Our Organization

Protecting wildlife, habitat, and public access in Montana for eight decades.

Photo: Janko Ferlic

Historic conservation

The Montana Wildlife Federation is Montana’s oldest, largest, and most effective wildlife conservation organization. Our roots trace back to 1936 when hunters, anglers and other conservationists joined landowners to address the loss of Montana’s natural lands, healthy waters and abundant wildlife. The decades of westward expansion prior to the 1930’s left wildlife populations decimated throughout North America, and Montana was no exception. That year the first North American Wildlife Conference was held in Washington D.C. and wildlife conservation was thrust into the limelight. The National Wildlife Federation, Montana Wildlife Federation, and many other state wildlife organizations were formed. Since then, MWF has championed scientific wildlife management and fought to conserve the great natural resources found in this state and wildlife populations have rebounded. This legacy is maintained through our dedicated staff and volunteers. 

Credit Kyle Mlynar 4 web

Wildlife Management

MWF is involved in critical collaborative efforts throughout Montana that work to protect public lands, enhance public access and protect critical wildlife habitat and populations. We work closely with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to develop recommendations for wildlife management and we work to ensure the voice of Montana’s wildlife conservationists, hunters and anglers are heard in the state Legislature and in Washington D.C.

OUR Conservation Victories

Over the years, MWF has secured some of the Treasure State’s most important conservation victories, including: 

  • The best stream access law in the country
  • A ban on wildlife farms
  • Protection of Montana’s public lands and waters

But we didn’t stop there. We are now engaged on critical issues including:

  • Chronic Wasting Disease
  • Grizzly Bear management
  • Energy Development and Sage Grouse
  • Elk management
  • Protection of secure wildlife habitat
  • Clean water protection and enhancement

Strength in numbers

Citizens invested in wildlife management were critical to our previous accomplishments and are critical to our continued success. Our network of affiliate organizations throughout the state in addition to our strong member base helps us stay heavily engaged in key issues affecting wildlife at the local, regional, and statewide levels.

WHERE WE STAND

We are passionately committed to preserving Montana’s unique and diverse wildlife. From majestic grizzly bears to elusive mountain lions, and from soaring golden eagles to iconic elk herds, we tirelessly advocate for their protection. 

Through conservation initiatives and community engagement, we strive to ensure the flourishing of Montana’s extraordinary animal inhabitants. 

Together, let’s safeguard our cherished Montana wildlife.

If you value wildlife management in this great state and want to add your voice to our legacy of conservation successes, please provide a donation and become a member today.

Affiliated Organizations

Rosebud/Treasure Wildlife Association

Apply To Be An Affiliate

Pay Affiliate Dues

Our Friends and Partners

                   MWF Ambassador Roles 

To help drive the grassroots efforts of MWF, we launched the Ambassador Program. MWF Ambassadors are volunteer leaders in their communities that are committed to sharing their authentic love for MWF’s advocacy and campaign work and Montana’s wildlife, habitat, and public lands and waters. 

They do this important outreach by increasing MWF’s capacity by reaching wider and more diverse audiences, and by sharing their story. Our ambassadors are engaged advocates! They write LTEs, op-eds, and blogs, host and support events, testify at meetings and perform many additional outreach activities. 

MWF is comprised of supporters, affiliate groups and clubs, donors, and a collective of people from all walks of life who identify with many titles and labels – hunters, anglers, recreationists, conservationists, advocates, public access champions, landowners, etc. We don’t always agree on the way forward for every issue but when we share dialogue, collaborate, align on issues, and work together, we are the strongest force. This has been proven time and time again at the legislature and within local communities. Each MWF Ambassador is unique in background and character but they all have one thing in common – their support of MWF, our mission, and our values. 

The MWF staff is committed to this program because we value the talents and gifts of our Ambassadors, all volunteers dedicated to contributing to their communities and the whole of conservation work in Montana. We are devoted to providing meaningful and impactful volunteer experiences through the MWF Ambassador Program.

