Administrators at The University of Montana took over management of
the Montana Natural Heritage Program on July 1, 2006. The program had been administered
by The Nature Conservancy.
Based at the Montana State Library in Helena, the Natural Heritage Program
is the state’s source for information on the status and distribution
of native animals and plants -- especially species of concern and important
habitats such as wetlands. Its 18-member staff collects, validates and
distributes information while helping natural resource managers and others
use this knowledge effectively. The Montana Legislature established Natural
Heritage Program in 1983 as part of the State Library, and the Library
has contracted with The Nature Conservancy and now UM to manage the program.
“After 20 years of growing a strong Natural Heritage Program, The
Nature Conservancy was pleased to turn it over to a state institution,”
MTNHP Director Susan Crispin said. “In a way, it’s a gift
from the Conservancy to the people of Montana.”
The Nature Conservancy in Montana has worked with landowners and other
partners to conserve a half-million acres of wildlife habitat and ranchland
in the state since 1979, but Crispin said the organization’s primary
focus on land conservation made it hard to focus on support for the Natural
Heritage Program. “As part of this transition we wanted the Program
to become affiliated with a stable, established state institution that
has a strong commitment to science and research, so UM was a logical choice
and is a great fit for us,” she said.
The Natural Heritage Program now is managed by UM’s Office of the
Vice President for Research and Development. Crispin said this new arrangement
offers her organization strong growth potential, as well as opportunities
for collaborations with UM researchers. “The University of Montana
is very excited about the Natural Heritage Program joining the UM family,”
said Dan Dwyer, the University’s vice president for research and
development. “We look forward to collaborating with the Montana
State Library to continue to build this very strong and valuable program.”
The Montana Natural Heritage Program is part of a network of over 70 similar
programs spanning all 50 U.S. states, as well as Canada and Latin America.
Montana’s program is widely considered one of the best, Crispin
said, citing her organization’s recent International Award for Technological
Advancement.
In addition to providing information on Montana’s native species
and habitats, the program’s staff of expert biologists also conducts
field surveys. Among the interesting projects underway right now are surveys
of amphibians and bats and a study of wetland changes along the Yellowstone
River.
For more information about MTNHP and to tap into its wealth of information
on Montana animals, plants and ecosystems, visit the program’s Web
site at www.mtnhp.org.
Contact: Susan Crispin, director, Montana Natural Heritage Program, 406-444-3019;
Dan Dwyer, UM vice president for research and development, 406-243-6670.
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