The Vital Ground Foundation

Land conservation: Vital Ground identifies crucial grizzly bear habitat on private land and works with willing landowners to protect The land's conservation values. This is accomplished by acquiring conservation easements on The land through donation or bargain purchase, or by purchasing land in fee title then managing it to benefit wildlife and The public. Vital Ground has a perpetual responsibility to monitor The lands on which it holds conservation easements to ensure compliance with The terms of The conservation easements. Vital Ground has a responsibility to restore and manage The land it owns to provide quality habitat for The benefit of grizzly bears and other wildlife. In addition to developing and managing its own projects, Vital Ground strategically provides grants to agencies, governmental entities, and other nonprofit conservation organizations to assist their efforts to conserve and restore important wildlife habitat and prevent conflicts between bears and people. 2022 accomplishments include:conservation easements -acquired two conservation easements in Montana totaling 313 acres that protect highly threatened grizzly bear habitat and a key linkage area between The northern continental divide and bitterroot grizzly bear recovery areas.-monitored twenty conservation easements held by Vital Ground in Montana, three conservation easements held by Vital Ground in Idaho, and four u.s. forest service forest legacy program conservation easements held by The Idaho department of lands in idaho.land acquisition and management-acquired one property totaling 148 acres in fee-title in Idaho to protect wildlife habitat and scenic values, and to specifically conserve key grizzly bear habitat in The selkirk mountains ecosystems.-continued promoting The goals of The u.s. forest service's community forest and open space program through forest stewardship activities at Vital Ground's alvord lake community forest, conducted in partnership with The public stakeholders' committee that guides management of The forest.-monitored and managed four fee-title conservation properties in Idaho and six fee-title conservation properties in montana.-conducted habitat enhancement activities on properties held for The benefit of wildlife in bonner county, Idaho, and in lincoln county, Montana.

Other: in addition to its habitat conservation and conservation education programs, The Vital Ground Foundation also partners with federal, state and tribal agencies, other nonprofit organizations and local community groups to support programs to prevent conflicts between bears and people. Through its 2022 conservation partners grant program, Vital Ground awarded $61,000 in small grants to 18 local communities, organizations and agencies working to prevent conflicts between bears and people in 14 high priority landscapes. These investments helped:-protect 52,000 acres of livestock range using range riders. -construct electric fencing of 3 barns/ranching headquarters, 3 orchards, 1 chicken coop, and 1 duck yard. -distribute 76 bear-resistant garbage containers.-bear-proof 2 garbage collection sites.-remove 35 livestock carcasses in areas prone to wildlife conflict.-provide education and outreach to more than 3,000 people at 74 presentations and bear spray training sessions.-glean 5,161 pounds of apples, a major bear attractant.-respond to 25 on-site conflicts with karelian bear dogs.-distribute 31 bear spray canisters and 30 food storage bags. Proactive prevention of avoidable conflicts between bears and people is critical to communities accepting grizzlies as The species recovers and expands back into locations where it has been absent, in some cases for more than a century.

Conservation education: Vital Ground provides information about grizzly bears, associated wildlife and habitat conservation through its publications, special mailers, website, email communications, social media, live presentations, videos and other media opportunities. The organization also participates in collaborative educational programs to promote The conservation of grizzly bears and their habitat, prevent conflicts between bears and humans and enhance The survival of grizzly bears. 2022 accomplishments include:-produced 10,000 copies of Vital news, The organization's biannual 16-page print newsletter that reports on grizzly bear and wildlife habitat conservation issues as well as project opportunities and accomplishments.-produced 12 electronic newsletters plus other electronic correspondence that was distributed to approximately 9,000 unique recipients (172,800 total communications). These electronic communications reported on grizzly bear and wildlife habitat conservation issues, emerging project opportunities, conservation accomplishments, conservation and business partners, and funding needs.-produced other assorted postcards and promotions that reported on grizzly bear and wildlife habitat conservation issues, emerging project opportunities, conservation accomplishments, conservation and business partners and funding needs.-maintained a website (www.vitalground.org) providing comprehensive information to The public about grizzly bears, wildlife habitat conservation issues, current grizzly bear conservation challenges and project accomplishments. During 2022, The website experienced 93,848 users and 110,547 sessions.-produced five new videos and grew Vital Ground's youtube audience by roughly 2,500 followers to a total of 27,500 subscribers. -promoted wildlife habitat, grizzly bear natural history and conservation education topics to a social media audience of more than 90,000.