On a recent warm, cloudy day, Jane Ratzlaff, executive director of Montana’s Outdoor Legacy Foundation, sat at a picnic table overlooking Pine Grove Pond, a 5-acre reservoir and popular fishing access site in Kalispell. A family was unloading fishing equipment from their truck, a pair of young men were casting off a dock, and other clusters of people sat by or walked around the pond.
“This is a perfect example,” she said, nodding toward the pond while describing the mission of MTOLF, the state’s umbrella organization for conservation.
“Wildlife conservation, education, and access,” she said. “Getting people out when they have crazy busy lives. It’s simple [to come here]… It’s the way we keep people connected. It’s out our backdoor and it’s free.”
The foundation has a four-pronged approach, raising funds for access to and care of public lands; wildlife habitat conservation, management, and research; trails and fishing access; and education.
“It’s got to be that balance: We want to make sure people can be good stewards and provide the opportunity for people to be good stewards,” Ratzlaff said.
As an independent non-profit, the organization collaborates with private and public conservation groups across the state, often on projects that span multiple regions. Locally, Ratzlaff said, MTOLF has become the “common denominator,” working with experts in the park and national forest systems to combine resources, thus broadening research on harlequin ducks and bears, among other subjects. And with headquarters in Columbia Falls, the foundation’s largest annual fundraising event, the “Wild Time” Rendezvous with “Jungle” Jack Hanna, has long been hosted in the Flathead’s backyard. This year’s event is set for July 16.
“I got involved because Montana really has some of the most incredible wildlife in the United States of America,” Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and television host, said. “I’m not just saying that because I live here [in Bigfork]. I’ve traveled across this country and the world.
“Yes, it’s a beautiful state,” he continued, “And it happens to have the resources and land for the animals to continue where they’re living for thousands of years. You have the same natural places you’ve had for thousands of years because you’re really protecting it. They’re protecting it the best I’ve seen in Montana.”
Hanna, who has called Montana his home base for some 30 years while traveling across the world, has volunteered his time as a passionate spokesman and member of the Montana Legacy Council over the last decade. Hanna says that he and his wife, Suzi, can’t wait for this year’s fundraiser, which has a new spin – instead of a talk or presentation, MTOLF will host a number of engaging exhibits.
“We’re doing these exhibits so you can spend time talking with [experts] and really learn,” Ratzlaff said. “We’re trying to make it interactive.”
All the exhibits aim to equip people with tools to interact with natural lands more knowledgeably. Representatives from Counter Assault will show attendees how to use bear spray. Susan Purvis, a wilderness medicine and backcountry specialist, will offer backcountry first aid tips. Cabela’s employees will demonstrate the proper way to pack a backpack. There’ll also be artists, biologists, and other wildlife experts on hand.
The public is invited to the event at Bar W Ranch in Whitefish, where there will be drinks, heavy appetizers, live music by Smart Alex, and live animals from Triple D Farm in Kalispell. Tickets cost $140 per person, and funds support equipment needs and seasonal staffing for wildlife management or education.
“What’s neat about the money we get from the annual fundraiser, [is it] goes directly onto the ground,” FWP Region 1 Supervisor Jim Williams said. “It hits the ground immediately next season, so that’s been a real benefit.”
Funding needs across the state include bear lockers and canisters, which range from $300 to $700, and GPS collars, which cost $4,000. Staffing needs range from interns and seasonal biologists to education coordinators.
The Harlequin Duck project aims to raise $15,000 to track Montana’s 200 duck pairs, most of which nest in and around Glacier National Park. Though their population numbers seem to be declining, researchers hope to confirm the cause and provide insight into the population’s vulnerabilities. $2,000 sponsors GPS equipment and tracking for a duck.
Though the foundation’s funding needs are great, Ratzlaff emphasized that contributing to land and wildlife in Montana is “not just for the wealthy, it’s for everybody.” Any size of donation is welcome.
“We take our public lands and access for granted, we don’t think we have to fund it – we think it’s on the government,” she said. “We have to start taking it more seriously and donating. We have to say this is how we want to do it, not just letting the government do it. We have to have a voice. It’s for all of us.”