Wildlife

Conservation of wildlife populations and ecosystems

By Treasure Montana

September 19^th, 2024

We Champion Wildlife Conservation in the West and Beyond.

The W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation is at the forefront of developing innovative strategies to inform complex decisions impacting western conservation and management. We provide critical scientific insights to advise state and federal agencies and non-government organizations on issues that have vast economic and environmental implications.

Here, students and faculty don’t just study the environment — they live and learn within it. From the rugged Rocky Mountains to expansive prairies, Montana offers access to some of the most pristine wilderness in the U.S. Its rich biodiversity, extensive forests and working landscapes like ranches and timberlands provide an unparalleled setting for students to engage in real-world environmental challenges.

Our faculty are leaders in their fields and conduct cutting-edge research on these dynamic landscapes, collaborating with agencies like the U.S. Forest Service; the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and the National Park Service. This close-knit, collegial community fosters strong mentorship and opportunities for transformative projects with direct environmental impact. Ranked nationally in wildlife biology and ecology, the Franke College focuses on experiential learning that prepares graduates to manage, conserve and restore ecosystems globally.

Our interdisciplinary approach allows students to learn from and work alongside world-class faculty, drawing upon expertise spanning microbiology, conservation genetics, and physiology to ecosystem science, population and habitat ecology, human dimensions, and policy.

Your support of this building project will help ensure Franke College students and faculty have a modern space to research, learn and collaborate to better serve communities in Montana and beyond.

Read our stories below to learn about the impact and urgency of our work and how your support can make a difference.

New UM Professorship Embodies Couple’s Passion for Wildlife and Conservation

UM faculty member Mark Hebblewhite has been appointed the first Earle and Pattie Layser Endowed Distinguished Professorship in Conservation Biology and Policy. Learn how this professorship will advance the Wildlife Biology Program's work to protect vibrant ecosystems.

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Our students become leaders in their fields, bringing science to the dynamic management of wildlife populations and their habitats.

Songbirds Reveal Secrets of Long-term Mining Impacts

A graduate student in UM’s Wildlife Biology program and a longtime member of the university’s Bird Ecology Lab, Mary Venegas is conducting research that is part of a larger effort to understand how historic mining activity continues to impact Montana’s wildlife, including nestling songbirds.

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Snapshot Montana: UM Explores Animal Behavior with Camera Traps

Mahdieh Tourani, an assistant professor of quantitative ecology at UM, uses camera traps to study animals where they are often hard to find, from densely forested northwest Montana to the Himalayas. Her work has advanced how scientists, including students, use this technology to collaborate and answer important questions about wildlife.

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Made by a Griz for Grizzlies

Before bear spray, encounters between people and bears often ended in bullets. That changed when graduate student Carrie Hunt developed the life-saving deterrent at the University of Montana in the 1980s. Over 40 years later, bear spray is one of the most important tools for human-wildlife coexistence.

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ALPINE ENIGMAS

UM researchers are scaling new heights to unravel the mysteries of Montana's bighorn sheep and mountain goat populations. Led by Dan Walsh, leader of the Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit at the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, the team is capturing, collaring and tracking these animals to help shape wildlife management strategies across the state.

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Duck Drive: UM Students Band Together for Waterfowl Conservation

Through hands-on research and a collaborative duck-banding drive, UM students, faculty and community volunteers are contributing to a decades-long effort to protect the dwindling lesser scaup population and its habitat.

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UM Scientists Help Montana Understand Its Future with Grizzly Bears

In early 2025, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will decide whether to delist some populations of grizzly bears in the U.S. Northern Rockies. As Montanans consider their future with grizzly bears, University of Montana scientists are helping inform the social, ecological and policy aspects of the dialogue.

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Elk Research: UM Scientists, Students Study a Changing Population

In Noxon, Montana, an investigative team of UM wildlife biology professors and students is helping Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks spearhead research to understand the many complex factors affecting the state's elk population.

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Global Study Finds While Humans Sheltered in place, wildlife roamed

During the COVID-19 pandemic, wild animals took the opportunity to roam spaces they had previously avoided. Dr. Mark Hebblewhite, professor of ungulate habitat ecology at UM, joined an international research team in analyzing global data from 2,300 land mammals to learn about wildlife responses to the worldwide lockdown.

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Connect With Us

To learn more and to support the Franke College, contact Melinda Booth, senior director of development for the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation and the Wildlife Biology Program, at melinda.booth@supportum.org or 406-243-2593. You may also visit our Contact page to submit a message.