The University of Montana will ask for permission from the MUS Board of Regents on Thursday to plan for a Center for Hunting and Conservation.
The following summary is offered on the Board of Regents’ agenda:
University of Montana Missoula
Request to plan a Center for Hunting and Conservation
This proposed center is part of the development of the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and
Conservation’s (FCFC) nationally renowned programs in wildlife biology and conservation research and
education. Hunting is a central and critical part of the North American model for land management and
conservation and remains a direct contributor to improved management of both lands and wildlife that
inhabit them.
According to the Montana Bureau of Labor and Industry, hunting has an annual economic impact that
exceeds $100 million. This figure excludes employment opportunities that result from hunting within
Montana, state, and federal agencies. Graduates of the Wildlife Biology program are employed across
this sector in many ways and have a long history of shaping the landscape of hunting in Montana and
nationally.
This Center is being supported through a partnership with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF). A
large gift from RMEF would help fund the physical space for the Center, designed to be part of the new
FCFC building, and underwrite the core programming and staffing of the Center for the first major
period of its existence.
