Our mission
To conserve native species in the Upper Gallatin Watershed through education, habitat restoration, and collaborative land stewardship.
Our vision
Functional and healthy ecosystems sustained by an informed and engaged community.
Our Story
In the early 2000s, along the banks and hillsides of Gallatin Canyon, something was changing. Two local fishermen began to notice invasive spotted knapweed spreading quickly, displacing native plants and quietly unraveling the balance of the landscape. Their concern sparked a grassroots effort to protect the land they knew so well—an effort that formally began in 2004 and, after years of evolution, became Grow Wild in 2023.
Today, Grow Wild works throughout the Upper Gallatin Watershed to conserve the native plant communities that sustain wildlife, water, and people. Guided by our motto—Conserve, Educate, Inspire—we restore habitat, manage invasive species, and support stewardship on both public and private lands. Through collaboration with landowners, agencies, and conservation partners, we address ecological challenges at a scale that reflects how natural systems truly function.
Conservation, however, is only as lasting as the people who carry it forward. Education is central to our work. Grow Wild engages youth through hands-on, place-based learning that builds curiosity, understanding, and a sense of responsibility for the natural world. We also work alongside landowners, sharing practical knowledge and technical support to help care for the land over the long term. By reaching multiple generations, we help ensure stewardship is rooted in the community itself.
We believe inspiration grows from seeing what is possible. Our demonstration gardens and restoration sites offer living examples of resilient, native landscapes—places where people can observe, learn, and imagine similar change on their own land. These spaces invite connection and action, turning awareness into stewardship.
Together, Grow Wild’s work helps safeguard the ecological health of the Upper Gallatin Watershed while fostering a deeper relationship between people and place.
It is all connected—from native plants to wildlife, from working lands to wild places.
Together, we conserve the landscapes we all love.
