This summer, Wildlands will host the sixth annual conservation event supporting wild and scenic places in Southwest Montana and beyond. Wildlands, in conjunction with PERC, The Property and Environment Research Center, will celebrate the importance of these wild and scenic places that the organization directly supports. Wildlands beneficiaries benefit from 6+ different fundraising activities and awareness of their important mission for conservation through ticket and sponsor sales, volunteer donations, merchandise sales, silent auction items, and the Wildlands Music charity dinner.
We can’t do it alone. We’re proud to partner with like-minded conservation nonprofits to protect public lands in our region and across the country. This year we are excited to work with PERC as our Wildlands Music Lead Conservation Partner.
Each winter in Montana’s Paradise Valley, as deep snow settles over Yellowstone National Park, thousands of elk move down from the high country in search of forage and shelter. In this iconic landscape just outside the park, generations of cattle ranchers have cared for the wide-open valley that wildlife depends on, and their working ranchlands become critical winter refuge.
That shared landscape also brings real costs. The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC)—a national conservation leader headquartered in Bozeman—works side by side with local ranch families to make conservation a win for both wildlife and working lands. PERC believes conservation works best when we reward the people who make it possible. Incentives matter for conservation.
By aligning economics and ecology, PERC is implementing real conservation solutions across Montana and throughout the West.
PERC’s Elk Rent program compensates ranchers when migrating herds forage on their property. The Brucellosis Compensation Fund helps offset the risk of disease transmission between wildlife and livestock. And the Virtual Fence Conservation Fund replaces miles of barbed wire with wildlife-friendly technology that improves migration and reduces conflict.
By rewarding stewardship and respecting private landowners, PERC helps keep Paradise Valley’s ranchlands and other working lands in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem healthy, productive, and open for future generations of people and wildlife alike. PERC also partners with Yellowstone National Park to identify creative new funding solutions and works to accelerate forest restoration to improve habitat and reduce wildfire risk, showing what’s possible when conservation brings people together.
Explore more at perc.org/wildlands.
We’re also proud to support Project-Based Nonprofit Partners, Vital Ground and Montana State Parks Foundation.
Vast and rugged. Rich with biodiversity. The Northern Rockies region holds the Lower 48’s most intact wildlife community, but its wild strongholds are not connected. With development pressures increasing and climate impacts forcing animals to adjust their patterns, saving islands of habitat isn’t enough. To adapt and endure, wide-ranging wildlife need a connected landscape.
Vital Ground is a nationally-accredited land trust focused on the long-term conservation of grizzly bears and the many species that share their range. We pursue this vision through land protection, conflict prevention and habitat restoration, with more than 1 million acres protected and enhanced since our founding in 1990. Working with landowners who value our region’s open space and wildlife heritage, we complete conservation easements, land purchases and restoration projects in key areas for wildlife and partner with community coexistence efforts like electric fencing and bear-resistant garbage containers.
Our current One Landscape Initiative prioritizes protection of 188,000 acres on private lands that connect the wild strongholds of the Northern Rockies, enabling resilience for sensitive species ranging from bears, wolves and Canada lynx to elk, moose and native trout. As Vital Ground co-founder Lynne Seus says, “Where the grizzly can walk, the Earth is healthy
and whole.
The Montana State Parks Foundation is the official nonprofit partner of Montana’s 56 state parks. Working in close collaboration with the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks State Parks Division, we strive to preserve, enhance, and expand opportunities within these treasured parklands. Serving more than 3.4 million annual visitors, we lead projects focused on accessibility and safety, habitat conservation, historical and cultural interpretation, and outdoor recreation. Our mission is simple: to make Montana’s state parks the best they can be for everyone.
The Park Accessibility Project and the Skye Fund
The Park Accessibility Project is the Montana State Parks Foundation’s flagship initiative focused on expanding accessibility in Montana’s state parks. While accessibility is a priority for Montana’s park system, budget constraints, deferred maintenance, evolving standards, and the historic underrepresentation of lived experience in park planning can create barriers to equitable access.
Guided by the principle “Nothing About Us, Without Us,” we work alongside accessibility advocates and members of the disability community to identify and implement meaningful improvements. Projects across the state have included accessible kayak launches, trail and facility improvements, accessible campsites, and all-terrain wheelchairs.
In partnership with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, we are excited to continue this work locally at Madison Buffalo Jump State Park.
This project was inspired by Skye Swenson, whose story continues to remind us why expanding access to Montana’s outdoors matters. In her honor, we are proud to launch the Skye Fund for Park Accessibility, a permanent fund established with proceeds from the Wildlands Festival. The Skye Fund will support accessibility projects across Montana’s state parks, helping create more inclusive outdoor experiences for people of all abilities and ensuring that more children and families can experience the joy, freedom, and connection of the outdoors.
In 2025, Wildlands hosted the fifth annual conservation event supporting wild and scenic places in Southwest Montana and beyond. Headlining Wildlands 2025 was Dave Matthews, with Lukas Nelson and Molly Tuttle opening both nights.
The Wildlands Auction set the stage with over $600,000 revenue, raising the total to $700,000 with donations. On the final night, Dave Matthews announced that his family would match donation, putting the total at a record breaking $1.3 million.
Wildlands and Outlaw Partners wants to thank all of the musicians, sponsors, event staff, auction sponsors & participants, and donors for this historic achievement.
Wildlands charities benefit from 6+ different fundraising activities and awareness of their important mission for conservation through ticket and sponsor sales, volunteer donations, merchandise sales, silent auction items, and the Wildlands Music charity dinner. In 2024 Wildlands total amount raised reached $303,000.