GROW WILD INC

GROW WILD'S PROJECT AREA ENCOMPASSES SOME OF THE MOST ECOLOGICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT RESOURCES IN THE STATE, PROVIDING VITAL HABITAT AND WATER FOR PLANTS, WILDLIFE, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE AND RECREATE IN THE AREA. GROW WILD WORKS TO ADDRESS AND MITIGATE THE IMPACTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITY UPON NATURAL RESOURCES TO ENSURE WHAT WE LOVE SO MUCH ABOUT THIS PLACE IS NOT DESTROYED BY OUR PURSUIT TO EXPERIENCE IT. THANK YOU TO THE 58 SPONSORS, 146 DONORS, 122 PARTNERS, 8 CANINE CONSERVATION AMBASSADORS, AND 161 VOLUNTEERS WHO PUT IN 374 HOURS IN 2023 TO HELP GROW WILD PROTECT OUR NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVE WILDLIFE HABITAT. TOGETHER, WE CAN CONSERVE THE LANDSCAPES WE ALL LOVE!EDUCATION & OUTREACH PROJECT: TO PROTECT NATURAL RESOURCES FROM INVASIVE SPECIES, GROW WILD WORKS COLLABORATIVELY WITH PARTNERS AND ORGANIZATIONS ON AN ARRAY OF PROJECTS, CREATES AND DISSEMINATES EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS, AND PROVIDES EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES VIA LOCAL KID'S CAMPS, FARMERS MARKET, GUIDED HIKES, AND CLASSES. IN 2023, GROW WILD REACHED 1,891 KIDS, 2,947 ADULTS AND HOSTED OR PARTICIPATED IN 56 CLASSES AND EVENTS. SINCE 2008, WE'VE EDUCATED 14,418 KIDS AND 5,417 ADULTS VIA 263 CLASSES AND EVENTS.

LANDOWNER STEWARDSHIP PROJECT: ACTIVE STEWARDSHIP BY LANDOWNERS IS CRITICAL TO PROTECT NATURAL RESOURCES ON BOTH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC LANDS. GROW WILD OFFERS FREE ON-SITE ASSISTANCE AND PROVIDES A SUITE OF RESOURCES TO LANDOWNERS SO THEY CAN ADDRESS INVASIVE SPECIES USING BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES. IN 2023, WE CONDUCTED 53 PROPERTY INSPECTIONS THAT REPRESENT 332 ACRES. SINCE 2008, GROW WILD HAS INSPECTED 1,002 PROPERTIES, IMPACTING 12,392 ACRES AND FINDING ONLY 2 NOXIOUS WEED FREE PROPERTIES. HOA (HABITAT OWNERS ASSOCIATION) PROJECT: IN RESPONSE TO THE INCREASING THREATS TO WILDLIFE HABITAT, GROW WILD INITIATED OUR HOA PROGRAM TO MANAGE INVASIVE PLANTS IN OPEN SPACE FOR THE BENEFIT OF WILDLIFE. PARTNERING WITH HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATIONS AND THE GALLATIN COUNTY WEED DISTRICT, GROW WILD AIMS TO ENHANCE WILDLIFE HABITAT IN OPEN SPACE BY LEADING AN INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT EFFORT FOR A THREE-YEAR PERIOD. THE GOAL IS TO ASSIST WITH EDUCATION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO KICK START HABITAT IMPROVEMENT. IN 2023, GROW WILD CONTINUED TO ASSIST PORCUPINE PARK, A 460-ACRE SUBDIVISION WITH 160 ACRES OF TOTAL OPEN SPACE. PRESERVED IN PERPETUITY, THESE OPEN SPACES ARE TRADITIONAL MIGRATION PATHS FOR THE PORCUPINE PARK ELK HERD AND ARE CRITICAL CALVING SITES IN THE SPRING. LANDOWNERS SEE ELK, DEER, BLACK AND GRIZZLY BEARS, MOOSE, AND OTHER WILDLIFE YEAR-ROUND THROUGHOUT THE DEVELOPMENT. ON JULY 18, FOUR LANDOWNERS JOINED FOUR GROW WILD BOARD MEMBERS AND TWO WEED DISTRICT STAFF TO TREAT APPROXIMATELY 51 ACRES OF PRIME YEAR-ROUND ELK HABITAT. THE TREATMENT VALUE OF THIS EFFORT TOTALED $5,085. SINCE 2014, GROW WILD HAS ASSISTED 5 HOAS, GUIDING 69 LANDOWNERS WHO CONTRIBUTED 179 HOURS IN TREATING 315 ACRES OF CRITICAL WILDLIFE HABITAT. THIS EFFORT REPRESENTS A VALUE OF $95,525 IN WILDLIFE HABITAT IMPROVEMENTS.