We propose adding capacity to facilitate cross-boundary collaborative work to improve grasslands, sagebrush steppe, big game corridors, and public access across montana

Pheasants forever will provide this capacity through their conservation delivery team in the state including a MT state coordinator, a ranchers stewardship alliance coordinating wildlife biologist, a glasgow coordinating wildlife biologist, and other team members necessary to deliver the proposed deliverables. The pheasants forever montana conservation delivery team will work collaboratively with BLM field offices and other partners (nrcs, USFWS, PPN, IWN, ngpjv, WWF, TNC, DU) to implement projects that benefit grassland sagebrush health and function, facilitate wildlife migration movement corridors, and improve public access opportunities. Through this collaborative process we will leverage funding from multiple sources and provide much needed capacity to work directly with landowners and lessees to implement conservation projects that cross public private ownerships to meet priority wildlife concerns. This capacity will be crucial to deliver existing collaborative initiatives including the big game rcpp, MT sagebrush conservation BIL funding, ranchers stewardship alliance nfwf grants, winnett aces nfwf grants, pheasants forever nfwf grants, and other ongoing projects. This capacity will be critical in connecting BLM and other partners to these efforts and ensuring projects are applied in a cross-boundary fashion across the landscape. Additionally, the MT state coordinator will work with other PF staff and partners to develop innovative initiatives that bring further funding and opportunities to priority landscapes in montana. Through this effort and effective leveraging of other funds we expect to impact 40,000 acres of grasslands through grazing system enhancements (50 public), restore 1,000 acres of grassland on cropland (private), modify remove 200 miles offence to facilitate wildlife movement (50 public), complete 600 landowner contacts, open up 10,000 acres of public access (50 private, 50 land-locked public), and develop 4 new initiatives focused on priority landscapes.