2019-20 Host Sites
Billings, Montana
Montana Wildlife Federation
The Montana Wildlife Federation is Montana’s oldest, largest and most effective conservation organization. Since 1936, we’ve led efforts to protect Montana’s abundant fish and wildlife, our natural lands and waters, and public access for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation.
Over the years, MWF has secured some of the Treasure State’s most important conservation victories, including the best stream access law in the West, a ban on confined wildlife farms, and protection of some of Montana’s most important wild lands.
Livingston, Montana
Park County, MT and the City of Livingston
Livingston is a town and the county seat of Park County, Montana. Livingston is located in southwestern Montana, on the Yellowstone River, north of Yellowstone National Park.
The founding of the small historical railroad and ranching town of Livingston, Montana is a direct result of the Northern Pacific Railway (NPR). The NPR operated a branch line running some fifty miles south through Paradise Valley to, first the Cinnabar station and later to Gardiner, Montana. Livingston and Park County are in transition. Traditional industries such as agriculture and railroad maintenance have given way to tourism, residential development, outdoor activities and cultural events. Through community and administrative support, Livingston and Park County have made progress in their recycling, active transportation and conservation programs and want to do more.
Freedom Gardens
The mission of Freedom Gardens is to enhance local food security by demonstrating sustainable food production methods and providing opportunities for hands-on learning. They strive to teach resilience to food scarcity through eco-conscious educational programs about growing, preserving, and storing food.
The Clark Fork Coalition
Since 1985 the Clark Fork Coalition has worked to help heal and protect the vital waters of the Clark Fork basin. We organize and educate community members to learn about and care for the river, helping to make our waterways clean, healthy, and whole again. Our work is conducted by a staff of 13 people based in Missoula, Montana, with a satellite office at the CFC-managed working ranch in the Deer Lodge Valley. Our board of directors supplies guidance, governance, and oversight, with membership support delivered by 2,700 citizens from across the 14-million acre Clark Fork basin. We build diverse partnerships using a science-based, community-focused approach.
Home ReSource
Home ReSource is a building materials reuse center in Missoula that is committed to reducing waste and building a vibrant and sustainable local economy. As a triple-bottom-line nonprofit business, we bring environmental, social, and economic benefits to the community through its retail store and deconstruction services as well as our community sustainability programs. Those programs provide educational activities, community Zero Waste support, job skills training, and volunteer opportunities to community members and material donations to schools, churches, and organizations.
Climate Smart Missoula
Climate Smart Missoula acts as a hub to ensure that the community is planning and acting on climate change. It is a group of dedicated leaders working to implement and support real-time projects that make measurable differences for a one-of-a-kind community and landscape. It strives to measure, understand, and communicate greenhouse gas emissions for the Missoula area, with a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, connect and support groups working on climate mitigation and adaptation, prepare and respond to climate challenges by focusing on social equity and health, economic, and environmental vitality, initiate strategic projects and actions that reduce our carbon footprint, build resiliency, and inspire further action, and help build and sustain a healthy community, able to adapt and respond to climate related challenges with hope, kindness, and innovation.
National Wildlife Federation
The National Wildlife Federation, America’s oldest and largest conservation organization, works across the country to unite Americans from all walks of life in giving wildlife a voice. We’ve been on the front lines for wildlife since 1936, fighting for the conservation values that are woven into the fabric of our nation’s collective heritage. We believe America’s experience with cherished landscapes and wildlife has helped define and shape our national character and identity for generations. Protecting these natural resources is a cause that has long united Americans from all walks of life and political stripes. To hunters, anglers, hikers, birders, wildlife watchers, boaters, climbers, campers, cyclists, gardeners, farmers, forest stewards, and other outdoor enthusiasts, this conservation ethic represents a sacred duty and obligation to protect and build upon our conservation heritage for the sake of wildlife, ourselves, our neighbors, and—most of all—for future generations.
Missoula County
Missoula County is committed to addressing climate change and building resiliency in our government operations and throughout our communities. According to the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment, average temperatures in Montana are expected to rise by 4.5-6.0°F by mid-century, resulting in a wide variety of impacts including reduced snowpack, earlier spring snowmelt, and more frequent and intense droughts and wildfires. Missoula County addressed the threat of climate change in the 2016 Growth Policy, which includes the following goal: “Missoula County seeks to reduce its contribution to climate change while promoting resiliency and adapting to its impact on the natural environment and communities.”
Jackson, Wyoming
Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities (YTTC)
As the sole regional designee of the Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program, Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities (YTCC) functions as Department of Energy’s on-the-ground advocate focused on petroleum displacement activities in the Greater Yellowstone Region. Currently consisting of nearly 90 organizations across the country, the Clean Cities program has been responsible for displacing over 2.5 billion gallons of petroleum fuel since its inception. Affiliation with the Clean Cities Program provides YTCC with access to regional and national support networks in order to bring a much broader perspective to local transportation projects. It also allows for access to unique funding opportunities related to supporting the Clean Cities mission. This affiliation, along with YTCC’s regional standing as a resource and advocate for sustainable and efficient transportation, creates an ideal scenario for YTCC to function as a clean transportation leader within the Greater Yellowstone Community in order to lessen the detrimental impacts of local transportation.
