The University of Montana Wildlife Biology program will host former government officials Robert Bonnie and Jim Lyons on Thursday, Sept. 21. They will present "Insights into our nation's past, present and future wildlife and natural resource conservation challenges" at 1 p.m. in the University Center Theatre. The lecture and discussion are free and open to the public.
Bonnie is the former undersecretary of agriculture for natural resources and environment in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. During his tenure he championed voluntary conservation on some of the West's most productive ranch operations. Bonnie is now a Rubenstein Fellow at Duke University.

Lyons is the former deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management in the U.S. Department of the Interior. A veteran of the spotted owl wars in the Pacific Northwest, Lyon most recently was influential in crafting sage-grouse conservation measures on public lands. He is now a lecturer and research scholar in the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Dave Naugle, UM professor of large scale wildlife biology, will facilitate conversation and a Q&A session with Bonnie and Lyons. Naugle currently serves as science director for the Sage Grouse Initiative, part of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.