News - Montana Wildlife Federation

MWF Celebrates Landmark Decision in Youth-led Climate Case

August 14, 2023 by Cameron Evans

Today’s landmark decision by the Lewis and Clark County District Court marks an unprecedented triumph in the fight for climate justice, and the protection of wildlife, habitat and future generations of Montanans. We at the Montana Wildlife Federation, Montana’s oldest, largest, and most effective wildlife conservation organization, are deeply grateful to the young whose actions inspire us to redouble our commitment to climate action.

“This historic ruling is a monumental win not only for the youth plaintiffs, but for the people of Montana and the nation,” said Frank Szollosi, Executive Director of the Montana Wildlife Federation. “It affirms our constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment and sets a precedent that holds governments accountable to considering the impacts of energy projects. Today, we celebrate a victory that transcends generations, aligning with our enduring fight to conserve Montana’s natural resources and ensure a thriving environment amid the challenges of climate change.”

Judge Kathy Seeley’s ruling that the provision in the Montana Environmental Policy Act is unconstitutional resonates with our core mission. Her recognition that the plaintiffs have a “fundamental constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment, which includes climate as part of the environmental life-support system” strikes at the very heart of what we strive to preserve every day.

This victory belongs to the courageous youth of Montana who have become pioneers in a national movement that demands governments fulfill their duty to address climate change. Their efforts are not only an inspiration to us in Montana but to people around the world who are standing up for the right to live in a healthy environment.

“Montana hunters and anglers know the science and know the impacts that climate change is having on our habitat and wildlife,” Szollosi said. “These young people are correct, rising water temperatures and extreme weather are taking a toll, whether that be on westslope cutthroat trout or migrating ungulates such as mule deer. State action that fails to take into account climate science is short-sighted, wrong and constitutionally, illegal.”

By holding the state accountable for failing to consider the impacts of energy projects, we hope to see a transformative shift in policy and action not only in Montana but across the nation.

Montana’s rich natural resources should be managed responsibly to ensure they serve future generations. This ruling is a crucial step towards a sustainable future where economic prosperity and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.

“Today, Montana stands as a beacon of hope and a symbol of what determined, united action can achieve for the health of our planet and the legacy we leave for future generations.”

MWF & Wild Montana file lawsuit to protect Legislature’s right to override Governor’s veto

June 7, 2023 by Cameron Evans

The Montana Wildlife Federation and Wild Montana filed suit today to compel Governor Greg Gianforte and Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen to comply with their obligations under the Montana Constitution and allow the Montana Legislature the opportunity to override the Governor’s veto of Senate Bill 442 (“SB 442”).

On May 1, 2023, the Legislature passed SB 442—an overwhelmingly bipartisan, politically popular measure that directs recreational marijuana tax revenue to conservation and recreation programs, local infrastructure projects, and veterans’ services. Of 150 legislators, 130 voted to pass SB 442. The next day, the Governor vetoed the bill, but the Senate adjourned before the veto was communicated to the full Senate.

When the Governor vetoes a bill passed by a supermajority of legislators after the Legislature has adjourned, the Constitution requires that the Secretary poll the Legislature by mail. Normally, the Governor returns the bill with his reasons for veto to the Secretary, triggering the post-adjournment override process. When the Governor failed to take that step, Wild Montana—a nonprofit grassroots conservation organization that unites and mobilizes communities to keep Montana wild—and the Montana Wildlife Federation—Montana’s oldest, largest, and most effective wildlife conservation organization—called on the Governor to uphold the Montana Constitution and return the bill to the Secretary. The Governor refused, leading to today’s filing.

“Montanans are disappointed in Governor Gianforte’s veto of SB 442, a wildly popular bipartisan bill that made historic investments in conservation, public access, and rural infrastructure,” said Noah Marion, state policy director for Wild Montana. “But even more importantly, it’s the Governor’s duty to play by the rules. The Governor can’t obstruct the legislature’s authority with procedural trickery.”

“Contrary to the wishes of 130 legislators and countless Montanans, the Governor’s veto takes tens of millions of dollars away from wildlife, roads, rural communities, and veterans,” said Frank Szollosi, Executive Director for Montana Wildlife Federation. “Our Constitution provides that the Legislature gets a chance to override a veto. The executive branch cannot stand in the way.”

