Dear Montana,

It's finally here- registration for the 2024 Wings Across the Big Sky Birding Festival is now open! Along with the local Helena Last Chance Audubon chapter, we've organized a great weekend of birding trips, presentations, and more. Keep an eye on your mailbox for the registration brochure, or visit our website and view the PDF. There are 20+ field trips on offer- sign up today for best availability. We hope you can join us in Helena this summer!

March also brings more ways to get involved with Montana Audubon, including Long-billed Curlew surveys and spring volunteer activities at the Center in Billings. We're also keeping a close eye on several legislative issues on the state and federal levels, including the BLM's recently released Greater Sage-Grouse conservation & managment draft plan. There are several opportunities to submit public comments on these issues- more information below.

Yours in Conservation,

Larry Berrin

Executive Director

Join birders & wildlife enthusiasts from across the country in beautiful Helena Montana! The weekend includes 2 days of field trips, evening banquets featuring a keynote presentation by Tiffany Kersten, Conservationist of the Year Awards, and more!

Register today! Brochure and more info on the Festival website.

May 31 - June 2, 2024 | Carroll College, Helena Montana

In partnership with Last Chance Audubon Society

Thank you to our sponsors:

Visit Helena, Montana's Outdoor Legacy Foundation, Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks, Birds & Beasleys, Valley Bank, and Abbott Valley Homestead.

The 2023 Audubon Conservation Ranching Impact Report is here- and, as you scroll through the pages, you’ll see familiar Montana Audubon names and faces.

View the report here:

This winter, 63 cull cows from 3 Audubon Certified ranches in Montana were sent to a processor for Blue Nest Beef, a nationwide retailer which sources cattle exclusively from Audubon Certified ranches.

This pilot project materialized when the partners met at the Western Sustainability Exchange’s (WSE) Expanding Markets Conference.

Read more:

Spring is fast approaching, and with that comes the familiar “cur-leeee” call of the Long-Billed Curlew, an icon of the prairies.

The Long-Billed Curlew depends on Montana’s grasslands for breeding, and continues to decline across its range due to loss of habitat to agricultural and residential development. With this decline, more research is needed to assess the health and conservation needs of the population, so we need your help surveying these conspicuous shorebirds!

Two survey windows will be available for citizen scientists to participate in this unique effort: April 8th - May 7th, and May 8th - May 31st.

The training session for this survey will be held on March 26th at 6:30 pm over Zoom. 

Interested in participating? Email Gwynne at gwynne@mtaudubon.org.

Learn more about each of these projects on our Citizen Science website: 

We’re getting ready to dive into a world of adventure and exploration, as we wrap up 4th-grade class visits and prepare to welcome 70+ classes and groups to learn, laugh, and grow with us this spring. We’re also counting down the days til migratory waterfowl, seasonal songbirds, and resident serpents make their appearance and are keeping a close eye out for the first blooms of the season. Summer Camp registration has opened, and eager families set their kids up for a fun time fishing, fort building, insect collecting, canoeing and more.

Spring also means the kickstart of this year's volunteer season. Volunteers play a vital role in maintaining our grounds as a pristine wildlife habitat and immersive educational space. This year's initiatives include tree identification and health surveys, West End Pollinator Garden and Demonstration Garden garden maintenance, pond health surveys, and Nest Watch monitoring. If you're looking to get out and make a difference this summer we’d love to hear from you. If learning is more of your forte, join us for our upcoming community programs. 

Upcoming Programs:

• Climate Lecture- Earth's climate past and future: It is almost always carbon dioxide's fault! Presented by Derek Sjostrom. April 2, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm. Suggested donation: $5.
• Morning Bird Stroll- April 13, 8:30 am - 10:00 am. Suggested donation: $10 for adults, $5 for students, free for members.
• Weekend Wonders Family Program- April 13, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm. Suggested donation: $5 per person, free for members
• Nature Nuts- Toddler & Me Program- every Tuesday 10:00 am to 11:00 am. Suggested donation: $5 per person, free for members.

