Northwest Montana Wetland Management District | |
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IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
Location | Montana, USA |
Nearest city | Kalispell, MT |
Coordinates | 47°53′53″N113°51′17″W / 47.89806°N 113.85472°W |
Area | 14,752 acres (59.70 km2) |
Established | 1970 |
Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
Website | Northwest Montana Wetland Management District |
The Northwest Montana Wetland Management District is a wildlife management region in the U.S. state of Montana, a part of the National Bison Range Complex along with four other wildlife refuges and the National Bison Range.
The individual lands were acquired beginning in 1970 by purchasing plots from willing landowners, and an ongoing effort to continue to increase area. [1]
The district comprises numerous small wetland environments set aside primarily to protect areas for waterfowl. The district comprises 14 separate Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA)'s totalling 8,452 acres (3,420 ha) and one 6,300 acres (2,500 ha) conservation easement along the north shores of Flathead Lake. Some of the land is located on the Flathead Indian Reservation (known as the Tribal Trust Lands of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes) and they continue to have claim over the land provided they assist in maintaining the resource. The Northwest Montana Wetland Management District is administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency within the United States Department of the Interior.
Of the 200 species of birds reportedly observed on district lands, Canada goose, peregrine falcon, green-winged teal, meadowlark, owls, ring-necked pheasant, great blue heron and numerous species of ducks can be found here. Small mammals such as the porcupine, muskrat, mink, beaver and skunk are also common.
Kalispell, Montana is within 12 mi (19 km) of many of the different locations.
The Flathead Indian Reservation, located in western Montana on the Flathead River, is home to the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreilles tribes – also known as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation. The reservation, often referred to as the Flathead Nation, or simply Flathead or by its official acronym C.S.K.T., was created through the July 16, 1855, Treaty of Hellgate.
Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Vermont located on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain and the southern side of Missisquoi Bay. The refuge is in Franklin County in the northwest corner of the state near the International Boundary with Canada.
Wild Horse Island, approximately 2,164 acres (876 ha) in size, is the largest island on Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Montana. Protected as a state park since 1977, the island near Big Arm Bay is home to abundant wildlife including bighorn sheep, mule deer, waterfowl, and bald eagles. It is managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and lies within both the Flathead Indian Reservation and Lake County, Montana.
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The CSKT Bison Range (BR) is a nature reserve on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana established for the conservation of American bison. Formerly called the National Bison Range, the size of the bison herd at the BR is 350 adult bison and welcomes 50–60 calves per year. Established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1908, the BR consists of approximately 18,524 acres (7,496 ha) within the Montana valley and foothill grasslands. Management of the site was transferred back to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in 2022 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after more than a century of federal management and nearly two decades of negotiations.
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