Our Work
Healthy fish and wildlife populations depend on high-quality, intact habitat. The Montana Wildlife Federation works to protect habitat on public and private lands throughout the state. We advocate for scientifically-based land management and conservation of wild lands and wild waters.
Our Work
Fish and wildlife that have disappeared from other parts of the West are still abundant in Montana. However, the pressures and threats grow greater and more numerous with each passing year. MWF works to advocate for sound science and policies aimed at protecting every species found here, whether it is a nongame, big game, or one of our amazing fish species.
Our Work
Montana is home to some of the highest quality natural resources in the nation as well as the longest hunting seasons in the West. However, wildlife managers often face pressure to manage wildlife and recreation for private profit. MWF fights to protect public access and recreational opportunities for people of every color, creed, religion, gender, and sexual orientation.
Our Work
The Montana Wildlife Federation has a grassroots network of local affiliated clubs around Montana.

Make A Difference

Your generous donation supports Montana Wildlife Federation’s work conserving our wildlife, wild places, and hunting and angling opportunities for current and future generations.

MWF Ambassador: Jaime Teigen

Jaime Teigen

AMBASSADOR

Jaime Teigen lives with her family in Bozeman.Since moving here just a few years ago, they have taken full advantage of what Montana has to offer. She wanted to become an ambassador for the Montana Wildlife Federation, because she feltl that with all the outdoor activities her family does that she could help to inform and educate her family, friends and the community about the importance of conservation, public lands and public waters.

MWF Ambassador: Jackson Ballard

Jackson Ballard

AMBASSADOR

Jackson Ballard lives in Bozeman and teaches 5th grade at Ophir Elementary School in Big Sky.  He has lived in Montana since he was a small kid, and has always had a deep love and appreciation for its lakes, rivers, and public lands. His position as an educator helps him to deliver MWF’s mission for protecting and enhancing habitat to the most important audience, our youth. He teaches his students continuously about the importance of conservation, and how public lands are this country’s, and Montana’s, most important and invaluable resource.

MWF Ambassador: Nuridia Nulliner

Nuridia Nulliner

AMBASSADOR

Nuridia Nulliner, a Montana native, has a strong passion for wildlife conservation and desires to ensure that public lands, habitat, and wildlife are well-protected and managed. She grew up hunting and fishing, and as she began to notice negative changes in the environment, she turned to Montana Wildlife Federation’s website for information and was inspired by their work. Now an ambassador for the organization, Nuridia attends their meetings to stay informed on current issues and hopes to bring diverse perspectives to the conversation. With a lifelong love for the outdoors and a unique background as a woman in the field and the child of an immigrant, she is dedicated to promoting inclusivity and engaging with others in the conservation world.

Montana Wildlife Federation: Mandela Leola van Eeden

MANDELA LEOLA VAN EEDEN

Mandela was raised on a private nature reserve in South Africa and in the mountains, rivers and open plains of Montana. Growing up in the African bush and on Montana’s public lands cultivated an early passion for wildlife conservation and habitat stewardship. Mandela started documenting stories around conservation in China and Australia as a teenager and, to this day, her intention is to seek and share knowledge by producing and sharing multimedia storytelling via outreach and her long running radio series and podcast, The Trail Less Traveled. Since 2021, Mandela has led communications for the hunting and fishing branch of the National Wildlife Federation.

Since graduating from UM in 2010, Mandela has continued her career as a producer and international adventure guide. Mandela has lived and worked in over 25 countries with a focus on leading multi day expeditions in Africa, New Zealand, the Grand Canyon, Middlefork Salmon & Alsek River. Mandela spent half her life guiding because she feels people who spend time in wild places are more likely to fight to protect them. Mandela strongly believes children are our greatest natural resource and whenever possible she does outreach at schools in order to inspire the next generation of conservationists. Mandela values the ancient knowledge of elders and the process of hunting and gathering locally and mindfully.

Chris Servheen

Missoula

Chris retired in 2016 after 35 years with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, where he served as the agency’s first and only Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator. In that role, he oversaw the management of grizzlies across the lower 48 states, including in the Greater Yellowstone, Northern Continental Divide, Cabinet-Yaak, Selkirk, and the Bitterroot areas. Chris has also worked on bear management issues around the world, including chairing the IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group for 12 years. Chris has a Ph. D. from the University of Montana, where he continues to work as an adjunct professor of wildlife conservation.

