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TV Celebrity Jack Hanna to Host Popular Grizzly Bear Fundraiser

Space is limited to attend July 10 event at celebrity wildlife expert's Bigfork farm

By Tristan Scott

A popular annual fundraiser for Montana wildlife biologists who oversee the state’s grizzly bear and mountain lion populations is scheduled for July 10 at Jack and Suzi Hanna’s farm near Bigfork.

Montana’s Outdoor Legacy Foundation – formerly the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Foundation – organizes the annual event in order to give state biologists the tools and personnel they need to manage grizzly populations in areas where numbers are strong and to relocate a few grizzlies from around Kalispell to the Cabinet Mountains where numbers are low.

Jack Hanna is the director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and a celebrity wildlife expert known for taking animals on TV talk shows in order to educate people about the importance of wildlife preservation. The Hannas have hosted the Grizzly Bear Rendezvous for the past seven years and raised a total of about $500,000 in that time, according to the Legacy Foundation’s chair, Dennis Konopatzke.

“As our grizzly bear and lion numbers are increasing, the need for biologists, interns and seasonal technicians to respond to calls from the public is increasing, too,” Jane Ratzlaff, Executive Director of Montana’s Outdoor Legacy Foundation.

The event will include music by Shane Clouse and his band, Stomping Ground, and will be catered by Chris Ricciardi.   Special guests include biologists, Jack and Suzi Hanna, Jeff Hegener from Fish, Wildlife and Parks and several raptors!

Tickets are $125 and available at https://www.mtoutdoorlegacy.org or by calling (406) 892-7551.