Tell your legislators: Support HB 932.
Montana’s outdoors depend on it.
Montana’s wildlife, working lands, and outdoor heritage are central to who we are. The rivers we fish, the ranges we hunt, and the open spaces we roam all require ongoing stewardship. Keeping this land wild, working, and accessible takes funding, coordination, and a long-term strategy.
The Habitat Legacy Account—established by HB 932—delivers just that.
At its core, the Habitat Legacy Account is designed to support and strengthen the very programs that keep Montana’s wildlife habitat healthy, its working lands productive, and its outdoor traditions alive. Here’s how it works, what it funds, and why it matters.
Why It Matters
Montana has many tools to conserve public and private lands, but we lack one critical tool: A robust funding mechanism to restore our land, wildlife and water resources in the face of drought, wildfire, invasive species and deteriorating wildlife habitat conditions.
In 2021, the Montana Legislature passed HB 701, which allocated 20% of the state’s recreational marijuana tax revenue to Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Habitat Montana program. This was a step forward, but as conservation challenges have grown more complex and more urgent, stakeholders recognized the need to build on that success and create something more flexible with even broader reach.
The Habitat Legacy Account is a historic opportunity to channel Montana’s marijuana tax revenue into a suite of Montana’s most important conservation and access programs—expanding their reach, increasing flexibility, and ensuring long-term funding stability.
Creating the Habitat Legacy Account
The Montana legislature is currently considering two legislative proposals to establish the Habitat Legacy Account, House Bill 932, sponsored by Rep. Ken Walsh, R-Twin Bridges, and Senate Bill 537, sponsored by Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings.
The proposals uphold the conservation funding allocated by the Montana Legislature in 2021 and are supported by Montana’s conservation and hunting communities. It would ensure that the Habitat Legacy Account is properly funded, allowing for a more comprehensive and flexible approach to land, wildlife and water conservation.
What the Habitat Legacy Account Would Fund
The Habitat Legacy Account is a long-term commitment to ensuring conservation keeps pace with the demands on our land and water. Key focus areas include the following:
1. Habitat Montana
The Habitat Montana program is one of the most successful tools in the state for wildlife conservation and public access. It funds both short-term and perpetual conservation easements, FWP land acquisitions, and access improvements.
Thanks to Habitat Montana, projects like the Big Snowy Mountains Wildlife Management Area—providing access to nearly 100,000 acres of public land—and the Montana Great Outdoors Project in northwest Montana have preserved critical habitat while opening up new ground for hunters, anglers, and other recreationists. The Habitat Legacy Account ensures Habitat Montana has the funding it needs to continue seizing big opportunities as they arise, including habitat leasing and partnerships with willing landowners.
2. WHIP Legacy Expansion
The Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP) has already played a role in tackling noxious weeds and improving habitat on both public and private land. But the scope of the program has been narrow—until now.
A Habitat Legacy Account would expand WHIP through the new WHIP Legacy initiative, funding landscape-scale restoration and stewardship work across rural Montana. The program would support ranchers, Tribes, conservation districts, local governments, hunters, and nonprofits in their efforts to heal degraded land and improve fish and wildlife habitat.
Eligible projects would include the following:
- Rangeland and soil restoration
- Invasive species removal
- Fence modifications for improved wildlife movement
- Water retention and development
- Aspen and wetland enhancement
- Fish passage and irrigation upgrades
These types of projects directly improve wildlife habitat and water quality, while helping working lands stay productive. Importantly, this program puts funding in the hands of people who know the land best—those who live and work on it.
3. Wildlife Crossings
Montana ranks second in the nation for wildlife-vehicle collisions. Every year, more than 6,000 big game animals are struck and killed on our roads. These crashes cost Montanans more than $119 million annually in vehicle damages, injuries, and emergency services. Worse still, they threaten the health of our big game herds and the safety of our communities.
The Habitat Legacy Account would create a dedicated funding stream for wildlife accommodations—overpasses, underpasses, and fencing that allow animals to safely cross highways and keep drivers safe. According to recent surveys, 77% of Montanans support more investments in wildlife crossings. With this bill, we can turn that public support into action.
Wildlife crossings are also cost-efficient. By helping species like elk, deer, moose, bears and pronghorn move safely across the landscape, these structures improve long-term herd vitality and prevent roadkill-related costs. They’re a win-win for wildlife and public safety.
Why Now?
Montana has many tools for conserving public and private lands, but we lack one essential piece: a robust, reliable funding mechanism for habitat stewardship. With changing climate conditions and growing land-use pressures, we can’t afford to wait.
The Habitat Legacy Account fills that gap by creating a framework that’s flexible, efficient, and grounded in local knowledge. It supports the people who know the land best—ranchers, Tribes, land managers, hunters, and conservationists—and gives us the tools to get the work done.
Take Action
Montanans overwhelmingly support conservation, wildlife, and access. HB 932 proposes strategic, common-sense investments in all three legs of the stool.
Contact your legislators and urge them to support HB 932. It’s how we keep Montana wild, working, and open for the next generation.
To provide testimony and/or written comments, visit https://participate.legmt.gov. You can also send a message to legislators through the public participation portal.
