The University of Montana recently named Nicole Tatman as the inaugural director of the Center for Hunting and Conservation. The center builds on an existing partnership between UM’s top-ranked wildlife biology program and RMEF.
Hunting is a powerful conservation tool for big game species and their habitats. The Center’s director will facilitate and lead innovative research that strengthens hunting’s role in conservation, as well as teach and mentor students in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation.
Tatman has spent the last decade as the Big Game Program Manager for the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish, where she has overseen the management and research of elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep and other game species. She has spent 1,700 hours in small planes and helicopters conducting aerial surveys for wildlife. She facilitated regular hunter-engagement meetings across the state where she communicated harvest recommendations, research outcomes and management changes to the hunting community.
“Dr. Tatman’s leadership will strengthen our ability to produce the kind of rigorous, relevant science that hunters, managers and policymakers depend on,” said Libby Metcalf, dean of the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation. “Her work will help us to firmly establish this center as a national leader at the intersection of hunting and conservation.”
UM and RMEF established the Center for Hunting and Conservation in May 2025. The partnership offers opportunities to engage new and diverse hunters and conservationists, starting with students at the university.
“The Center for Hunting and Conservation is a one-of-a-kind effort to advance wildlife research and drive positive outcomes for Montana’s hunting heritage and culture,” said interim UM President and Montana Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian. “Dr. Tatman is a great addition to the college, and her arrival will continue to strengthen the partnership between UM and RMEF.”
The Montana Board of Regents established the center with a significant long-term financial commitment from RMEF to the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation.
“RMEF’s role in establishing the Center for Hunting and Conservation furthers our commitment to science-based wildlife management and habitat stewardship,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “Our relationship with the Center improves access to critical data that will inform our program implementation and strategies, and it will produce leaders of wildlife management and hunting advocates who will influence the future of conservation across big game country. We look forward to a productive partnership with the Center under Dr. Tatman’s direction.”
Tatman will begin her appointment in August. Between now and then, she will conclude her work with New Mexico Game & Fish, move her family to Montana and take a sailing trip in Greece.
“The Center for Hunting and Conservation is the first academic home for hunting in this country. I see it as an opportunity to build bridges and try approaches that haven’t been tried before,” Tatman said. “I can’t think of a more important place to be right now.”