Stephen Capra, Bold Visions Conservation
Fighting for change in Montana is the mantra we must all hold on to. For a change for wildlife, change for protecting our public lands must occur if wildlife is to thrive so we can hike, bike, and raft without fear for our pets or families.
Today in Montana, like the old West, trappers and those who would kill grizzlies still reign supreme. After spending more than two months lobbying this past legislative session, there remain several things I can tell you. Trappers had far more presence than conservationists. Not a single member of my former board at Footloose could be bothered to lobby, and only on a few occasions was I joined by volunteers.
We won because we had the facts, the justice, and your calls and letters to even pull some Republicans into our camp. Thankfully, we defeated SB-372. Moving forward, we must be prepared for their efforts to redefine insanity.
We see that with actions on grizzly bears, the mood of the governor and the efforts to delist this great bear is playing out recently, with people feeling emboldened to kill bears in Wyoming and now in the Cabinet mountains.
Rather than sit back, we must go on the offense and make clear to elected officials that we do not support killing grizzly bears, and that killing wolves must be stopped. We expect more from those who hold office and that the agencies that continue to manage wildlife only to be trapped or shot while ignoring the vast majority of people that simply are asking for co-existence.
Spending time in the legislature is like going back in time. The ideas, the radical concepts, and the disdain for wildlife is something that requires large numbers of people to confront lawmakers, our governor, and those in Washington who call themselves democrats but continue their silence on relisting wolves and remain open to a season of hunting and trapping grizzlies.
Our goal at Bold Visions Conservation is to get people, communities, and elected officials to embrace the beauty and power of healthy and diverse wildlife and protection.
It is to push ideas like the creation of a new National Monument in the Gallatin Range to complete Yellowstone Park by making sure that wildlife can thrive in wilderness and protected land while making clear it is to be trap-free.
We must be bold, for time is not on the side of wildlife; we bear the responsibility to ensure their safety and protection. We cannot stand by while those who economically gain from their killing.
We can do so much better, and now is the time to push forward with a bold agenda to make life for wildlife better in Montana. Bold Visions Conservation will be working with a variety of conservation organizations, and we welcome that..
We need groups to work together for the common good of all wildlife. We stand prepared to work with any group for change.
To hit the ground running, a link to our website is below. You’ll see it is far from complete, but you can begin to learn about the focus Bold Visions plans to implement. Best of all, you can donate to push that agenda forward!
Please take a moment to look at our new website, and we welcome your feedback and support! You can also sign up to receive our newsletter while you’re there:
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