Senate Fish and Game committee hears widespread support for Christy Clark as FWP director

Christy Clark, the governor’s nominee for director of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, faced hours of questions and overwhelmingly positive testimony from sportsmen, ranchers, conservation organizations and former colleagues at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Fish and Game Committee.

Clark told the committee she joined FWP in December and said she plans to prioritize expanding access to private land, restoring staff morale and using partnerships to manage wildlife and recreation pressure across the state. “I will maintain the highest quality of integrity and transparency recognizing that that is what the citizens of Montana expect and deserve,” she said in opening remarks.

Why it matters: FWP manages Montana’s fisheries, big-game herds and state parks. Committee members probed how Clark would handle politically loaded issues — including wolf management, elk harvest strategy and coordination with federal partners — because agency choices affect ranchers, outfitters, hunters and motorists.

Committee discussion focused on practical agency management and political flashpoints. Clark said she supports more active wolf management when warranted but emphasized that quotas are set by the Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission and that she will work “with all due respect” to the commission’s role. On elk, she said the agency relies on annual surveys and license allocations and that shoulder seasons can be “an effective tool” among other management options.

Multiple organizations testified in support. Lieutenant Governor Kristin Juras described Clark’s record in the Department of Agriculture and urged confirmation, and groups ranging from the Montana Farm Bureau Federation to the Montana Wildlife Federation emphasized Clark’s ability to build relationships with landowners and hunters. Scott Kulbeck of the Farm Bureau said Clark “has a great deal of credibility with the agricultural community.”

FWP finance and staffing was a recurring concern. Committee members pressed on cash‑flow, account balances and proposed staff increases. FWP CFO Lena Havron gave an account-level briefing and answered questions about fund balances and what portions of license revenue flow into targeted accounts such as Habitat Montana or the Upland GameBird Enhancement fund.

Clark also discussed enforcement philosophy: educating licensees before escalating to citations. On federal partnerships, she warned that cuts to federal wildlife or forest-service capacity would place new demands on the state agency.

What’s next: The committee closed the hearing and moved SR84 forward; the nomination and any final action will be resolved as the Senate takes up confirmations.