Missouri-Madison Wildlife Programs

NorthWestern Energy works closely with agency representatives, private landowners, university researchers and conservation organizations to institute wildlife habitat enhancement projects and monitor bird populations along the 550-mile Madison-Missouri river corridor from Hebgen Lake to Fort Peck Reservoir.

Missouri-Madison Wildlife Technical Advisory Committee (WildTAC)

The FERC license that allows us to operate nine dams on the Missouri and Madison Rivers in Montana includes many requirements for the protection, mitigation and enhancement of fisheries, wildlife and habitat resources along the river corridor.

We have three Technical Advisory Committees (TACs) to assist us in implementing the fisheries, wildlife, and habitat programs on the Madison and Missouri Rivers. All protection, mitigation and enhancement projects must be approved by the TACs.

The Madison-Missouri River Wildlife TAC's geographic scope is from Yellowstone National Park to the headwaters of Fort
Peck Reservoir. WildTAC is comprised of NorthWestern personnel and representatives from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Forest Service; and U.S. Bureau of Land Management. TAC members communicate throughout the year and formally meet once per year to review progress from the previous year, discuss and approve projects for the upcoming year, and ensure approved projects comply with FERC license requirements.