A Citizen’s Vision
for Montana’s Forests
Our updated Citizen Forest Plan charts a better path one
that protects wildlife, keeps forests healthy, and ensures
clean water and wild places for generations to come.
Welcome to Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Country, the Heart of the Wild Rockies!
The Lolo, Bitterroot and Flathead National Forests are the heart of the Northern Rocky Mountains and home to a unique array of rare and endangered wildlife. Yet more than 1.5 million acres of Wilderness-quality lands remain unprotected and vulnerable to damage from road building, logging, mining and excessive mechanized and motorized recreation. Moreover, this region is ‘Connectivity Central’ for wildlife. The Lolo National Forest has lands in three different Grizzly Bear Recovery Areas and is critically located between the Northern Continental Divide, Greater Bitterroot and Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystems and the Bitterroot National Forest is the gateway to the central Idaho wildlands.
We’re working to protect this national treasure through our wildlife-focused Citizen Forest Plan:
- Based on the best available scientific information;
- Protects roadless areas, Wilderness Study Areas and streams as Proposed Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers;
- Establishes and restores linkages for wildlife including grizzly bears;
- Protects water quality for humans and native fish bull trout and cutthroat trout;
- Allows natural processes such as forest and insects to play a natural role in shaping the landscape.
Latest News & Stories
Task Force News 2026
The Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force is winning real victories for public lands and wildlife but the greatest challenges to the future of our national forests still lie ahead.
Sign the “Preserve the Wild Core of the Northern Rockies” Petition Today!
Tell the U.S. Forest Service to Support the Lolo-Bitterroot Partnership citizen plan to protect millions of acres of America’s Wild Public Lands.
Groups, Scientists Oppose Montana Grizzly Hunting Plan
Scientists and conservation groups are urging Montana to withdraw its proposed grizzly bear management plan, warning that it prioritizes trophy hunting over science-based recovery and could undermine the long-term survival of grizzly bears.
Task Force and Allies Comment on Proposed Massive BLM Logging in NCDE Grizzly Bear Habitat
A coalition of conservation groups is urging the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw a massive logging proposal in western Montana, warning it would fragment critical habitat for grizzly bears, lynx, wolverines, and bull trout in one of the Northern Rockies’ most important wildlife connectivity corridors.
Research that Task Force Funded is Published in Science Journal
New peer-reviewed research funded by the Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force reveals the critical role of wildlife connectivity and secure habitat in restoring grizzly bears across the Northern Rockies.
Groups Release Longterm Plans for Lolo and Bitterroot National Forest
Western Montana-based organizations the Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force and the Friends of the Bitterroot today released The Lolo-Bitterroot Partnership, a vision for the future of the Lolo and Bitterroot National Forests.
Task Force Sends Notice of Intent to Sue Over Unpermitted Taking of Grizzly Bears
The Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force of Missoula has sent a 60-day Notice of Intent (NOI) to sue the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the State of Montana for violations of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Lolo Forest Plan Update
The Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force has taken the lead in organizing comments from six organizations based in western Montana to the Lolo National Forest on its Draft Assessment and Species of Conservation Concern documents.
Conservation Groups File For Injunction To Halt Montana Wolf Trapping, Protect Grizzly Bears
Advocates seek stop to Montana’s 2023 wolf trapping season pending a court decision on alleged Endangered Species Act violations.
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Get the latest news and ways to take action for Montana’s forests.
A New Vision for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the Northern Rocky Mountains
New Report: Metapopulation Approach the Only Way to Recover Grizzly Bears
New Report: Natural Grizzly Bear Repopulation in the Greater Bitterroot Ecosystem
The Status of the Grizzly Bear and Conservation of Biological Diversity in the Northern Rocky Mountains
