How Highways and Wildlife Intersect: History of Wildlife Crossing in Montana

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at MSU is partnering with the Belgrade Community Library to host a talk entitled “How Highways and Wildlife Intersect: History of Wildlife Crossing in Montana” at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13 at the library. This event is free and open to the public. The presentation will be preceded by a social with refreshments at 5:30 p.m.

Frank Lance Craighead, a field ecologist, population geneticist and GIS technician with over 20 years of experience in conservation planning, will talk about the harmful impacts of highways on wildlife. He will also describe available solutions and the history of safe wildlife crossings in Montana. Finally, Craighead will discuss projects (past and present) to provide safe wildlife crossings in Montana and other Western states.

Craighead grew up helping his father, Frank, and uncle, John, with their pioneering study of grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park in the early 1960s. He earned a master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin. He completed his Ph.D. in biological sciences at Montana State University, where he studied grizzly bear genetics in the Alaskan Arctic. He is currently a research affiliate in the Department of Ecology at MSU. He is a member of the IUCN World Committee on Protected Areas, the Society for Conservation Biology, and the Society for Conservation GIS. He has been the executive director of the Craighead Institute since 1994, where he coordinates research, outreach and communications, and fundraising and development.

Seating is limited at Belgrade Community Library events, and advance registration is encouraged to ensure you get a seat. However, walk-ins are always welcome. For more information or to register, please visit the OLLI at MSU website at www.montana.edu/olli/.

The Belgrade Community Library Foundation and First Interstate Bank sponsor these collaborative free community programs.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at MSU is a program of Academic Technology and Outreach (ATO) at Montana State University. ATO works across MSU to support and advance our land-grant mission through unique and innovative opportunities for outreach and engagement.