What is the WildWest Institute?
The mission of the WildWest Institute is to protect and restore forests, wildlands, watersheds and wildlife in the Northern Rockies. We monitor and empower citizens to effectively participate in the public land management decision processes on nearly 20 national forests. Our staff and board also work to help craft positive solutions that promote sustainability in our communities through restoring naturally functioning ecosystems.

Our geographic area of focus is the Northern Rockies Bioregion, which is defined as the U.S. Northern Rocky Mountains proper, plus adjacent and/or ecologically-related wildlands. We also actively participate in larger national policy efforts as they have implications in the Northern Rockies.

Ecosystem Defense Program
Our Ecosystem Defense Program is a national leader in developing strategies to ensure that the U.S. Government follows the law when managing our public forests and wildlands. In fact, many of the most significant, precedent-setting legal victories protecting old-growth forests, roadless wildlands, clean water and wildlife habitat have been the result of our work.  With the assistance of WildWest's biologist and forest ecologist, we stay abreast of, and seek out, the latest scientific research relating to land management and we also strive to get on the ground and monitor all project areas to gather site-specific information.  

Watershed and Wildland Fire Restoration Program
Our Watershed and Wildland Fire Restoration Program gets our organization and volunteers involved with on-the-ground watershed restoration projects and community fuel reduction projects in the Northern Rockies. At WildWest we believe the sooner that we can help move ecologically beneficial restoration and community fuel reduction work on National Forests forward, the better off our forests, wildlife, watersheds and communities will be.  Our goal is work together with diverse interests to help be a catalyst for the establishment of a new, sustainable restoration economy in our region.

Roadless Rockies Program
Our Roadless Rockies Program is committed to protecting all roadless wildlands in the Northern Rockies. Unlike other parts of the country, the Northern Rockies is blessed with some of the best remaining pristine roadless wildlands and old-growth forests in the nation. Like most Americans, we believe it would be shortsighted and irresponsible to open these ecologically important areas to more logging, roadbuilding, drilling and development.