“The Montana Constitution empowers the Legislature to override a veto by a two-thirds vote in all circumstances—there are no loopholes,” said Constance Van Kley, Litigation Director of Upper Seven Law, who represents Wild Montana and the Montana Wildlife Federation. “The Governor cannot usurp the Legislature’s role with a creatively timed veto.”

The Montana Wildlife Federation and Wild Montana are working tirelessly to defend the integrity of the legislative process and protect Montana’s natural resources. You can play a crucial role in supporting their legal action by becoming a member of Montana Wildlife Federation and making a donation today.

By pursuing legal action, the Montana Wildlife Federation and Wild Montana strive to protect the integrity of the legislative process and ensure that Montanans’ voices are heard. To stay informed about this ongoing case and support the efforts of these organizations, subscribe to emails from the Montana Wildlife Federation. Together, we can uphold the principles of democracy and champion the preservation of Montana’s precious natural resources.

About Upper Seven Law: Upper Seven Law is a Montana-based nonprofit law firm dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. Based on the belief that creativity and innovation in law are essential to advancing social justice and public interest objectives, Upper Seven takes smart risks and invests the time necessary to build foundations for long-term accountability work.

Free Prairie Stream Restoration Workshop and Field Day offered May 6 in Winifred

April 17, 2023 by Guest Profile

By North-Central/Eastern Montana Field Coordinator Morgan Marks.

Learn about prairie stream restoration and how it can improve drought-resilience, forage, and wildlife habitats on rangelands during a free workshop on Saturday, May 6, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Winifred Town Hall and Museum, 210 Main Street, in Fergus County, Montana.

The Montana Wildlife Federation; Bureau of Land Management, Montana-Dakotas; and the National Wildlife Federation, Northern Rockies and Prairies; will host the one-day workshop, which includes lunch and a field trip to see a nearby recently completed restoration project.

“Landowners, farmers, ranchers and even the general public who want to learn more about stream restoration are welcome to attend,” said Morgan Marks, north-central field representative for the Montana Wildlife Federation. “Keeping water on the land for longer can support range health and increase forage availability over time thus helping to mitigate impacts of drought. Low-technology practices use materials already on the landscape to restore riparian areas and can be a cost-effective method to achieve lasting results.”

The workshop will feature several organizations, landowners, and agencies presenting project stories, resources, and other information that can support the implementation of prairie stream restoration projects.

Participating organizations include Winnett ACES, Montana Freshwater Partners, Northern Great Plains Joint Venture, National Resources Conservation Service, World Wildlife Fund, Pheasants Forever, Montana Conservation Corps, One Montana, and Montana Audubon.

To register, or if you have questions, please email Morgan Marks at morgan@mtwf.org, or call her at 406-403-4464. Please, register to attend by Monday, May 1, so event planners can make sure there will be enough lunch for all attendees.

You’re invited to attend our day-long public wildlife conference

April 12, 2023March 24, 2023 by Guest Profile

By Montana Wildlife Federation President and Board Chair, Dr. Chris Servheen.

It seems like it’s been a long winter, but spring is in the air. The sun feels warmer every day. Did you know there is a special word to describe the warmth of the winter sun especially as spring approaches? That word is apricity, which means the warmth of the sun in winter. The birds around my house are singing in the snow and the local marsh is frozen and snowy but the red-winged blackbirds are back, and they act like it is 70 degrees as they sing perched over the ice every morning.

MWF has been busy with the legislature and working hard to build bipartisan support for conservation programs on habitat, elk management and predator legislation. It is the halfway mark of the legislature as I write this. We have seen some successes and some problems. Habitat Montana funding is still under threat even though the voters overwhelmingly supported taxing marijuana sales to fund this very beneficial program. We will keep pushing and hope for the best by the end of the session.

MWF is planning a day-long public conference on April 15 in Helena at the Best Western Premier Hotel with presentations on key wildlife issues in Montana. We will have presentations on lessons from Yellowstone for wolf management In Montana, an update on avian flu in Montana, the importance of instream flow to maintain our cold-water fisheries, beaver conservation and management in Montana, and the path forward for grizzly bears. We will also host a one-hour panel discussion by legislators on the 2023 legislative session with discussions on important bills passed by the legislature that impact elk hunting, habitat conservation, Habitat Montana, predator management, and access issues. This legislator panel discussion will include an opportunity for questions from the audience.

