Montana Wildlife and Transportation Partnership Project Program

Abstract

Following the December 2018 Montana Wildlife and Transportation Summit, the Montana
Department of Transportation (MDT), Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), and a coalition of conservation non-governmental organizations focused on wildlife and transportation issues formed the Montana Wildlife & Transportation Partnership. The Partnership Steering Committee is releasing the MWTP Project Program to establish an avenue for public-private partnerships to propose wildlife accommodation projects. The Program addresses the need for transportation projects specifically dedicated to accommodating wildlife with the collaborative engagement of stakeholders, including the leveraging of capacity and capital investment. These projects are expected to be proposed by interested parties outside of the agencies. An applicant can be a member of the public, non-profit and non-governmental organizations, public agencies, local governments, community groups, or Tribal governments. Projects that have a strong purpose and need and demonstrated collaboration and partnerships are more likely to advance. Applicants can propose projects that are of various scales and stages of development. The Steering Committee will review project applications through a standardized process with selection criteria to determine whether the project will advance to the next step in development. The number, types, scale, scope, and locations of projects previously accepted into the Program, agency capacity, and available resources will play a role in determining the suite of projects selected in each cycle. Details regarding the MWTP Project Program, the project application guidance, and the project selection process will be shared with participants in preparation for the program launch.