DALE BECKER

DIRECTOR

Dale Becker grew up on a farm in western Iowa.  He started his career working at the Omaha Zoo.  In 1977, he and his wife, Marilyn, moved to Missoula.  He received undergraduate and graduate degrees in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana in 1980 and 1983, respectively.  He specialized in work with diurnal raptors in southeastern Montana.  In 1989, he was hired as the Tribal Wildlife Program Manager by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.  In that capacity until his retirement in 2021, he and his staff developed the Tribes’ award-winning Wildlife Management Program.  It encompassed wildlife surveys, environmental impact assessment and mitigation, hydroelectric mitigation, public outreach programs, endangered and threatened species management and reintroduction of extirpated wildlife species, most notably Trumpeter swans.  He also developed a training program for recruit young tribal students into the wildlife management field.  He and his wife reside near Kalispell.

Tom Puchlerz

Tom is married with two children, two grandchildren, and two English setters. Retired after 38 years with the US Forest Service as a biologist and administrator with assignments in Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, Tom is a member of numerous local and national wildlife and fisheries conservation organizations. He is an avid hunter, angler, and advocate for wild places and wild things.

MIKE MERSHON

AMBASSADOR

I’ve grown up hiking, climbing, and hunting on Montana’s public lands. Over the years I have developed a true love for the solitude, beauty, and adventure that can only be found in our wild places. I was fortunate to have several great mentors who shared their passion for the mountains with me and I want to do my part to ensure the kids coming up behind me can enjoy the same public land opportunities that I have enjoyed.

Glenn Elison

Lewistown

Glenn lives in Lewistown and continues to work part-time as the Conservation Fund’s Alaska State Director. Before joining the Conservation Fund in 2001, Glenn worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge and as a statewide manager for the service’s wildlife and land management programs. Glenn was the lead USFWS negotiator with the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council’s habitat protection program. Glenn is an active member of the Public Land and Water Access, Inc. He has a B.S. in wildlife biology from Colorado State University and an M.S. from Washington State University.

Jamie Wolf bio photo

Jamie Wolf

Vice President for Internal Affairs - Missoula

Hunting and fishing are traditions passed down from generation to generation, and being an outdoors person has always been a major part of who Jamie is and how she relates to her family. She is eager to volunteer her skills for conservation. She cares deeply about giving a voice to wildlife and their habitats, including our public lands.

John Salazar

Treasurer - Livingston

John has been a small business owner for the past 23 years in Livingston, Montana. When he is not exploring a new part of the world with his wife and two sons, he spends most of his free time in the back-country hiking, rifle and bow hunting, fly fishing, and camping. Because of this love for his community and the outdoors, John began teaching Hunters Education and Bow Hunter’s Education with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in 2009.

Bradley Jones

Secretary - Helena

Brad is originally from Lexington, North Carolina with deep roots in the foothills and piedmont regions of that state. He first came West in 2003 on a student exchange program to the University of Montana, where he first became addicted to Montana’s beauty. After finishing his undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Brad spent a few years after traveling and working seasonal jobs for the National Park Service. Brad came back to Missoula in 2009 where he worked to become a Montana resident and graduated from the University of Montana School of Law. After stints practicing in Great  Falls and Bozeman, Brad has worked in the public sector as an attorney since 2016. Brad’s passion for conserving our public lands and wildlife has only gotten stronger with each year that he hunts, backpacks, and floats in Montana’s wild places.

Bill Geer

Past-President - Lolo

Bill is a retired fish and wildlife biologist and former Director of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. He was the Coordinator for the North American Waterfowl Management Plan for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; Vice President for Field Operations and Conservation Programs for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation; and Director of Western Lands for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. He serves also on the boards of directors for MWF affiliate Hellgate Hunters & Anglers.

Skip Kowalski

Past President, MWF Representative - Stevensville

Skip’s love for wildlife and wild places led him to obtain degrees in wildlife biology and a four-decade career as a biologist with the U.S. Forest Service. In retirement, he tries to help ensure that there is adequate habitat for Montana’s wildlife by working on sportsmen, land use, and fish and wildlife-related issues. He still hunts and fishes, but increasingly finds himself behind a camera watching, admiring and photographing the critters.

Kathy Hadley

Deer Lodge

Kathy is a life-long hunter, angler, and conservationist. She and her family spend their summers on the water and their fall in the forest and on the prairie, chasing elk, mule deer, antelope, pheasants, and sage-grouse. Like many Montanans, she hunts and fishes for both the outdoor recreational experience and to put food on the table. Kathy and her husband live on a ranch outside of Anaconda, MT. Kathy recently retired as Executive Director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), after 33 years with the organization.

