The theme for the Last Chance Audubon March Natural History Lecture series is: Wildfire in Montana: Its History, Science, and Impact on Habitat. Programs begin at 7:00 pm, the first four Mondays of March and are held at Montana WILD, 2668 Broadwater Ave. Arrive early for the best seat. Carpooling is recommended.
The March 26 topic – Elk and Wildfire in the Bitterroot Valley. Kelly Proffitt will describe evaluation of elk forage quality and post-fire changes in forage quality in the Bitterroot Valley of west-central Montana. Examining summer and winter forage quality helped to achieve the primary goal to evaluate how landscapes with varying post-fire successional stages influence elk nutritional resources. Results highlight the important effect of wildfire on the distribution and abundance of elk nutritional resources and demonstrate that elk nutritional carrying capacity likely varies over time with variation in fire history and management practices. Kelly Proffitt, a wildlife biologist from the Bozeman FWP office, has spent several years documenting the effect of wildfire on elk populations in the Bitterroot.
For more info contact Brian Shovers at: sholace0848@gmail.com