Heart of the Rockies Initiative

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Heart of the Rockies Initiative

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Heart of the Rockies Initiative, Nonprofit Organization, 120 Hickory Street, Missoula, MT.

Heart of the Rockies supports land trusts across the Rocky Mountain West in keeping family farms, ranches, and timberlands in family hands through capacity assistance, collaborative fundraising, data sharing, and networking.

06/17/2026

To maintain ranching economies and traditions – and thereby help conserve irreplaceable private ranchlands in the West – ranchers and conservationists have been working to find ways to reduce grizzly and wolf depredation on these public land grazing allotments that sustain many livestock operations. One of the key practices is more of a revival of old ways rather than something brand new: Range Riding, or having skilled, observant riders spend time with livestock, watching for signs of predator activity.

Learn how range riders are using game cameras in and around their grazing areas to better understand how predators and livestock are sharing the landscape via a new post on our site by Carnivore Conflict Reduction manager Steve Primm. Link in comments.

Camera photo courtesy of Steve Primm.

06/10/2026

Last week, our Partnerships Manager Jim Williams was able to join Nature Conservancy of Canada / Conservation de la nature Canada in Fernie, British Columbia for a celebration of the recently completed Kootenay Forest Lands project. Read on to learn more about this phenomenal member success.

Over 112,000 acres outside of Fernie, British Columbia, totaling around 32% of the valley’s private land, is now protected in perpetuity. This large-scale fee acquisition project completed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada conserves nearly 37,066 acres of core habitat, over 16,308 acres of high-value linkage habitat for grizzly bears, and 578 miles of waterways for bull and westslope cutthroat trout.

Heart of the Rockies Initiative was happy to be able to help support funding for this project through our Keep It Connected program, which helps private foundations and philanthropists easily identify the most critical, ready-to-protect, private lands that fit their values and mission.

Under NCC’s care, the Kootenay Forest Lands will transition from industrial-scale forestry to conservation-focused management. Thoughtful, collaborative stewardship of the Kootenay Forest Lands is essential for habitat restoration, climate mitigation, and safe access. NCC continues to raise funds for both short- and long-term stewardship of the project’s 112,591 acres, with a goal of $12 million CAD. You can learn more about the project and how to support these efforts via link in comments.

06/03/2026

Last week, we gathered with our land trust members, partners, and friends in Montana's Paradise Valley for our annual member meeting. One of the highlights of the week was the opportunity to tour several of our members' conservation easement projects in the valley, which included this recent success we're sharing today.

Over 1,500 acres of highly scenic agricultural land in Paradise Valley’s stunning Mill Creek drainage will remain intact and undeveloped through a conservation easement with the landowners, in partnership with Northern Yellowstone Open Lands, a regional initiative of Gallatin Valley Land Trust.

Heart of the Rockies Initiative was happy to be able to help support funding for this project through our Keep It Connected program, which helps private foundations and philanthropists easily identify the most critical, ready to protect, private lands that fit their values and mission. Read more about this project via the link in comments.

05/22/2026

Our Conservation Director Amy Katz gets pretty excited about maps. Recently, she's been working with a new wildlife connectivity model to help guide our Keep It Connected program objectives. Check out her new "From the Map Files" post to learn how she's using this new model to advance the scientific basis and strategy of the program to serve our land trust members and conservation funders. Link in comments.

Photo by Brent Calver, courtesy of Nature Conservancy of Canada.

05/20/2026

Happy to shine the light on a member land trust success today and celebrate Vital Ground: In December 2025, Vital Ground closed on a 4,482-acre conservation easement on Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front. Just outside of Choteau, Montana, this project protects five miles of the Teton River frontage and two miles of Spring Creek, securing critical riparian movement corridors for grizzly bear use. You can read more on the Vital Ground site, via link in comments.

05/13/2026

Our 31 member land trusts operate throughout the Transboundary Rocky Mountains and make an impact through a wide variety of private land conservation projects. Today, we're celebrating a project of Payette Land Trust, based in McCall, Idaho and dedicated to conserving the rural landscapes of West Central Idaho.

In 2022, over 215 individuals and families came together to raise funds for the Payette Riverwalk Alliance to purchase 44 acres of riverfront property along the North Fork of the Payette River in Valley County, Idaho for the benefit of the community. Payette Land Trust holds the conservation easement on this property, which protects the riverside from development, conserves wildlife habitat, and allows responsible access to the river.

05/06/2026

The community of Yaak, in northwestern Montana, has worked hard over the last three years to secure funding to restore their 100-year-old community hall. Our Rural Initiatives program has enjoyed collaborating and supporting the community in their phenomenal efforts to begin restoration this year! Visit our site via the link in comments to learn more about this transformative project and the final stretch of work to complete the community's vision.

04/29/2026

We love highlighting the good work of our 31 member land trusts throughout the Transboundary Rocky Mountains. Palouse Land Trust works with landowners and communities to permanently conserve the very best of the Palouse and north-central Idaho: open spaces and iconic landscapes, rare ecosystems, working farms and forests, healthy wildlife and fish habitat, and special outdoor places that bring the community together. Learn more about Palouse Land Trust via the link in comments.

04/15/2026

Montana is ranching country, consistently ranking in the top seven states for beef calf production, with similar standings for lamb and wool. Those ranchlands are also at least seasonal habitat for most of the birds and mammals that live in the state – which means that occasionally, big predators such as grizzly bears and wolves will roam across private ranchlands. Link in comments to learn from Heart of the Rockies Initiative's Carnivore Conflict Reduction Manager Steve Primm about the important role that carcass removal and composting plays in reducing conflicts with carnivores on ranchlands.

Photo courtesy of Steve Primm

04/08/2026

Heart of the Rockies Initiative welcomed our newest member land trust, Summit Land Conservancy, in the fall of 2025. Established in 2002 and based in Park City, Utah, Summit Land Conservancy works with Utah communities to conserve land and water for the benefit of people and nature. Learn more via a new member profile post on our site, linked in comments.

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120 Hickory Street
Missoula, MT
59801

Website

https://heart-of-rockies.org/donate/

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