University of Montana receives $5.5M for wetlands and waterfowl research center

The University of Montana in Missoula, Montana, has announced a $5.5 million gift from James C. Kennedy–chair of the James M. Cox Foundation and former head of Cox Enterprises–to establish the Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Center as a part of the Franke College of Forestry and Conservation. The center will advance waterfowl and wetlands conservation through population modeling, satellite imagery, machine learning, and real-time habitat monitoring, providing science-based tools for conservation management across North America. The gift will support the center’s research operations as well as its integration into a soon-to-be opened conservation research facility.