Join us in welcoming Montana’s Blackfoot Challenge, for an evening of peer-to-peer learning!
A leader in conservation and grizzly bear coexistence programs, we will meet Blackfoot Challenge ranchers, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks employees, and conservationists to share real-world stories, challenges, and solutions from their decades of experience coexisting with grizzly bears (and others like wolves) in an agricultural landscape.
As communities in Pemberton Meadows and beyond face similar challenges with recovering grizzly bear populations, this is a chance to hear what worked (and what didn’t), ask questions, and connect with others navigating the path to coexistence. The Blackfoot Challenge has been on this journey since the early 2000s, so we have a lot to learn from them!
What to Expect:
Honest, real-life experiences ranchers and landowners in the Blackfoot watershed
A look at successful mitigation tools like e-fencing
Acknowledging challenges, fear, and growing pains
How trust, community partnerships, and time make coexistence possible
Open Q&A and discussion
Whether you're a landowner, resident, rancher, or simply interested in the future of wildlife and farming in our area as grizzly bear populations recover—this is for you.
🔗 FREE EVENT, Registration required
About the Blackfoot Challenge:
The Blackfoot Challenge is a community-based conservation organization in Montana's Blackfoot Valley. For over 30 years, they've collaborated with landowners, agencies, and partners to develop practical solutions for living alongside grizzly bears and other wildlife. Their initiatives include electric fencing, carcass removal programs, and range rider efforts, all aimed at reducing human-wildlife conflicts while supporting agricultural livelihoods.
👉Learn more at their website: Blackfootchallenge.org.
For a visual insight into their work, watch this great video:
Guests from the Blackfoot Challenge:
Seth Wilson– Blackfoot Challenge Executive Director
Seth has more than 25 years of experience working to find solutions for living with large carnivores. He was the Blackfoot Challenge's first Wildlife Program Coordinator and helped develop many programs that are in use today.
Eric Graham– Blackfoot Challenge Wildlife Program Coordinator
Eric Graham has been in this position for 10 years. Eric was also one of the first range riders for the Blackfoot Challenge. He has worked in the field of grizzly bear and wolf management for nearly 25 years and has worked as a wildlife technician for MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Leigh Kelley– Rancher, Greenough, Montana
Along with her husband, Leigh manages the livestock operation for the Paws Up Ranch. Under Leigh's leadership, the Paws Up Ranch has taken part in range riding, carcass removal, and bear attractant management. Leigh is also a board member for the Blackfoot Challenge.
Denny Iverson– Rancher, Potomac Valley, Montana
Also a board member for the Blackfoot Challenge, Denny has helped shape and guide many programs under the Wildlife Program that have helped livestock producers reduce conflicts with grizzly bears and wolves.
James J. Jonkel– Grizzly Bear Management Specialist for Montana Dept. of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP)
With more than 40 years of experience in the Montana FWP, James was instrumental in supporting the start-up of the Blackfoot Challenge's Wildlife Program. Under James' leadership, he helped develop many of the programs that are still in use today by the Blackfoot Challenge.