The Montana Outdoor Heritage Project has officially concluded a summer-long public outreach campaign which sought to answer whether Montana should enhance funding for private and public lands conservation, wildlife management, and outdoor access and recreation.
The results of the ambitious public outreach effort, which engaged over 11,000 Montanans this past summer, will be shared next month.
A final tally of participation shows 11,166 Montanans completed the Montana Outdoor Heritage Survey which was distributed through social media and email. Project volunteers and staff from partner organizations also reached thousands of residents with the survey by knocking on doors and tabling at farmers markets, summer festivals, and events.
An additional three hundred Montana residents participated in fifty community conversations held across the state in homes, coffee-shops, barns, breweries, and senior center . These conversations were hosted by Project volunteers and sought to brainstorm creative solutions to address Montana’s growing funding need for wildlife, working lands, and recreation opportunities.
Data from surveys and community conversations will now be analyzed and results are expected to be shared publicly in October.
The Montana Outdoor Heritage Project is a collaboration among Montana citizens and over forty small businesses, conservation, and recreation groups. The project has brought together people of diverse perspectives who care about issues from protecting public access to resolving human-wildlife conflicts.