This conference on Saturday starts at 9 a.m. and is open and free to the public so please plan to attend. The day will conclude at 4 p.m. with the 2023 MWF awards. There will be awards presented to the MWF affiliate of the year, the 2023 outstanding conservation leader, a special achievement award for landowner/sportsman relations, two agency employee conservation awards, the Les Pengelly Award for conservation excellence, and the unsung hero award. We really encourage everyone to attend to recognize these Montana conservation leaders.

Hopefully, spring will arrive soon, and we can start putting away our skis, getting our boats ready for the season, and dusting off our backpacking and fly-fishing gear as the weather warms. I hope to see you at the MWF wildlife conference on April 15 in Helena. Watch the livestream HERE.

From Field to Freezer: A Deer Processing Workshop

March 6, 2023March 6, 2023 by Guest Profile

By MWF North-Central Field Representative Morgan Marks.

Hosted and instructed by Katie Vivian, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Region 4 Fisheries Biologist and her husband, with instructional support from Ashley Hammans, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Giant Springs Hatchery Culturist.

On a beautiful Sunday in late November, 10 women gathered together outside Great Falls to build their skills and learn about butchering and processing deer. Through scheming and conversations shared between Katie Vivian, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Region 4 Fisheries Biologist, and Morgan Marks, Field Representative with Montana Wildlife Federation, the idea for an all-women’s butchering workshop took shape over the summer and early fall and came to fruition as the general rifle hunting season neared completion.

Women who attended were avid hunters and others had not hunted before nor harvested game, but shared that they attended out of curiosity and a desire to learn more about butchering wild game. One participant was 12 years old, and organizers were ecstatic about reaching youth with these important and traditional skill sets. Women traveled from across Montana to participate and grow their skills, including from Helena, Missoula, Great Falls, and Bozeman.

Katie led the workshop and shared skills she learned independently through experiences hunting and harvesting wild game. She is self taught and hell-bent on teaching others, especially women, because she believes that every person can butcher wild game. “While the practice of butchering takes time, it’s rewarding to break down an animal you harvested,” she said, “and learn from it. For example, you can see how accurate your shot was and better understand how to make adjustments in the future.”

In the days leading up to the workshop, two whitetail doe were generously harvested by Katie and her husband, and donated to the workshop for women to learn from. Topics included the following:

Experiential learning
Safety around butchering wild game, especially with sharp knives and mindfulness about butchering with more than one person
Field dressing and the Gutless Method
Skinning animals taken out whole and skinning in the field
Quartering and deboning
Meat care and preparation in regard to temperature, place, freezing, labeling and materials needed for every step of the butchering process
Anatomy of deer and what parts of a deer are best for what cuts of meat
Awareness of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and guidance around CWD positive wild game
Trimming and packaging meat into freezer ready products

Stay tuned for more workshops in 2023 pertaining to skill building, leadership development, and advocacy! If there’s a specific topic you’re interested in, have questions about, and want to learn about, please contact MWF North-Central Field Representative Morgan Marks at morgan@mtwf.org

The goals of these women-focused events are three-fold: to increase women’s access and participation in outdoor recreation; give women the tools, skills and confidence to continue to build upon skills learned in a safe and welcoming space; and increase women’s involvement and representation in conservation. Studies have shown that creating a space for women in hunting and fishing not only helps them access the sport, but also keeps them involved in the sport over time. That’s the goal of women focused events, to continue creating spaces where women can learn, gather, network, have fun, and grow.

Lastly, our community is an inclusive one. We welcome all womxn and gender non-conforming folks to this event and other women-focused events. If you identify yourself as a woman, no matter the complexity, we welcome you.

The clinic aimed to not only teach women how to butcher their harvests, but also to foster community and friendships among women. With similar goals, MWF and Artemis Sportswomen hosted the 2nd Annual Women’s Ice Fishing Clinic in February. Read all about that event HERE.

Many thanks to North40 for their generosity in donating two sets of knives! Two women were able to go home with a new knife set to put their skills to work this hunting season and they were thrilled. We have much gratitude for North40 continuing to support women-led and women-focused skill development events such as this.

The below photos were taken by Cameron Evans and show the indoor portion of the workshop. Deer meat was trimmed from bones and placed into containers for grinding, stew, steak, and disposal. Fat was saved to be made later into tallow soap. Processed meat was packaged with freezer paper and vacuum sealed bags. If you’re familiar with cuts of meat and butchering wild game, you’ll be able to identify specific cuts of meat, such as the beautiful and prized backstrap depicted in a few photos.