<html><head></head><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px"><div id="yiv1343875065"><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15556"><div style="color:#000;background-color:#fff;font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15555"><div dir="ltr" id="yiv1343875065yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_11427"><span style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15622">Join us on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7 pm for an evening of slides, a wine and cheese reception, and tales of adventures, resilience and persistence by one of the world’s rarest animals.</span><br style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15623"><br style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15624"><span style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15625">In a lively and thought-provoking evening presentation, wildlife biologist and author Douglas Chadwick, who recently published Tracking Gobi Grizzlies: Surviving Beyond the Back of Beyond (with photographs by Joe Riis), will recap this rare bear’s fight for survival in one of the toughest, most remote settings on Earth. </span></div><div dir="ltr" id="yiv1343875065yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_11427"><br style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15627"><span style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15628">This parable of environmental stewardship in a harsh and legendary realm will be introduced by some captivating photo portraits by Joel Sartore of some of the world’s most endangered species. </span><br style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15629"><br style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15630"><span style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15631">Chadwick will also talk about our homegrown bears, the grizzlies of the Northern Rockies, and the important conservation efforts of The Vital Ground Foundation. Vital Ground works cooperatively with landowners, local communities, and state and federal agencies to address the issue of habitat fragmentation by permanently protecting crucial lands for the benefit of grizzlies and other wide-ranging wildlife.</span><br style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15632"><br style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15633"><span style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15634">7 p.m. — Book signing and reception</span><br style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15635"><span style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15636">7:30 p.m. — Program begins</span><br style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15637"><span style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15638">For interviews and more information, contact:</span><br style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15641"><span style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15642">The Vital Ground Foundation</span><br style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15643"><span style="color: rgb(61, 61, 61); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486754824807_15644">406-549-8650</span><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>