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The Science and Conservation Program protects and enhances important habitat and species. Its research creates the foundation for good decision-making and impact measurement.

Protecting and restoring ecosystem function and native biodiversity are absolutely central to SRI's purpose. The Science and Conservation Program advises its partners in arranging conservation easements, helping partner enterprises select the right land trust and terms to meet their needs and those of the habitat. Working landscapes in wild places often need creative problem solving. The Program helps agricultural enterprises support biodiversity, including large carnivores like wolves and bears. SRI rehabilitates habitat and restores threatened species with initiatives like the Westslope Cutthroat Trout Project.

SRI builds a foundation of sound research and peer-reviewed information to guide conservation and restoration initiatives. The Science and Conservation Program gathers information and generates intellectual capital through empirical research. Research projects include those conducted by staff and contract biologists and intended for peer-review and publication, including SRI's Biodiversity and Ranchland Studies. Additionally, the Program sponsors Citizen Science projects that gather valuable data with great assistance from neighbors and guests.

Beginning with baseline ecological inventories and assessments, the Program identifies important resources to be preserved and the ecological state of an area before we begin any plans. As our partners pursue their work and undertake new projects, SRI monitors ecological data that help guide decisions and plans.

SRI's partners work in ecologically important areas that are rich subjects of scientific study. The Program hosts and coordinates outside scientists' research within the properties' boundaries. SRI maintains a data warehouse storing information arising from those studies, which, in turn, support future inquiries.

Program Manager Jeremy Roberts leads the Science and Conservation Program with assistance from SRI's full-time, seasonal employees, and contractors.