Change is coming fast and furious to the wildlife of Montana, be it from increasing human populations and associated development, to novel diseases and invasive species, to climate change. At the same time funding and support for nongame wildlife is growing, conservation easements continue to pop up on important habitats across the state, and agencies are partnering to help connect fragmented wildlife populations and reduce the impacts of roads and fences. And the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act continues to languish in legislative limbo in Washington, D.C….it may have failed in 2022, but it’s not dead yet. 

As I write this, America is choosing its next national leaders. When I think about our wildlife and other natural resources, there’s a lot to worry about AND a lot to hope for. Most of us wildlife professionals and students probably go about our daily lives wondering what will happen, and feeling like the fate of our natural world is in somebody else’s hands. But it doesn’t have to be that way. 

There are numerous organizations out there working on conservation policy; among them is our flagship Wildlife Society, which helps bridge the gap between professionals and politicians in order to effect meaningful policy changes that will preserve the things we’ve dedicated our lives to managing, studying, and protecting. TWS has long been a powerful voice in Washington and has developed tools to help state chapters tackle local policy issues and add our voice to national ones. 

My hope in bringing this topic to you for our 2025 conference theme is to help our membership better understand how conservation policy development works across state, tribal, and national levels. And I want to get you fired up about it. Ultimately, I want the Montana Chapter of the Wildlife Society to be more actively engaged with policy–and we need YOU!