Welcome - to the Gallatin Wildlife Association's website.


We certainly hope you become more knowledgeable about GWA as you wander through the pages of our website. We are a small, but vocal non-profit organization located in Bozeman, Montana advocating for wildlife, their respective habitat, and migration corridors across southwestern Montana, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and the northern Rocky Mountains. We advocate for wildlife and fisheries by utilizing science and the law. GWA, founded in 1976, has long recognized the intense pressures on our wildlife from habitat loss and climate change, and we advocate for science-based management of public lands for diverse public values, including but not limited to hunting and angling. 


To learn more about GWA, who we are, and what we've done: click here                             


The Custer Gallatin National Forest

is under multiple attacks!


The Hyalite/South Cottonwood Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project:

South Plateau Landscape Area Timber Project: 

Cooke City Fuels and Forest Health Project:

Burnt Mountain and Red Lodge Mountain Fuels Project:


So goes the Nation, if our forest succomb to the pressure by the Trump Administration's Executive Orders and Congressional mandates. The extraction of our forest's resources will leave an ugly scar upon the landscape that could possible take generations to recover, if they do at all. The Custer Gallatin is no different in that regard. The projects above are in the process of being litigated. GWA along with several other local and grassroot organizations are fighting these attempts in court, trying to maintain the Custer Gallatin intact. Click on each one to learn more about these projects and their status. Needless to say, as we move along into the future, this list will most likely be expanded, as unfortunate as that sounds.


But much like life itself, this forest can die from a thousand cuts; meaninng "yes" a forest is a living thing, a living entity. Our forests are a source for life's life-giving clean air and clean water and a habitat for the existence of wildlife to endure upon this planet. It is at the heart of life-giving biodiversity and ecological integrity, all for the purpose of a healthy existence. We as a society need to pledge ourselves to that work, making our world a better place for our wildlife and all living things.

Project Information

Bear Spray Petition for Rulemaking Sent to

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks


Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force

PO Box 9254. Missoula, MT 59807

 

Bear Spray Petition for Rulemaking Sent to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks


July 21, 2026


Contact: Mike Bader, 406-721-4835; mbader7@charter.net


MISSOULA–––Nineteen Montana organizations and 46 individuals have submitted a petition for rulemaking to the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks that would require hunters and trappers to carry bear spray and have it readily accessible when hunting or trapping in grizzly bear habitat (see attached). The groups say the primary purpose of the proposed rule is public safety. Just as wearing hunter orange is required to prevent serious injuries and death, bear spray serves the same purpose.

The petition shows that based on Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks data, Defense of Life killings of grizzly bears have surged in recent years out of proportion to increases in bears and humans. Many bears have been shot when bear spray may have been effective at preventing injury and death to humans and bears. With bear mortality on the rise, limiting bear deaths aids in recovery of the species.


 “It is just plain common sense to require carrying bear spray that is easily accessible while hunting in Western Montana. It protects both bears and people and it teaches bears to be wary of human encounters. If Montana is serious about wildlife management, it must require carrying bear spray anywhere one might encounter a bear,” said Michele Dieterich with Friends of the Bitterroot, who was a member of the Montana Grizzly Bear Advisory Council.

“Both grizzlies and people are safer when hunters carry readily accessible bear spray, know how to use it and are prepared to use it. Too many grizzlies are dying from preventable firearm deaths. It’s time for Montana to adopt this common sense bear spray rule,” said Montana native Mary Price.

 

"When it comes to public safety, carrying bear spray is the least we should expect from citizens of a responsible society", said Clint Nagel, President of the Gallatin Wildlife Association. "Grizzly bears and other wildlife should not suffer the consequences of our lack of due diligence. We're invading their home. It is our obligation to negate unnecessary deaths, not theirs".

 “Montana says its ready to manage grizzly bears but more needs to be done at the state level to ensure grizzly bears don’t go into decline. Adopting this rule will help send a signal that Montana is serious about protecting and maintaining a healthy grizzly population,” said Patty Ames, President of the Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force.

 

“The proposed delisting of grizzlies makes it far more important than ever to demand hunters carry bear spray and be responsible for protecting every bear we can,” said Stephen Capra, executive director of Bold Visions Conservation.

“Hunting (in Montana or anywhere in the Northern Rocky Mountains) without readily accessible bear spray should never be optional. Only mandatory as it has been proven to protect people as well as animals,” said Dan Sullivan with Save the Yellowstone Grizzly.

 

“I would never consider going out on a trail without bear spray. It is a foundational part of my gear just like the 10 essentials. It is pure common sense for the safety of myself, others and wildlife,”  said Cecilia Mink of Whitefish.

 

Why require hunters and trappers to carry bear spray?


• The primary reason is public safety and avoiding death and injury to people and also to prevent the death of grizzly bears.

• While all people should carry bear spray when in the field in grizzly bear habitat, these two activities have higher risks of bringing people into contact with grizzly bears and can be regulated by the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks across bear habitat in Montana.

