Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S P R I N G 2 0 1 8 26 M O N T C A N A D A North Fork Flathead River Sweetgrass Hills LIBBY KALISPELL COLUMBIA FALLS GLACIER NATIONAL PARK BROWNING CUT BANK SHELBY CHESTER BOWDOIN NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE President Franklin Roosevelt established the preserve in 1936 as part of the broad campaign of public works projects to create jobs and protect natural areas. Today, it is a magnet for bird lovers. Here will be found uncommon species like a Ruddy Turnstone, Yellow- billed Cuckoo, Wilson's Warbler, Hoary Redpoll and dozens of others. Bowdoin attracts migratory birds navigating north and south each year. In addition just about every other Plains species of animal life frequent the shoreline-prairie interface zones: muskrats, deer, badger, ground squirrels, coyotes, voles, and rabbits. TIP: Just a bump off Highway 2 and east of Malta Montana, a two-track "auto tour" road encircles the Bowdoin reservoir. Like most Montana places, timing of visits is the key. Seasons bring ever-changing variety to the preserve. To really appreciate Bowdoin, get out and walk, stop and listen. Bring binoculars or spotting scopes and tripods. Visit in early morn- ing and evening and soak in the sounds and smells, embracing the prairie breezes. Somewhere out there is a Painted Turtle or Red Fox. NORTHERN PRAIRIE PRESERVE If it is a more remote landscape you are looking for along the Medicine Line it's hard to beat the Nature Conservancy's Northern Montana's Prairies Grasslands Conservation Program. e rolling hills are home to some of the last remaining undeveloped grass- lands in the North American Continent; the broad sweeps and swoops of Phillips County spread northward to kiss the Alberta border. For historical reference, reach down and pick up a handful of dirt from the hills and you are holding a piece of 1803 history, evidence of the bargain-basement deal omas Jefferson sealed with France, the Louisiana Purchase. e Nature Conservancy created the preserve through ease- ments, shared leases and purchases of large chunks of undeveloped short-grass prairie. Ground zero for all this is the Conservancy's 60,000-acre Matador Ranch. ere, in a unique alliance, cattle pro- ducers can trade grazing practices that preserve soil and vegetation for the right to run cattle on portions of the ranch. It is win-win altogether. Discounted grazing fees are offered for ranchers who practice wildlife-friendly fencing, weed control and hands-off en- croachment of prairie dog towns, home to the Black-Tailed Ferret, rarest mammal in North America. TIP: Don't look for a visitor center or interpretive signs. Just drive north of Dodson, Montana, to take in the unspeakably wild grasslands north of Highway 2 all the way to "the line." You'll find it. ST. MARIE: ATOMIC AGE GHOST TOWN Ghost towns are a pretty big draw for many Montanans and tourists, but St. Marie is not one you would find on many folk's top 10 lists. It should be because it only went empty 50 years ago. From 1957 to 1968, the Glasgow Air Base operated as a Cold War deter- rent to Soviet air invasion coming over Canada. e U.S. Air Force Bear Paw Commemoration Bear Paw Battlefield Northern Pairie Reserve The undulating native grasslands of the Northern airie eserve on the northern reaches of Phillips County. The Nature Conservancy's 60,000-acre Matador Ranch combines cattle grazing with conservation blocks to protect some of the last untouched prairie habitats in the United States.

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