Montana: Gem of Conservation

Boasting the world's first national park, the longest undammed river in the lower 48, three mountain ranges under wilderness protection and a thriving population of grizzly bears, wolves and wild bison, southwest Montana is a gem of American conservation.

And every morning, scores of people wake up and go to work in Bozeman's environmental industry — a segment of the community that includes no fewer than 24 organizations whose mission statements are all variations of a common theme: protect this place.

They buy ranches for buffalo, build trails for hikers and put easements on farms. They lead snowshoe trips, chain themselves to government buildings and sue the Forest Service. They have blocked gold mines and timber sales, stopped ATVs and snowmobiles, and put both the grizzly bear and gray wolf back on the endangered species list.