Helena, Montana
Bike Walk Montana (BWMT)
Bike Walk Montana (BWMT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the mission: “To make Montana safe and accessible for everyone.” BWMT advocates to make Montana a safer and more accessible place for you, your friends, and your family to walk and bicycle. They unite local advocates from across the state to raise awareness and promulgate change at both the local and state level. Their work is focused on improving laws and policies, targeted education for all road users, enhanced planning efforts, encouraging more people to walk and bicycle, and creating more places to walk and bicycle safely.
Department of Environmental Quality
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is charged with protecting a clean and healthy environment as guaranteed to our citizens by our State Constitution. Our ultimate goal is to protect public health and to maintain Montana’s high quality of life for current and future generations.
Havre, Montana
Opportunity Link, Inc.
Opportunity Link is a regional nonprofit agency committed to finding systemic ways to reduce poverty and help the communities of Northcentral Montana achieve independence, prosperity, and a better way of life.
Red Lodge, Montana
City of Red Lodge
The City of Red Lodge is currently in the process of writing an Energy Conservation Plan that will serve as a road map for measuring and reducing the City’s energy use, energy costs, and greenhouse gas emissions. It will set reduction goals and identify strategies for reaching them. The Plan will be formed around the City of Red Lodge Baseline Assessment, which is an energy use, cost, and greenhouse gas emissions inventory of City government operations.
Whitefish, Montana
Whitefish School District
Whitefish Schools demonstrates a student-centered and project-based education for our students. A unique aspect about Whitefish Schools is that there are many options for learning that occur outside the classroom. The natural environment in Montana and the resources available in the Whitefish community are unparalleled on many levels. Beyond academic learning, Whitefish Schools continue to focus on creating a culture of equity and a safe and inclusive environment for all students, family, and staff regardless of their circumstances. Compassion, open-mindedness, acceptance, and kindness are values Whitefish Schools hope to instill in students as they make their way out into the world.
City of Whitefish
The Whitefish City Council has unanimously agreed to initiate a climate action plan and has appointed two councilors and a staff member to represent the city in the new partnership titled Climate Smart Glacier Country. Other partners include Glacier National Park, Flathead Electric Cooperative, Whitefish School District, and many individuals, organizations and businesses.
Butte, Montana
NCAT Energy Corps Team Leader
The Montana Energy Corps (MTEC) Team Leader Position will help strengthen the overall programming of the MTEC. This position also serves as a team leader with an emphasis focused on member support through teambuilding, mentorship, and project coordination. The position serves to expand the capacity of the program to conduct educational presentations that meet the full-scope of the program’s data quality goals. The EAEC Specialist will gain hands-on experience with training development and will work under the direct supervision of the MTEC Program Director to ensure successful implementation of programming, including weatherization service projects. The EAEC Specialist is an AmeriCorps Member and is entitled to the benefit package offered to all AmeriCorps Members.
NCAT/ATTRA Resiliency Outreach Coordinator
ATTRA is developing a pilot rural resileiency outreach project. We will explore how best to assist rural communities in one state with resiliency planning by focusing first on offering trainings and workshops to reduce community energy and water use and explore community based recycling and transportation options. The Energy Corps member will help develop and distribute a Resiliency Guide for Rural Communities interested in developing their rural economy and improving their quality of life.
NCAT Energy Services
Our Energy Services program assesses businesses, schools, hospitals, universities, and government buildings to facilitate reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Since the program’s inception, we have helped save more than 53,899 megawatt hours of electricity: that is equivalent to keeping 254 rail cars of coal out of production every year.
NCAT SIFT Farm
SIFT was created to help every community increase their food security by producing their own healthy food. SIFT, with NCAT, is developing a working, sustainably managed, demonstration farm on five acres at our Butte, Montana, headquarters. This farm will serve as the backdrop for an intensive, hands-on training program that will teach farmers and future farmers, urban food producers, community leaders, and citizens how to commercially produce high-value, nutrient-rich food on small parcels of land.
West Glacier, Montana
Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center(CCRLC)
The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center (CCRLC) is dedicated to making parks more accessible to researchers and research results more accessible to staff, managers, and visitors. The CCRLC represents three national park units in our region as well as Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada. We are also fortunate to work with a variety of partners to increase research and science literacy in the Crown of the Continent. Visit our Parks & Partner page to learn more about these groups. The mission of the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center is to promote research and scientific understanding within the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. Our focus includes research assistance, sharing scientific research and education opportunities.
Yellowstone Park, Montana/Wyoming
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first National Park and a Biosphere Preserve, strives to be a leader in environmental protection. This includes reducing its footprint for energy, water and waste, and greenhouse gas emissions through operations and facility improvements. There is an ongoing and ever evolving need to better assess baseline assets and to manage improvements in this field, and to understand where we can make the most difference in energy conservation and the reduction of fossil fuels throughout Yellowstone.