Think Globally, Act Locally Winter Lecture with Jim Williams

Keep it Connected: Conserving Wildlife Movement in the Wood River Valley & Throughout the Transboundary Rockies

Jim Williams, Partnerships Manager, Heart of the Rockies Initiative

You can register for in-person attendance through The Community Library via this link. As communities expand, wildlife habitats become fragmented and migration routes are compromised. While conservationists are hard at work across the Mountain West, there is still much to be done to keep up with the pace of development. In this lecture, Jim Williams, wildlife biologist with the Heart of the Rockies Initiative, will share incredible migration stories and explore the critical role Land Trusts serve in keeping large scale habitats protected and intact. Because our region offers one of the best remaining chances to protect a full theatre of wildlife, the actions we take in our community today will have effects far beyond the Wood River Valley.

Jim Williams is an Explorer's Club Fellow and award-winning wildlife biologist. He holds a B.S. in biology from San Diego State and Florida State Universities, and a M.S. in wildlife biology from Montana State University where he studied mountain lion ecology. As a wildlife biologist and wildlife program manager in Montana for over 31 years, Jim has managed big game populations, flew countless hours in helicopters and fixed wing aircraft doing wildlife surveys and aerial telemetry, worked with private agricultural landowners on wildlife tolerance, developed conservation easements, and worked on various habitat conservation projects. Jim finished his work with FWP as the Regional Director before he joined the Heart of the Rockies Initiative. In 2018, Patagonia Inc. published his autobiography Path of the Puma, which highlights his work with mountain lion conservation in Chile, Argentina, and other parts of the Americas. He has been the recipient of the Alan Rabinowitz Memorial Award in 2024, and the National Park Service's Wildlife Collaboration Award in 2023. He is currently the partnerships manager and wildlife biologist for the Heart of the Rockies.