Friends of the Wild Swan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization working to protect water quality and fish and wildlife habitat in the Swan Valley of northwestern Montana. Nestled between the Swan Mountains to the east and the Mission Mountains to the west, the Swan Valley is home to some of North America’s rarest and most imperiled fish and wildlife species, including lynx, wolverines, grizzly bears, and bull trout, all of which are threatened by logging, road-building, and other forms of human development. Founded in 1987, Friends of the Wild Swan has been defending these ecosystems and the species that live there for nearly 40 years. They engage in community organizing, public education and outreach, legislative advocacy, scientific and economic research, and litigation to enforce environmental laws. Friends of the Wild Swan uses a multi-pronged approach to protect and improve water quality for the people, fish, and wildlife of northwestern Montana.
Montana’s Swan River is an important spawning habitat for bull trout, a species that is a key indicator of water quality. Photo: United States Fish and Wildlife Service
A woman-led organization with only one full-time staff member, Friends of the Wild Swan is a grassroots group that isn’t afraid to tackle big issues. In 1992, the organization petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect bull trout under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). After several years of legal and scientific advocacy, these efforts led to the bull trout receiving ESA protection throughout their five-state range in 1999. Friends of the Wild Swan has successfully advocated for the designation of critical bull trout habitat, including 19,729 miles of rivers and streams, as well as 488,251 acres of lakes and reservoirs across Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada. In partnership with the Swan View Coalition, the organization won a lawsuit in June 2024 blocking road-building projects in Montana’s Flathead National Forest, helping conserve vital grizzly bear and bull trout habitat. Friends of the Wild Swan continues to fight on behalf of the wildlands and wildlife of Montana and much else of the American West, producing positive changes in the way agencies manage aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
Tally Lake in Montana’s Flathead National Forest. Photo: Forest Service Northern Region