February 2021 E-News
A Note From Our Executive Director...

It is ingrained in Montana Audubon's history to be involved at the legislature and to ensure we have a strong voice for conservation there, and this year's legislative session is no different. Our team has been hard at work tracking, strategizing, and testifying, and while this year might look different (we are doing our lobbying virtually), our commitment to protecting wildlife, land conservation, important funding programs like Habitat Montana, and more, remains the same as always.

On top of a busy start to the Montana legislative season, we've welcomed new team members, continued providing education programs for children and families at the Montana Audubon Center, and continued to defend our crucial federal conservation programs like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. 

Thanks for your support and for being part of this work with us. We're excited to share our latest updates with you below.

With gratitude,
Larry
 
Join Montana Audubon and Montana Wild for an
Intro to E-Birding and Backyard Birding Course

This Wednesday, February 10th at 7pm 
On Zoom!

To Register

February 2021 Legislative Update

The first month of the 2021 legislative session has flown by! Montana Audubon's lobbying team has been working the Capitol remotely every day: It has been a relatively slow start with testifying on 9 bills, supporting 2 and opposing 7. On January 21st we testified against SB 98, which would have allowed anyone to kill any grizzly bear at any time if livestock were in the area, resulting in the unregulated killing of grizzly bears, still a species listed on the Endangered Species Act, in Montana. On January 28th this bill was tabled in committee, and to show how quickly things can change, on February 5th SB 98 was pulled off the table and passed through Senate Agriculture on a party-line vote, 7-4. Now we will have to follow this vote to the Senate Floor. 

With this quick change of events, we can really feel things picking up steam. This week we will see the first public lands issues being raised, some similar in tone to the 2015 session. And unfortunately, as the pandemic has put a different twist on this year's legislature, we are feeling the absence of our in person events like the Public Lands Rally and legislative training. In addition to public land transfer issues emerging, in the next few weeks hearings will be held to define all wild bison as livestock (an issue vetoed in 2019); to change subdivision review provisions; to phase out the use of styrofoam; and to allow public hunting on tribal lands. These issues are keeping our eyes glued to the screen as we work tirelessly with our conservation partners to make our collective voice heard! 

February is going to be a busy month. Below is a snapshot of what we are tracking.

Welcome Peter Dudley 
Big Sky Watershed Corps Member & 
Conservation Ranching Assistant

Montana Audubon welcomes Peter Dudley as the Big Sky Watershed Corps Member and Conservation Ranching Assistant for 2021. 

Peter developed a love for the natural world while growing up at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Charlottesville, VA. In 2018, he graduated from Haverford College with a degree in Anthropology and Environmental Studies, where he studied a range of topics from Environmental Anthropology and Economics to Agroecology. With a desire for hands-on work, he went on to receive training in public horticulture at West Laurel Hill Cemetery and Chanticleer Garden in Philadelphia, PA before taking a leap of faith last year to serve with the Forest Service Trail Crew in Hungry Horse, MT.  

A word from Peter about his upcoming term of service: "I'm very exciting to be serving with MTA this season, and getting to know this part of the state better. Most of my work will be focused on the Conservation Ranching and Citizen Science
programs. The ACR program presents a unique opportunity to apply my academic experience working with community stakeholders in Philadelphia and my interest in ecosystem restoration through regenerative land management. So far, I have been working closely with representatives from the Blackfeet Nation's Agriculture Resource Management Plan team to identify how Audubon can help ranchers implement bird-friendly management through regenerative grazing systems. I look forward to sharing more of my work throughout the year!"
Go Behind The Scenes With Our Team

Join Montana Audubon's Director of Policy & Science, Amy Seaman and Director of Development & Communications, Angela Swatek as they discuss Montana Audubon's policy priorities for the 2021 legislative session, what it's like to lobby virtually, and more.


Let us know what other topics you'd like to hear about in upcoming live chats. Email Angela at [email protected] with ideas.
Spring Field Trips at The Center

Spring is a wonderful time to bring your private or school group to the Audubon Center for a field trip! We are open year-round for field trips, but if you're interested in bringing a group during our popular spring months of April and May, please schedule with us soon. Spring offerings include canoeing, nature walks to the Yellowstone, birding, macro-invertebrate collection, native plants and their traditional uses, and tracking. Other curricula and customizable options are available upon request. 
 


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