Moose in an urban area.

These vignettes tell the stories of eight fish and wildlife issues that are making the news in Montana. They put a human face on the statistics and analysis developed for the Montana Challenge.

The vignettes are more than examples and less than case studies. They are not the definitive word on any issue. Rather, they illustrate how fish and wildlife management involves much more than the ecological needs of any fish, mammal, or bird. In our times, wildlife management is very much about understanding the human species -- where we live, how we make our living, and what we think is important.

These vignettes portray the impact on wildlife when human communities undergo demographic, economic, and social change. They explore the increasingly complex and emotional situations faced by resource managers as they try to protect one of Montana's crown jewels, its magnificent fish and wildlife populations.

• Sage Grouse In Montana
• The Flathead Fish Project
• Room To Roam: Wildlife Migration In A Developed Landscape
• The Missouri Three: Pallid Sturgeon, Paddlefish, Sauger
• Access To Recreation: It's The Last Best Place… And Everyone Wants A Piece Of It
• Wolf Management
• On The (Elk) Horns Of A Dilemma: Elk Management In The Elkhorns And Pine Ridge
• A Definite Maybe: Will Coalbed Methane Development Harm Montana's Fish and Wildlife?

These vignettes were researched and written by Susan Bury, Stauffer Bury Inc., Red Lodge, with the help of resource managers from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks and the US Forest Service-Northern Region as well as many individuals.