National Wildlife Federation Awarded $366,300 Grant to Conserve Migration Corridors

Missoula, MT - The National Wildlife Federation has been awarded a $366,300 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's (NFWF) Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migration Corridors fund. The fund is a critical resource to advance efforts that protect and restore the landscapes that are vital to seasonal migrations routes for pronghorn, mule deer and elk. The grant, which will be matched 1:1 with private funds, will be awarded to the Wildlife Connectivity program in the Federation's Northern Rockies, Prairies and Pacific Region, which is based in Missoula, Montana.

"Southwest Montana has incredible pronghorn, mule deer, and elk migrations and a high density of fences that limit both daily and seasonal movements. We work closely with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to implement fence modification and removal projects that will have the greatest positive impact for big game," said Simon Buzzard, Wildlife Connectivity manager, National Wildlife Federation.

The funding will improve, enhance and restore big game migration corridors in southwest Montana by modifying another 34 miles of fences to wildlife-friendly standards. In 2025, the team replaced nearly 24 miles of fencing and since 2021, 79.5 miles of impermeable fencing has been removed or replaced by wildlife-friendlier options on both public and private lands The program has involved 269 volunteers and worked with 24 ranches. The work has been focused in Beaverhead County within one of the state's big game priority areas.

"The National Wildlife Federation is part of an incredible group of resource conservation professionals and motivated landowners called the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership. We leverage resources to get more done across landownerships and our program is a model for how to implement science-based habitat restoration at scale," Buzzard added. "We partner with state and federal agencies, landowners, universities and other conservation organizations to find on-the-ground solutions that support wildlife and people."

BACKGROUND

For tens of thousands of years, pronghorn, elk, deer and other species roamed the American West freely. These massive migrations involved millions of animals across hundreds of miles, unobstructed by human-made barriers or boundaries. But in the last 200 years, this has changed. Human development has created a vast network of fences across once open lands, blocking movement and threatening populations of the wildlife that define the West.

In southwest Montana, over 20,000 miles of fencing in two counties alone overlap essential pronghorn, elk, and mule deer habitat. Fences have direct effects on wildlife, causing injury and entrapment. The National Wildlife Federation's Northern Rockies, Prairies, and Pacific region coordinates projects to replace old fences with "wildlife-friendlier" fences and remove fencing where it is no longer needed. This allows wildlife populations to move more freely across the landscape and find food, shelter and safety. We take a collaborative approach that engages state and federal resource agencies, landowners, community groups, and other conservation non-profits throughout southwest Montana.

Our Work Since 2021

• Miles of fencing removed or replaced: 79.5
• Volunteers: 243
• Number of family-owned ranches we have collaborated with: 24