MISSOULA — Wildlife is a big part of Montana and management of species like bears and wolves has been a controversial topic.
Leading wildlife experts are hosting a free panel and discussion at the Wilma about the future of the animals on Wednesday evening.
Wolves are currently managed by the state of Montana while grizzly bears are managed federally as protected endangered species.
Late last month, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks released a grizzly bear management plan with efforts focused on mitigating conflicts between bears and humans.
However, Montana wildlife officials aren't the only ones looking ahead to future management possibilities.
Wildlife biologists Dr. Doug Smith and Dr. Chris Servheen will share their ideas on the species' futures during the panel.
Dr. Smith led the Yellowstone Wolf Project — spearheading the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park.
Dr. Servheen — the president of the Montana Wildlife Federation — has also served as the grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 35 years.
In that position, he oversaw research and management of grizzly bears across the lower 48.
"You know, there's literally hundreds of thousands of more people living in Montana in the past 10 years. And many of those people don't have much knowledge about bears and they'll be able to ask questions. So, it's a way to be updated on things and then learn some things about these animals," Dr. Servheen told MTN.
The Wilma Theater's doors open at 6:15 p.m. with the panel discussion beginning at 7 p.m.
