Six Months In, a Powerful Voice for Change

by Stephen Capra, Executive Director, Bold Visions Conservation

As we barrel towards the end of the year, it is essential to reflect on what Bold Visions has done to help wildlife and public lands. It was just this past June that we began this journey. That is when Bold Visions was reconstituted after many years in the dark, and I officially left Footloose Montana.

From the start, our goal has been to be a voice for wildlife and to enhance protections for our public lands so wildlife can thrive. Over the past six months, we have achieved the following:

— We have worked to educate and create a proposal to protect more than 1.6 million acres of public lands near Bozeman into the Madison-Gallatin National Monument, a name likely to change if we garner native American support. This vast tract of wildlands is home to wolves, grizzlies, wolverines, lynx, and bison, to name just a few species. It is the first Monument designed to be created for wildlife.

— We are signing up businesses and working to grow support. Early next year, I have been asked to present this idea to all the Tribes of Idaho and Montana at a gathering. This is a unique honor and could make a real difference in supporting this Monument.

— We created the sportsmen’s group Hunters in Defense of Predators, defenseofpredators.org, and hired Joey Morin as the Executive Director. The group is designed to push for a more Leopolian sense of fair chase and ethics. They oppose trapping and wildlife-killing contests and the use of modern technology in hunting. They also are making clear that Montana and Idaho Game and Fish do not have the best interests of wildlife. Much more to come.

— We continue our contract with Mike Bader, the person responsible for removing 64 days from this year’s trapping season; he will be working on new maps and biological reports shortly.

— We are working with Garrick Dutcher of Living with Wolves in Idaho to create a 500,000-acre area off-limits to the hunting and trapping of wolves near Boise that would be called the Youth Education and Research area. This would be the only place in the state where wolves are not being slaughtered.

— We have testified and written extensively about the pathetic state of Montana and Idaho Game and Fish. We will never stop until trapping is banned on public lands and the slaughter of wolves and grizzlies is stopped.

These are not straightforward campaigns, given the conservative climate of both states, but they are vital.

We continue to speak out and do so with honesty and heart. There is so much to do in the year ahead, but we feel grateful for our successes in just six months; 2024 will be exciting! For now, we wish you the best of Holidays full of love and joy.

We also ask that you consider an end-of-the-year donation! All donations will be matched 100%. Take some time and visit our website. BVconservation.org

Happy Holidays from all of us at Bold Visions Conservation.