The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation was recently awarded a $250,000 grant to fight weeds in the sprawling 1.6 million acre wilderness complex.

The funding came from Montana’s Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Program, also known at WHIP. The program, under the 2025 Kelly Flynn Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program and Legacy Act (HB 932), dedicates about $2 million annually in state Marijuana Tax monies to wildlife habitat and preservation projects across the state.

The Wilderness Foundation has long fought weeds in the Bob through volunteers and paid staff. Last year alone it treated more than 220 acres in the wilderness for weeds, which included targeted spraying and good old fashioned pulling.

All told, volunteers and staff also pulled some 1,667 pounds of weeds.

But the weed program, which relied heavily on federal dollars, was at risk as grant funding is drying up as the Great America Outdoors Act reaches its sunset.

Keagan Zoellner, a representative of the conservation group Mountain Mommas, helped facilitate the Foundation’s application for the state funding. Zoellner is no stranger to wilderness, she lived in Big Prairie as a wilderness ranger for years with her husband Guy and their family.

“As moms, we think about the legacy we leave for our kids. HB 932 is exactly the kind of smart, future-focused leadership Montana needs. It ensures that the outdoor spaces our families love will be healthy and accessible for generations to come, all while supporting the rural communities and working lands that form the backbone of our state,” Zoellner said. “Mountain Mamas commends the 69th Montana Legislature and Governor Greg Gianforte for passing and signing this monumental bill into law. HB 932 proves that protecting Montana’s outdoor heritage, bolstering local economies, and safeguarding public safety are values that unite us all.”

“This project is an example of FWP’s WHIP continuing its commitment to treating noxious weeds in Montana and working across the board with partners to improve and enhance wildlife habitat in some of Montana’s most important and sensitive ecosystems,” said WHIP program coordinator Andrew Amidon.

 Kylie Heikkila, the Foundation’s invasive species coordinator, wrote the grant application. 

The monies will fund her position, a seasonal weed crew leader, as well as wilderness stewards.

Heikkila recently joined the Foundation’s staff, but is no stranger to the woods. She was a wilderness ranger in Glacier National Park for 11 years.

Having worked all last summer in the Bob battling weeds, she said she finds the work appealing.

“Most people hate it. I love it,” she said. “It’s meditation for me.”

The Foundation takes pains to protect the resource while battling weeds. The herbicide they use for knapweed and other common weeds, for example, is called Milestone and is non-toxic to wildlife.

When they do spray, they spray individual weeds, so the application is highly targeted.

The  WHIP grant will fund the program for 2 and a half years. The hope is to not only control weeds in the Bob, which have deleterious effects on native plants and wildlife, but also re-seed areas with approved native plant seed in the future, Heikkila said.

Part of controlling weeds is education, Heikkila noted. It might be through informing hikers to clean their clothes and shoes if they’ve been in previously weedy areas, or talking to stock users on how best to keep from spreading weeds.

They also educate school classrooms on weeds and how they disrupt native ecosystems, by out-competing native plants that are food sources for wildlife, birds and even insects.

Wilderness regulations already requires the use of certified weed-free hay for stock.