Lisa Ballard

Red lodge

A past-president of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, Lisa Ballard has spent most of her life outdoors. A champion ski racer, she runs women’s ski clinics and adult race camps during the winter. The rest of the year, you’ll find her hunting, fishing, hiking and paddling throughout Montana and much of the world on assignments as a freelance journalist. After two decades producing and hosting outdoor and sports television programming, for which she garnered 3 Emmys and 5 additional Emmy nominations, she segwayed to full-time writing and photography. She contributes to 25+ magazines and websites, including Montana Outdoors and other state conservation magazines, various Montana travel planners and occasionally for The Montana Quarterly. She also writes and provides imagery about outdoor recreation, conservation challenges, wildlife and nature for a number of national conservation organizations including The Nature Conservancy, the Izaak Walton League of America and the National Wild Turkey Federation. Lisa basecamps in Red Lodge, with her husband Jack and two English setters.

Liz McFarland

Broadus/Bozeman

Liz recently retired from a 33-year career with the U.S. Forest Service, where she served in multiple front-line and leadership positions in Montana and Idaho. She served for twelve years as a District Ranger and the last ten years as the Services Staff Officer for the Custer Gallatin Forest with responsibilities for the Recreation, Wilderness, Trails, Engineering, Lands, Minerals, and Heritage programs.

Tim aldrich

Missoula

Tim Aldrich lives in Missoula with his wife of 52 years, Carol. They have2 adult children and 2 teen-age grandchildren. After a 37- year career with the U.S. Forest Service he has dedicated  considerable time and effort to volunteer conservation-related roles with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks: Citizen’s License and Funding Advisory Committee, Finding Common Ground Committee, Fish and Wildlife Commission, Region 2 Citizen’s Advisory Committee; with city of Missoula Open Space Advisory Committee; with Montana Wildlife Federation as member, Board Member and Board President; with Hellgate Hunters and Anglers as organizer, member and Board President; and with State of Montana as Member of the Board of Outfitters.  He is a near-lifelong hunter and angler and enjoys every opportunity to mentor his granddaughters in outdoor recreation endeavors.       

Chris Marchion

Anaconda

Chris has spent over 30 years working on wildlife issues in Montana. In 2014, Chris was recognized for his long and passionate service to Montana’s outdoors through his induction into the Montana Outdoor Hall of Fame.

Jim Vashro

Kalispell

Jim worked 39 years for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks before retiring as the regional fisheries manager in Kalispell where he lives with his wife Sandi. In the last 20 years, he focused on aquatic education and access, still active with Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW), Hooked on Fishing, Casting For Recovery and Bowhunter Education as well as crusading against illegal fish introductions. Currently, he is the president of Flathead Wildlife, Inc. when not fishing, hunting, hiking or paddling somewhere.

LOGAN BROWER

Logan was born and raised in rural central Idaho along the Salmon River.  He, along with parents and younger brother, spent countless hours hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking. Logan attended the University of Idaho earning an undergraduate degree in Physical Education and Science Education then a Graduate Degree in School Administration. Logan taught in Southern Idaho where he met his wife Rochelle. After teaching in Idaho, Logan and his wife taught for a year in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Following the stint abroad they moved to Scobey, Montana where both he and his wife taught. In 2016 then Governor Steve Bullock appointed Logan to the Montana Fish Wildlife Commission. Logan served on the commission until 2020 when a move to Helena required resignation. Logan considers his time on the commission as a highlight of his professional career. Logan now teaches high school chemistry and physics at Jefferson High School in Boulder, MT. In their free time Logan, his wife, and two young boys (Trey and Rhett) enjoy family, the outdoors, and gardening.

Tim Roberts

Tim Roberts is a small business owner from Fort Benton, and the Maintenance Supervisor at Highwood Public School. In a past life, he has been a bowhunter education master instructor and a state chairman for the National Bowhunter Education Program. He is the former President of Traditional Bowhunters of Montana. In his free time, he looks forward to mountain biking, spending time on our public lands, and waters hunting carp, and bowhunting.

John Vore

John Vore was raised in a hunting and outdoor oriented family and has been hunting, hiking, camping and backpacking since he was a young boy. Now retired, he served 39 years with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks as a wildlife biologist in both research and management and lastly as Game Management Bureau Chief. John is also an avid shooter and hobby amateur gunsmith.  Because of his love of wildlife and wild places, it was only natural that he gravitated to the Montana Wildlife Federation and the important work it does in the public arena.

