FWP wildlife division outlines multiple budget requests for staff, surveys, equipment and grizzly response

Ken McDonald, chief of the Wildlife Division at the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, told the Legislature the division is seeking several budget changes to keep pace with growing workload and costs.

The division presented a package of decision packages (DPs) that would increase operations authority for modified positions, expand survey and non‑game work, add recurring equipment replacement authority, and fund grizzly bear conflict response and upland‑bird habitat projects. The requests also include one‑time equipment purchases to address a backlog of field needs.

The budget requests matter because the division says increased human population, litigation over wildlife rules and higher operating costs are straining its ability to monitor and manage Montana’s species. The division also said stronger survey and non‑game programs can help inform federal Endangered Species Act reviews and protect state management authority.

The Wildlife Division is responsible, McDonald said, “for conservation and management of more than 600 Montana birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, and their habitat,” and those responsibilities are spread across species categories including game, nongame, migratory and threatened species. He described four main program areas: species management, habitat conservation, conflict management and wildlife health.

Key points from the DPs and committee discussion:

- DP502: Modified positions. The division reported it has “a little over 35 modified positions” used for critical work — chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance, grizzly bear conflict response, wolf and mountain lion monitoring, black bear population work and non‑game projects. Because those are modified, rather than permanent, positions, pay and benefits increases have not automatically flowed to operations budgets. McDonald said the DP would increase operations authority to cover salary and benefit changes and provide stability for those positions; the committee requested a detailed list of the 35 positions, including whether each is seasonal or permanent and the year each was approved.

- DP503: Non‑game program expansion. The division asked to increase authority for the non‑game program using revenue earmarked under House Bill 701. McDonald said about 80–88% of Montana’s wildlife are non‑game species and that the funding would hire technicians to collect distribution and status data for species of greatest conservation need (examples he named include pygmy rabbits, pinyon jays and several bat species). He said the additional revenue would allow the division to expand a program that had previously been funded in part by HB701; the division estimated the request at about $1.3 million and said funds would also support habitat restoration and outreach to reduce future threats and potential ESA listings.

- DP504: Survey and inventory. The division requested more resources to expand field surveys — including remote camera networks for forest carnivores such as lynx and wolverine, and increased effort for prairie grouse and sage‑brush species. McDonald said more rigorous surveys are needed both to inform management and to defend agency decisions in litigation.

- DP505 and DP507: Equipment authority and one‑time backlog. The division said it currently operates 88 ATVs, 50 snowmobiles, 31 camp trailers and 29 utility trailers and is seeking recurring equipment authority to establish a predictable replacement schedule (replacement targets McDonald cited include an ATV every 15 years and a snowmobile every 20 years). A separate one‑time request would address a backlog of needs such as UTVs with tracks, additional snowmobiles for monitoring, a one‑ton truck for carcass removal in grizzly country, tree planters for upland habitat work, elk clover traps and camper trailers for seasonal crews.

- DP506: Grizzly bear conflict operations. McDonald said grizzly bears have expanded in recent years and the division needs increased operations funding for travel, supplies and materials (for example, electric fencing) to respond to conflicts and meet obligations under the statewide grizzly management plan and administrative rules.

- DP508: Upland game bird enhancement. The division asked for additional operations authority to support four staffers (a Helena coordinator and three habitat specialists located in Great Falls, Miles City and Plentywood) who deliver habitat projects in cooperation with landowners; McDonald said positive landowner relationships have increased project demand and travel and program costs have grown.

- DP912 and DP913: Aircraft and WMA maintenance. The division asked for funding to cover higher proprietary aircraft rates and hours used for telemetry, surveys and research, and for additional maintenance funds for Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) to keep boundaries marked, fences repaired, roads maintained and weeds treated. McDonald described WMAs such as Judith River, Sun River, Freeze Out Lake and Canyon Ferry as public lands held in fee title and managed to protect winter range, wetlands and riparian habitats.

McDonald and committee members also discussed technical findings from a moose study summarized for the committee: “The big thing affecting moose, so adult female survival is the one that affects it most,” McDonald said, adding that limiting factors ranked in importance as nutrition, predation by wolves, parasitism (tick‑related) and predation by mountain lions and bears. He said habitat and forage are primary drivers and that management recommendations include placing timber cuts adjacent to older stands to provide both forage and cover.

Committee members asked for more granular information: Senator Ellis requested a list showing the year each modified position was approved; Representative Albus asked for clarification on which requests are funded from license accounts versus HB701 revenue; Representative Valdez raised concerns about wear on county roads from public access and asked whether FWP could cost‑share maintenance with counties (McDonald said legal and fund‑diversion constraints limit use of license dollars for that purpose).

No formal motions or votes on the DPs were recorded in the transcript during this session. Committee members repeatedly asked for more detailed breakout information (position lists, funding sources and years of approval) before taking action.

The division framed the package as a mix of recurring base adjustments (operations and equipment replacement) and one‑time purchases intended to provide field crews with dependable, safe gear and improve the agency’s capacity to collect data and reduce conflict. McDonald said the work supports hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities that the division estimates bring about 2,400,000 hunter days and more than $347,000,000 in annual economic impact.

Representative Powers offered specific praise: “Your bear management folks are excellent,” he told the committee during discussion of grizzly operations.

If approved, the package would expand FWP’s ability to monitor chronic wasting disease, defend management in litigation, implement grizzly conflict responses across Regions 1–5, strengthen non‑game species programs and establish predictable replacement of field equipment.

Looking ahead, committee members asked staff to provide the requested position lists and funding breakdowns; those details were not included in the transcript and were listed by staff as “to be provided” in follow‑up materials.