•According to the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ How to Hunt Safely in Grizzly Country brochure–––

Be aware that the act of hunting puts you at risk of encountering grizzlies and that elk bugling, game calls and cover scents may attract bears.

• A brochure published by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee states–––

I already carry a gun when I hunt. Do I still need bear spray?  Yes! Bear spray requires less accuracy than bullets fired at a moving target, especially when you’re under stress. Accidental discharges or badly aimed firearms can kill people, while bear spray has never caused a fatality. Bear spray leaves the bear alive, and less likely to approach humans in the future.

• Hunters are often alone and stalking quietly through thick brush and forest. Freshly killed animals and gut piles can attract bears. Baited and scented traps also attract bears. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has documented a minimum of 27 grizzly bears have been attracted to and caught in traps and snares set for wolves and coyotes in Montana. According to experts, it is likely that more have been trapped and injured.

• Many bear-human encounters resulting in human injuries and death have occurred while people are hunting. Oftentimes, bear spray was not used or readily accessible.

• Defense of Life kills of grizzly bears have increased seven-fold in recent years and many involved hunters. Several incidents have involved adult females with cubs. When the mother is killed, the cubs have a poor chance of survival, adding to the mortality toll.

• If a cub gets caught, the distressed mother may be nearby to defend it. In that case, bear spray is an alternative to shooting the mother. It could be driven off so the trapper can safely move away and call a game warden to release the trapped bear.

Is bear spray effective?

• Yes! Many survivors of grizzly bear encounters and attacks have stated bear spray saved them from serious injury or death. Montana Fish, Wildlife & parks and the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee say that a study published in the Journal of Wildlife Management that included incidents involving trained bear specialists and ordinary citizens found spray stopped bears’ undesirable behavior 92% of the time when used on brown (grizzly) bears; 90% for black bears and 100% for polar bears and of all persons carrying sprays, 98% were uninjured by bears in close-range encounters.

• Recently, two U.S. Army soldiers repelled a grizzly bear in Alaska by using bear spray which prevented serious injury or death to both soldiers
“From my standpoint, a take-home message is that bear spray works and you don’t always have to shoot a bear that may be acting aggressively. It’s highly effective at reversing a charge.” –––Cecily Costello, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks chief bear scientist, Missoulian, May 27, 2025.


Just as wearing seat belts does not prevent all chances of being injured, they improve your odds. So does bear spray. However, biologists say that bear spray isn’t brains in a can. The best defense is to be bear aware which will reduce the chance of surprise encounters.


-END-


Fix Our Forest Act, S.1462

and

Rescinding the Roadless Rule


This Douglas Fir tells and provides us with the same story. Mature and Old Growth Forests need to be protected to provide biodiversity, mitigate climate change, and maintain our atmosphere with life-giving gases for all life to survive. 


Our forests are under threats (and to use a common phrase by our current administration) threats like we have never seen before! That is true in this case, which is why we need all people to take center-stage and do something. As you read along you will find the many threats posed by this administration. We need and the forests need your help.


Fix Our Forest Act, S.1462, is waiting in the U.S. Senate. This is a misnomer of a name if there ever was one. Although there are improvements over the House version, the Senate version is not a panoply of greatness. There are still many elements wrong with this bill, serious omissions that need to be corrected. 


• This bill undermines Section 7 provisions of the ESA whereby it stipulates the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management must consult wildlife agencies when new species, critical habitat or new information is revealed. This decision overturns legal precedent and the Cottonwood Decision.


• This bill undermines judicial review. It restricts the American public’s right to have a say in their own government, thereby allowing illegal actions to continue. The bill dramatically shortens the time to challenge projects in court from six years in most instances to 150 days. The changes to injunctive standards favor logging projects and makes it harder to grant injunctions protecting species under the ESA."


• This bill expands the size of NEPA categorical exclusions from 3,000 to 10,000 acres, without scientific or environmental review. This is an alarming change that could prove devasting to our forests, especially our large, old growth forests which are the most fire resilient. These actions would result in huge acreages of logging projects exacerbating habitat loss and fragmentation.


• This bill fails to provide dedicated funding for home and community hardening, methods proven to save lives as well as infrastructure. It fails to address defensible space and emergency planning.


If these shortcomings aren’t rectified, we will indeed see ramifications from our inaction, perhaps more disastrous than those from action. Again, we need to look in the mirror. Do our forests need fixing? No, but we do. We need to fix ourselves from our own arrogant thinking.


How many people actually believe our forests are broken? How does a forest break itself? Impossible, but our society refuses to realize that whatever we don’t like about our forests, it is because of what we ourselves have done. We need to look in the mirror.


Rescinding the Roadless Rule: This action has received much attention in the public awareness campaign since mid-summer 2025. Here is the latest form the Pew Foundation as recorded in their February 18, 2026 article.


