Kylie Bute, an 18-year-old graduate from Gallatin High School, has won a statewide wildlife crossing license plate design contest, earning her $1,000 and the honor of having her artwork featured on Montana license plates beginning in 2026. Her winning design depicts a bull elk standing on a wildlife overpass crossing above a roadway, set against snow-covered mountains in a winter landscape.
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the Department of Transportation, and other state conservation organizations collaborated to organize the contest. The competition emerged from 2025 legislation that allocated funding for Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the Department of Transportation to research, construct, and maintain wildlife crossings, culverts, and fencing throughout the state. Contest submissions were required to depict animals crossing safely in Montana settings.
Bute created her award-winning design using Procreate, a digital drawing, painting, and animation application. She drew inspiration from a photograph of the Bridger Mountains at sunset, incorporating the rosy alpenglow hues that reflect off the mountains in her artwork. The scenic elements originated from an original sketch she created for a wildlife crossing mural painted at Gallatin High School as part of her senior project. Although the colors were locally inspired by the Bridger Mountains, the Mission Mountains - Bute's favorite mountain range - serve as the backdrop in both her mural and license plate design.
Montana currently operates more than 125 existing wildlife crossing structures statewide. Approximately one-third of these crossings are located along U.S. Highway 93 between Evaro and Polson on the Flathead Indian Reservation, all within view of the Mission Mountains. These crossings serve as overpasses, underpasses, and other structures that enable animals to safely cross roads while avoiding human-made obstacles, ultimately reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions and connecting fragmented habitats.
Currently taking a gap year before college, Bute is exploring ways to combine conservation efforts with her artistic ambitions. She plans to study art, conservation, and wildlife ecology at either Montana State University or Colorado State University. Her artistic talents are already displayed at her alma mater, where a mural she designed decorates a second-floor hallway at Gallatin High School.
Proceeds from the specialty license plates featuring Bute's design will fund the state's Big Game and Wildlife Highway Crossings and Accommodations Account. Through Fish, Wildlife & Parks, this account specifically funds wildlife crossing infrastructure projects across Montana. The specialty plates will cost Montana drivers $20 each, and according to the Daily Montanan, the plates could potentially generate approximately $160,000 annually based on existing donations associated with the state's 203 other specialty license plates.
By establishing this special revenue account, which can also accept gifts and donations, Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the Department of Transportation will be able to provide matching funds for grants that support wildlife crossing projects. Construction costs for these projects vary significantly - typical overpasses cost between $3 million and $10 million to construct, while underpasses range between $500,000 and $2 million.
"Montana has many themed license plates, but not many show winter," Bute explained. "I wanted to use a winter scene because it is so authentically Montana." The average Montana driver faces a 1-in-53 chance of hitting an animal each year, and 13% of reported collisions in the state are wildlife-related, highlighting the critical importance of wildlife crossing infrastructure in protecting both animals and drivers.