Debbie Bunker, Administrative Assistant, Helena Office

Debbie was born and raised in Libby, Montana. After graduating from Libby High School she moved to Helena, her first job was at The Parrot Confectionary. In 1990 Debbie went to work for the State of Montana, most of those years spend with Legislative Services, and the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education. She retired from State Government in 2020.

Since retirement she has enjoyed camping at Canyon Ferry Lake with her husband John and many other family members. She spends time sewing and participating in craft shows in the Helena area and spends a lot of time with her chocolate lab Charlie.

Luke LaPointe, Big Sky Watershed Corps, Montana Audubon Center

The Montana Audubon Center is excited to partner again with Montana Conservation Corp’s Big Sky Watershed Corp Americorp to bring on Luke LaPointe as our Landsteward for the 2024 season.

Luke, traveling from Michigan, is looking forward to learning about the diverse ecosystems of Montana to help make meaningful connections with nature, and create healthy and functioning ecosystems for native flora and fauna on the Center’s 54 acres of restored gravel pit and through volunteering for other initiatives during the term.

On February 26, Montana Audubon joined conservation partners for the unveiling of the 2024 Migratory Bird Stamp art contest winner during a ceremony at the State Capitol.

“For nearly half a century, we’ve been working with FWP on funding for non-game and their associated habitats. From our leading the effort to pass the non-game checkoff to today’s announcement of the Migratory Bird Stamp, we continue to find creative ways to fund this important work,” said Larry Berrin, Montana Audubon’s Executive Director.

Read more:

On March 15, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced a draft Environmental Impact Statement to update current Greater Sage-Grouse conservation and management on public lands.

The draft plan incorporates new sage-grouse conservation science and lessons learned, accommodating changing resources conditions while increasing implementation flexibility. The agency considered nearly 1,900 comments gathered during an initial public scoping period and information shared by state, local, federal and Tribal partners in more than 100 meetings. There will be 13 total public meetings- 2 virtual, and 11 in-person across the West, to answer questions and share information.

The public comment period opened on March 15, and closes on June 13.

For more information visit the BLM website:

Feb 26: Governor Greg Gianforte unveiled the Montana 2024 Migratory Bird Stamp | Rachel Fortunato, KTVH Helena

Feb 28: Ahead of ospreys' return, Flathead Audubon raises alarm over bailing twine | Kate Heston, Daily Inter Lake

Feb 29: New wildlife habitat bill is introduced, but more resources are needed to recover birds and other wildlife (National Audubon press release on the America's Wildlife Habitat Conservtion Act) Audubon website

March 1: Owen Sowerwine Natural Area gains permanent protection | Tristan Scott, Flathead Beacon

March 2: Owen Sowerwine Natural Area permanently protected | Kate Heston, Daily Inter Lake

March 18: Congress killed our last big conservation package because it was too expensive. This politician says his bill is cheaper and better (more info on the recently introduced America's Wildlife Habitat Conservation Act) | Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life

March 19: FWP to repeal rule requiring liason with nonprofits (FWP wants to elimiate a rule requiring the department to maintain liaison with citizen orgs active in wildlife & sportsmen's issues) | Laura Lundquist, Missoula Current

March 19: Secretary of State issues veto override poll on long-in-limbo marijuana revenue measure (bipartisan supported SB 422 would use marijuana tax revenue to fund conservation, veterans' services, and local infastructure projects) | Arren Kimbel-Sannit, Montana Free Press

March 20: Eagle Scout project brings giant birdhouse to Rose Park in Billings (Billings scout builds Barn Swallow birdhouse in local park) | Dianne Parker, KTVQ Billings

March 20: Montana Audubon Society hosts nationwide nature enthusiasts for Owl Prowl (Center staff Lily Morris and Rock McLean share the March 15 Owl Prowl in this news segment) | Marcus Cocova, KTVQ Billings

Donate $100 or more and receive our Wildlife Guide or our popular Bird Guide. Give $200 or more and get both!