draw a bear back again and again, gradually replacing its natural caution with an expectation of another meal.

Protecting bears begins long before a game warden arrives. It begins with the choices people make around their homes—securing garbage, removing food attractants and allowing wildlife to remain wild. Those simple acts can spare a neighborhood from danger and a bear from a preventable death.”

BOZEMAN — Fourteen black bears were euthanized at a residence north of Bozeman after Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks investigators found the animals had become deeply dependent on human food sources and dangerously comfortable around people.

09/30/2026

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks opened the doors to their new avian walkway at Montana Wild - FWP this week, a space designed to support the care, rehabilitation, and education surrounding Montana’s birds. The new buildings include a flight barn used for rehab and a walkway allowing visitors to view the 13 ambassador raptors.

Much of the funding for the project was provided by private and business donations through Montana’s Outdoor Legacy Foundation (MOLF) and the Foundation for Animals.

Thank you to Governor Greg Gianforte, FWP Director Christy Clark and the many MOLF board members who attended this exciting grand opening.

https://www.ktvh.com/news/a-new-chapter-takes-flight-at-montana-wild-avian-walkway-opens

08/10/2026

A great example of conservation through partnership.

Montana's Outdoor Legacy Foundation helped make this important wildlife corridor project possible by providing nearly half of the funding to replace five miles of fencing along Highway 212 in southeast Montana.

Working alongside Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, North American Pronghorn Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, the Wyoming Migration Initiative, Montana landowners, and many other partners, this project removes a critical barrier for migrating pronghorn traveling between Montana and Wyoming.

By turning research into on-the-ground action, this project helps ensure pronghorn can continue moving to seasonal habitat, improving their chances of surviving harsh winters and maintaining healthy populations for generations to come.

Conservation works best when landowners, sportsmen, conservation organizations, agencies, and private partners come together around practical solutions. We're honored to have been part of this effort and grateful to everyone who helped make it happen.

Read more about this outstanding partnership: https://fwp.mt.gov/homepage/news/2026/july/0729-pronghorn

07/15/2026

We applaud the U.S. Department of the Interior's decision to officially transfer grizzly bear management responsibility to the State of Montana and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

For more than a decade, MOLF has worked alongside Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to strengthen the agency's ability to manage Montana's expanding grizzly bear population while helping minimize conflicts between people and bears.

The Department's decision should be viewed as a success of the Endangered Species Act. For well over a decade, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has led the vast majority of grizzly bear management activities in the state. This decision formally recognizes the role the agency has already been performing.

We extend our thanks to Secretary Doug Burgum and Governor Greg Gianforte for making this transition possible. The Foundation remains committed to supporting Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and its ongoing grizzly bear management efforts.

07/01/2026

Starting July 1, Montanans can purchase a new specialty license plate that raises funds and awareness for wildlife crossing structures on highways.

Each sale of the new specialty plate will generate a $20 contribution to the Wildlife Highway Crossings and Accommodations Account, created by the 2025 Montana Legislature and administered by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to help fund wildlife connectivity and wildlife collision-reduction projects across the state.

https://fwp.mt.gov/homepage/news/2026/jun/0626-new-license-plate-supports-safe-crossings-for-wildlife

01/28/2026

As covered in Bozeman Magazine, "MOLF’s contribution provides stipends of $1,500 per hazer, helping ensure qualified, local riders remain available from March through May — a period when brucellosis transmission risk is highest. The stipend provides hazers, who must be hired in advance, a guaranteed income level before the winter's hazing requirements are known.

“With consistent support from Montana Outdoor Legacy Foundation and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, elk hazing has become one of our most effective tools for keeping elk and cattle separated and reducing the risk of brucellosis—especially during the critical calving period into May,” said Druska Kinkie, a Paradise Valley rancher.

Paradise Valley, Mont. — Montana’s Outdoor Legacy Foundation (MOLF) has awarded a $3,000 grant to support an elk hazing program in Paradise Valley, helping ranchers and wildlife managers reduce the risk of brucellosis transmission by keeping cattle and elk separated during the calving

01/26/2026

“This is a great example of how modest investments can make a real difference,” MOLF Executive Director Mitch King said. “By helping retain experienced local hazers, we’re supporting ranchers, reducing disease risk, and strengthening a partnership that has proven successful year after year.”

$3,000 grant helps retain experienced local riders during critical calving season.

01/26/2026

Montana’s Outdoor Legacy Foundation has awarded a $3,000 grant to support an elk hazing program in Paradise Valley, helping ranchers and wildlife managers reduce the risk of brucellosis transmission by keeping cattle and elk separated during the calving season.

“With consistent support from Montana Outdoor Legacy Foundation and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, elk hazing has become one of our most effective tools for keeping elk and cattle separated and reducing the risk of brucellosis—especially during the critical calving period into May,” said Druska Kinkie, a Paradise Valley rancher. “That time of year can be challenging due to weather, green-up, and predator activity, but this support makes it possible to move elk successfully while continuing to coexist with large herds.”

$3,000 grant helps retain experienced local riders during critical calving season.

01/22/2026

Do you know what Montana’s grizzly bears actually eat? (Hint: not human food.)

Most of a grizzly’s diet is natural, wild foods, and it changes with the seasons:

🌿 Plants & roots like grasses and tubers
🫐 Berries—especially critical in late summer and fall
🐜 Insects like ants and grubs (small, but high-energy!)
🐟 Fish, plus carrion from winter-killed animals when available

Grizzlies are adaptable omnivores, but plants make up the majority of their diet—often 80–90% over the year.

Great info from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reminding us why keeping wild food sources healthy—and human food secured—matters for bears and people alike. 🐻

https://fwp.mt.gov/binaries/content/assets/fwp/conservation/bears/grizzly-bear-diet-reference-guide-september-10-2024.pdf

01/12/2026

A tragic, but expected ending. If you feed bears and habituate them to humans, bad things happen.

In this case, game wardens tranquilized seven bears. Three cubs were taken to Montana Wild - FWP for possible zoo placements. The four remaining female adult bears were euthanized because they were habituated to humans.

Game wardens captured eight black bears on the property, including five adults that had to be euthanized for human habituation and three cubs taken for possible zoo placements.