Dear Friend,

In honor of our 50th Anniversary, each month we would like to share a story that highlights our historic milestones. This month we will start from the beginning. People often get confused when I tell them I work for Montana Audubon. “Is that part of National Audubon?” or “I’m a member of my local Audubon Chapter - is that the same thing?” This is what we refer to as the three levels of Audubon – National Audubon, Montana Audubon and local Audubon Chapters. Regardless of the organization, the Audubon "movement" was started by Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall in Massachusetts and George Bird Grinnell in New York. Grinnell was also an influential force in establishing Glacier National Park, so I feel he has an even greater connection to Montana Audubon!  

In 1976, the local Audubon chapters in Montana came together to establish an independent organization that could deal directly with important conservation issues across Big Sky Country. Thus, Montana Audubon, an independent entity from both National Audubon and its local chapters, was born. While each “Audubon,” national, state, and local, shares nearly identical mission statements, they play different roles on the broader conservation stage.

National Audubon works on a national scale as they carry the heavy political clout one would expect from a big, more than century-old organization. Audubon chapters are often characterized as local “birding clubs” that are, for the most part, volunteer-run and engage in community conservation projects as well as helping to spread the joy of birding by offering local and regional field trips. Our niche in the “Audubon family” is to protect the wildlife and landscape qualities that we cherish throughout our magnificent state through our conservation policy, avian research, citizen science, conservation ranching and education programs. 

This month we are excited to share a number of ways to get involved at all levels: a new phase of our screech-owl citizen science project; public meetings about the Roadless Rule; upcoming educational events at the Center; and of course our birding festival this summer. We hope you'll join us!

Yours in Conservation,

Larry Berrin

Executive Director

This year we’re starting a new phase of our citizen science screech-owl project: building, placing, and monitoring screech-owl boxes! 

Right now we’re on part one: building the boxes. Can you help? We’re looking for volunteers with carpentry know-how and the tools to build boxes themselves.

If that’s you, please email Casey at casey@mtaudubon.org for more information and to volunteer. 

If carpentry and woodworking aren’t your thing, stay tuned- we’ll have more opportunities coming soon. 

Thank you to our project partners Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and to Fencecrafters for their generous lumber donation! 

Right now, the US Forest Service is moving forward with a plan to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule, a framework that currently protects 6 million acres of national forest land in Montana.

The Forest Service previously held 34 public meetings in Montana before choosing to manage large tracts of land as Inventoried Roadless Areas and Wilderness Study Areas. In 2026, the federal government claims that the public isn’t interested in maintaining the current rule, so there have been 0 public meetings scheduled to date! That’s why conservationists across western Montana are moving forward with their own events to discuss the importance of the Roadless Rule, build support for public lands, and share personal experiences on these treasured public lands.

Please join us at one of the upcoming events in Kalispell, Libby, Missoula, Hamilton, Butte, Bozeman, and Helena. More information & RSVP here:

Join Our Flock! 

We're hiring for a new position: Audubon Conservation Ranching Manager — Montana

Location: Helena or Remote in Montana

Application Deadline: Feb. 28, 2026. We will review applications and offer positions on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis.

About the Position: The ACR Manager works with ranchers, partners, and Audubon staff to coordinate the expansion of the Audubon Conservation Ranching (ACR) program in Montana.

They are responsible for recruitment of ranches and ranch certification; development of regional certification protocol and ranch-specific Habitat Management Plans; coordination of biological monitoring and ranch certification; delivery of agreements and technical assistance for grazing system projects; collaboration with state and federal agency partners, peer organizations and NGOs; and coordinates the work of Montana Audubon staff working on the ACR project in Montana.

Read the full job announcement on our website:

As Montana Audubon celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026, the Montana Audubon Center is excited to be part of the celebration—reflecting on nearly 20 years of connecting families, students, and educators to the outdoors. It’s a meaningful moment to look back at the people and partnerships that have shaped the Center, and to look ahead at all the ways we’ll continue growing conservation education in the years to come.

There’s plenty happening this season!

Our Audubon Naturalist in the Schools (ANTS) program is welcoming additional 5th-grade classes for hands-on, field-based science learning, and our youngest learners are continuing to explore outside through preschool and kindergarten programs—cold weather and all. Community favorites like bird strolls, family nature programs, and conservation workshops are on the calendar, along with special wildlife partnerships that bring Montana species up close for participants of all ages.

As we head toward summer camp season and expand membership opportunities, we’re excited to welcome even more families into the Montana Audubon community. Whether you join a program, become a member, volunteer, or simply share our work, your support helps ensure that nature education continues to thrive across Montana.

Please join us in welcoming Lizzie Weinreb to Montana Audubon! As a Big Sky Watershed Corps member, Lizzie will be working at the Center, focusing on land stewardship, outreach, and education.

Lizzie was raised along the East Coast (PA, NJ, NY), where her love for bugs and the outdoors began early. She moved to Colorado in 2019 to earn a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder, with minors in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Communications. After graduating, she spent six months solo backpacking through Southeast Asia before returning to Boulder to work on a nonprofit farm as an assistant and educator. Drawn to the Mountain West, she will be serving with the Big Sky Watershed Corps and Montana Audubon for the 2026 season, focusing on land stewardship, outreach, and education. She is most excited to assist in conservation projects at the center and further her outdoor ed skills (and learn about birds!). In her free time, Lizzie enjoys recreating outdoors, reading, baking for friends, and going to the movies.

Welcome Lizzie! We are glad to have you on board!

Mark your calendars and join us this summer in Kalispell, June 12 -14, 2026, for the Wings Across the Big Sky Festival!

Montana Audubon and our local chapter partner Flathead Audubon Society have been hard at work putting together a birding festival to commemorate the 50th anniversaries of both organizations- you won’t want to miss this year’s festival!

There are multiple field trips into Glacier National Park; tours of favorite local hotspots around Flathead Lake; a Friday afternoon pre-festival trip to Flathead Lake Bio Station; and for the more adventurous the opportunity to bike & bird Going to the Sun Road!

Registration brochures are coming soon, and registration will open in mid-March.

• Jan 30: Anna and Me (story & photos of an Anna's Hummingbird overwintering near Creston, MT) | Michell De Leon Tyler, Flathead Audubon
• Feb 4: Ranchers donate 38,000 acres to preserve local voices, stewardship legacy | Victoria Traxler, Montana Public Radio
• Documentary: Bridger's Eagle Eyes - A portrait of legendary hawkwatcher Steve Hoffman, and his legacy of observing Golden Eagles in the Bridger Mountains of Montana | Davy Walters, MSU Science & Natural History Filmmaking student
• Documentary: Mother Range: Rearing Hope in America's Livestock Industry- features Amber Smith and Jaimie Stoltzfus of ACR-certified Cowgirl Meat Co.! | World Premier Sunday, Feb. 22 at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival