M. Burda and a Snapping Turtle
Montana's Comprehensive Strategy has four main components based on 1) geography, 2) fish and wildlife communities, 3) species in the greatest need of conservation, and 4) species that need to be inventoried. It evaluates and ranks 100 aquatic habitats and 70 terrestrial habitats.
With this kind of broad focus all species that share a particular landscape will benefit from future conservation.
See Montana's Full Strategy or the Executive Summary.
The links and information below offer additional opportunities to explore Montana's Comprehensive Strategy and to learn more about specific projects.
Focus areas were developed based on the largest number of species and communities that would benefit from conservation in Montana.
- Montana FWP CFWCS Tier One Terrestrial Focus Areas (
3.7 MB) | (JPG 776 KB)
- Montana FWP CFWCS Tier One Aquatic Focus Areas ( 3.7 MB) | (JPG 776 KB)
Although fish and wildlife communities have not yet been defined for all of Montana, enough information exists about fish, wildlife and their associated habitats to begin describing community types.
- Grassland Complexes
- Mixed Broadleaf Forests (Woody Draws and Aspen Galleries)
- Mixed Shrub/Grass Associations
- Riparian and Wetlands
- Sagebrush and Salt Flats
- Mountain Streams
- Prairie Rivers and Streams
Out of the more than 600 fish and wildlife species in Montana, 60 are in the “greatest need of conservation” to prevent them from becoming endangered and more costly to manage.
A thorough understanding Montana's fish and wildlife populations depends on accurate scientific information.
State Wildlife Grants (SWG) is the nation’s core program for keeping common species common and preventing rare species from becoming endangered. About $7.5 million has been delivered to Montana since 2000.