"The USDA’s notice of intent to repeal the roadless rule was followed by a public comment process that ran through Sept. 19, 2025. The notice states that the USDA will release its updated proposal and accompanying draft environmental impact statement, along with a request for additional public comments, by March 2026. A final decision is expected in late 2026".


Needless to say, roadless areas are necessary for potential wilderness designation (when appropriate), wildlife habitat, follows good wildfire science, and is a necessary source for clean air and water; all fundamental building blocks to sustain life.

We urge each of you to contact our U.S. Senators and have them vote against S.1462 (Fix Our Forest Act), defend the Roadless Rule and protect our rights to review government Forest Projects.


U.S. Senator Steve Daines - Washington D.C. office: 202-224-2651

https://www.daines.senate.gov/services/email-steve/


U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy - Washington D.C. office: 202-224-2644

https://www.sheehy.senate.gov/contact/


The Hyalite/South Cottonwood Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project -

Concern over the future of South Cottonwood Canyon continues as the U.S. Forest Service project lingers on in the hearts and minds of residents of Gallatin County. Many residents have been through this agony once, if not more.


We at GWA have already claimed one victory. We achieved the right to have a public open house on the issue. That has come and gone, but we've learned some valuable information, too much to go into detail in this format.


But we feel the Forest Service is listening, whether they can be responsive to the public's viewpoint is an unknown. A large part of this effort was the collection of 1000 signatures to make a claim to the Custer Gallatin National Forest that the people are watching. We feel that has already made a difference, as to how much, it is to soon to tell as the Environmental Assessment is still be carried out.


To sign on to our petition, click the link below and sign your name to be one of those with a voice to fight for wise management of our forest not based upon fear, demagoguery, or pressures from Washington D.C., but to have our forest be managed as a forest.

Be a Voice for our Forest

It's time to Protect the Hyalite Porcupine Buffalo-Horn Wilderness Study Area!

The Gallatin Wildlife Association has been in service to the community for 49 years, leaving next year as our 50th anniversary. In all that time, one of the most frustrating and incomplete tasks that lie before us is the lack of wilderness designation for the HPBH WSA.


There are many reasons for that frustration, politics has definitely been one, but now we are fighting the attempts of once fellow green NGOs who now want to take the easy way out and carve out pieces of this WSA and make those susceptible to mountain biking interests and other activities that will fragment an already endangered landscape.


This coalition known as the Gallatin Forest Partnership is determined to reduce the size and scope of the HPBH WSA by 40%. That 40% is invaluable for wildlife security and habitat. It will surely affect the ecological quality of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) as we know it. 


Sign in the button box below if you would like to see this beautiful and critical wildlife habitat secure for all time. We will continue to gather signatures as necessary.

Sign Petition to Protect the Full HPBH WSA

Montanans for Safe

Wildlife Protection:   MSWP


Most of you should know, GWA has been involved with and are supporters of MSWP for several years now. Being as one representative on the MSWP Steering Committee, we try to propagate the energy and resources for wildlife infrastructure across the state of Montana.


Below is their most recent website:


Montanans for Safe Wildlife Passage


There is much to do in this realm of establishing wildlife connectivity across highways and railways, etc. Please help out in any way you are able.



Link Button

Climate Forest Coalition:


Another alliance that GWA is participating in is that of the Climate Forest Coalition, an organization of likeminded NGOs across the country that are trying to change forest policy. We're trying to promote policies of protecting mature and old-growth forests in order to preserve biodiversity, ecological integrity and to use our forests as a mitigative approach fighting climate change by carbon sequestration. Here is their link:


https://www.climate-forests.org/


There is much material here for references and they have already testified before Congress.


We urge all members to follow this group and follow us as we try to incorporate their strategy into ours as appropriate.

GWA's Facebook page is Going Strong!

Check us out - 
The link is here! 

Thanks to Ben Churchwell for managing our Facebook page.


GWA's First Ever Instagram Account

Click Here


Thanks to Ben Churchwell for managing our Instagram page.


GWA's First YouTube Channel


Click Here!

Thanks to Ben Churchwell for managing our YouTube Channel.

GWA's Podcast on KGVM -


Wildlife and Wilderness - 

take a listen!

http://kgvm.org/program/wilderness-and-wildlife/


Wilderness and Wildlife, presented by the Gallatin Wildlife Association, features discussions of issues involving the wildlife of southwestern Montana, and the wilderness habitat that makes this area appealing to adventurous people from around the country. You'll hear interviews with wildlife experts and naturalists reporting on species they have studied, which are threatened by the pressures of a rapidly growing populace in the Greater Yellowstone Region. 

 

For other shows presented, simply click the following.


The link is here!


The Gallatin Wildlife Association also produces the short Wildlife Capsules. 


Thanks to John Shellenberger for taking the initiative to establish this mechanism of outreach for GWA and keeping at it for these past seven years.  Also thanks to our new Communication Director for taking over a smooth transition for this operation.