Frank Szollosi

Executive Director

Frank comes to MWF from the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he directed climate policy. In that role, his focus was on protecting freshwater fisheries, the outdoor economy, and sources of drinking water. He also served on NWF’s national campaigns team advocating policies that protect, restore and connect habitat such as the Land and Water Conservation Fund and defense of public lands; transforming conservation to meet new challenges; and connecting more Americans to wildlife. Szollosi earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Utah and graduate degrees from the University of Michigan. He has extensive experience in government as both a staffer and a local elected official. Szollosi said he looks forward to working with the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and other state agencies, as well as landowners, businesses, tribal governments, federal partners, and Montana cities and counties. Szollosi has spent over 25 years chasing fish with his fly rod, and enthusiastically joining annual hunts with friends and colleagues. Alongside his wife and four children, Frank enjoys time kayaking, downhill skiing and backpacking.

Garrett Titus

Conservation Policy Specialist

Garrett manages all things data-related for MWF.  He enjoys spending time outdoors, hunting, and fishing our public lands.  He has a German Shorthair Pointer that he loves upland hunting and camping with

garrett@mtwf.org

Cameron Evans: Montana Wildlife Federation

Cameron Evans

Communications Director

Cameron works with staff to make the public aware of MWF’s mission through articles, social media, and communications strategies. In her free time, you can find her fishing, camping, hiking, and learning to hunt. 

Jeff Lukas – MWF Elk Campaign Manager

Jeff Lukas

Conservation Director

Jeff Lukas is a passionate conservationist who has been fishing and hunting his entire life. Whether it’s floating a small stream chasing trout, pursuing elk in the high country, or waiting in a blind for ducks to set their wings, Jeff is always trying to bring more people afield to show them what we are trying to protect. He loves being in the arena, and he will never shy away from conversations about the beautiful and unique corners of Big Sky country.

Emily Clewis on a lake with her son

Emily Clewis

Membership Coordinator

I am a non-profit professional with a background in media management and photography. Any free-time is spent exploring with my husband and two boys! We can be found playing in Montana’s many streams and rivers, parked at a good camping spot, hiking the trails or riding our bikes around Helena. I’m passionate about public lands and keeping their access open so that my children and generations to come can continue to enjoy the lands and streams that make Montana the best place to live.

Sonya SMith

Communications Director

Sonya develops, implements, and manages MWF’s communications strategy, campaigns, media relations, and programs across the state. You can find her exploring with her family in eastern Montana, rafting, hunting, and mountain biking.

sonya@mtwf.org

ILONA WILDE

WESTERN FIELD REPRESENTATIVE

Ilona has a background in Ecology and Evolutionary biology and is the point of contact for Western Montana. She has worked for the Nature Conservancy, Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management in Montana, as well as the Park Service in Texas. Ilona has a passion for integrating local community involvement with native habitat and wildlife conservation. She is an avid reader, potter, gardener, and baker. In her free time, Ilona can be found cross country skiing, learning the ins and outs of fly fishing or backpacking with her dog.

Morgan Marks

North-Central/Eastern Montana Field Coordinator

Morgan grew up in Pennsylvania and thanks to Montana Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps program, she moved to Montana to serve on a trail crew in 2008. She has been calling Montana home ever since, with the exception of a few stints living abroad in Australia when she served as a Rotary International Peace Fellow studying conflict and peace, and Zambia when she served with the United States Peace Corps promoting aquaculture in the eastern part of the country. Morgan is an avid angler and she’s a hunter. Conservation work, localized peacebuilding and conflict resolution are passions of hers. Creating safe space for connections to be fostered and strengthened, and for dialogue to be shared between people is her goal. Before joining MWF, Morgan worked in the non-profit sector, the private sector, and with the Montana state government. Morgan is the point of contact for North-Central and Eastern Montana. 

Marcus Strange

Marcus Strange

State policy & Government Relations director

Marcus role as Programs and Partnerships Director is fueled by his passion for collaborating with and celebrating others. Marcus is a native Pennsylvanian and converted Montanan. Prior to joining the Montana Wildlife Federation, he worked for the City of Helena and the State of Montana in the Department of Education.  Marcus attended Brigham Young University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. In his free time, Marcus hosts his own podcast, enjoys volunteering in the community, hunting, CrossFit, and photography.