The Vital Ground Foundation and project partners have added a key conservation parcel to the Wild River project near the confluence of the Yaak and Kootenai rivers, a natural bottleneck for grizzly bears moving between the Cabinet and Purcell mountains. Vital Ground and the Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative have purchased and protected the majority of an undeveloped subdivision within this important wildlife corridor near Troy. Adding to 2017’s acquisition of seven contiguous lots, this purchase brings the Wild River project total to 42.5 conserved acres. “This collaboration stems from consultation with multiple state and federal agencies including Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and supporting those agencies’ wildlife recovery goals is designed into this project,” says Ryan Lutey, Vital Ground executive director. While conservation of additional lands in the area remains a priority, the 12 parcels conserved over the last two years builds on the groups’ previous investments in the area.
