One road, two worlds

Today’s technology allows people to live where they want, and many people want to live near the mountains and rivers of the Rocky Mountain West. Montana is now part of this “Third Coast.” As newcomers arrive, loggers and miners share the economic stage with Internet entrepreneurs and service professionals. Our natural resources now have broader value, as amenities as well as commodities.

While Montana feels the same changes occurring throughout the Rocky Mountains, we have an advantage: thanks to the hard choices made by generations past, our fish and wildlife populations remain comparatively healthy. Our challenge: manage this resource for its traditional value and its potential to attract people who are building the economy of the future.

The Montana Challenge Team has compiled information to help Montanans explore key questions. What is the value of fish and wildlife populations? What is our desired relationship with our natural resources? What public policies will help us reach our goals?

The Montana Challenge website includes extensive reports, vignettes, and a library.  We encourage you to review our material and communicate your opinions to decision-makers at all levels.

The Reports section includes research on Montana's geography, economics, demographics, politics, land and water use, fish and wildlife tourism, natural resource law.

Vignettes provides a sampling of fish and wildlife management challenges emerging from Montana's changing social and economic landscape.

The Library is a collection of data and maps on demographics, income and employment, land use,
water use, outdoor recreation, voting on initiatives, accessible by county, National Forest, FWP Region, and Montana's three biophysical regions.