About The Natural Heritage Program

Introduction

The Montana Natural Heritage Program (MTNHP) is Montana's source for reliable and objective information on Montana's native species and habitats, emphasizing those of conservation concern. MTNHP was created by the Montana legislature in 1983 as part of the Natural Resource Information System (NRIS) at the Montana State Library (MSL). MTNHP is "a program of information acquisition, storage, and retrieval for data relating to the flora, fauna, and biological community types of Montana" (MCA 90-15-102). MTNHP's activities are guided by our associated statutes as well as through ongoing interactions with, and feedback from, principal data source agencies such as Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Department of Agriculture, the University System, US Forest Service, and US Bureau of Land Management. Since the first staff was hired in 1985, the Program has logged a long record of success, and developed into a highly respected, service-oriented program. Of the 60 natural heritage programs distributed across North America, MTNHP is recognized as one of the most advanced and effective programs.

Vision

Our vision is that public agencies, private and education sectors, tribal governments, and the general public will trust and rely upon MTNHP as the source for information and expertise on Montana's species and habitats, especially those of conservation concern. We strive to provide easy access to our information to help users save time and money, speed environmental reviews, and make informed decisions.

Core Values

• We endeavor to be a single statewide source of accurate and up-to-date information on Montana's plants, animals, fungi and aquatic and terrestrial biological communities.
• We actively listen to our data users and work responsively to meet their information and training needs.
• We strive to provide neutral, trusted, timely, and equitable service to all of our information users.
• We make every effort to be transparent to our data users, in setting work priorities, and providing data products.