THE STATE IN SYMBOLS MONTANA'S ANCIENT WEST OOA NATIONA ^» ^\' 3 0864 1005 9674 4 Best Magazine: 2005, 2006, 2008 Runner-up: 2007. 2009 Awarded by the Association for Conservation Information STATE OF MONTANA Brian Schweitzer, Governor MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE & PARKS Joe Maurier, Director MONTANA FWP COMMISSION Bob Ream, Chairman Willie Doll Ron Moody Shane Colton Dan Vermillion W COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATION Ron Aasheim, Chief MONTANA OUTDOORS STAFF Tom Dickson, Editor Luke Duran, Art Director Debbie Sternberg, Circulation Manager MONTANA OUTDOORS MAGAZINE VOLUME 42, NUMBER 2 For address changes or other subscription information call 800-678-6668 Montana Outdoors (ISSN 0027-0016) is published bimonthly by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Subscription rates are $9 for one year, $16 for two years, and $22 for three years. (Please add $3 per year for Canadian subscriptions. All other foreign subscriptions, airmail only, are $45 for one year) Individual copies and back issues cost $3.50 each (includes postage). Although (Montana Outdoors is copyrighted, permission to reprint articles is available by writing our office or phoning us at (406) 495-3257. All correspondence should be addressed to: Montana Outdoors, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, 930 West Custer Avenue, P 0. Box 20070 1 , Helena, MT 59620-070 1 . E-mail us at montanaoutdoors@mLgov, Our website address is fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors. © 2011. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. All rights reserved. Postmaster: Send address changes to Montana Outdoors, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Pari^f -APRIL ^Oll \ -£i >■ ^%- ^ *»■ MONTANA OUT OUTDOORS REPORT TALK OF THE TOWN No animal possesses the language complexity of humans. But new re- search suggests that prairie dogs may come the closest of any other species. A study recently published in Animal Cognition found that Gunnison's prairie dogs in the American Southwest produced different alarm calls when simi- lar-sized humans approached wearing different-colored shirts. The finding is similar to others by Constantine Slobodchikoff, pro- fessor emeritus at Northern Ari- zona University, who led the study. The biologist found in pre- vious projects that the prairie ro- dents differentiate among vari- ous predators, including humans, and can communicate the infor- mation to each other. By listening carefully to recordings of prairie dog alarm calls— which include barks, squeaks, and squeals— Slobodchikoff has discerned that each call has its own rhythms and frequency modulations. The research scientist, who has studied prairie dogs for three decades, believes the rodents may have developed a complex language to survive in a world filled with rattlesnakes, coyotes, raptors, and other predators. He says that by varying the modula- tion and harmonics in a single "Prairie dogs liave tiie most complex natural language decoded so far." call, one prairie dog can warn oth- ers in the colony of the type of predator, what color it is, and where it is. Though no such studies have been done on the white-tailed and black-tailed prairie dogs in Montana, the species have other similar social behaviors to those of Gtmnison's prairie dogs. Slobodchikoff and his col- leagues recorded calls made by prairie dogs in response to mod- els of coyotes, badgers, and hawks they moved toward the colonies. They also noted the ro- dents' reaction to the faux pred- ators. When the recordings were later replayed to prairie dogs in another colony, the animals re- acted the same way. When they heard the "coyote call," prairie dogs stood up to see the ap- proaching predator, while the "badger call" caused them to stay low to avoid detection. The researchers have also learned that prairie dogs from different parts of the Southwest have language variations, simi- lar to human dialects. Each prairie dog has its ovm vocal quality, just as human voices dif- fer. But because all prairie dogs use the same "words" to de- scribe the same predators, each alarm call can be understood by the rest of the colony and by prairie dogs in other colonies. Slobodchikoff believes that prairie dogs possess a sophisti- cated vocabulary unmatched by any species other than humans. "They have the most complex natural language that has been decoded so far," he told a BBC reporter. "They have words for different predators, and they have descriptive words for de- scribing the individual features of different predators, so it's a pretty complex language that has a lot of elements." 9 9 o e o c Help Montana's raptors and other nongame wildlife by donating to the Nongame Wildlife Program on your state income tax form this year. It's easy, and the money helps FWP monitor and conduct studies on bald eagles, loons, frogs, and other wildlife. "Our goal is to reverse population declines for species of concern, " says Lauri Hanauska-Brown, program coordinator. "As for common species, we want to keep them common so they don't become a concern." 6 I MARCH-APRIL 2C11 i FWP.MT.GOV/MT0UTD00RS f OUTDOORS REPORT FWP helps build local economies Most people know FWP con- serves fish, wildlife, and state parks while managing hunting, fishing, and other recreation. But few realize the department also boosts local economies with millions of dollars in direct cash payments each year. "It's not widely known, but our budget gives an economic boost to communities across Montana," says Ron Aasheim, chief of the FWP Communica- tion and Education Bureau. During the past two years, FWP programs paid more than $32 million to farmers, ranchers, contractors, small businesses, and local governments across the state. Among the payments: ■ $9.66 million to landowners, through the Block Manage- ment Program, for allowing public hunting access. ■ S8.54 million to contractors and business owners for con- struction and materials at state parks, fishing access sites, fish hatcheries, and wildlife man- agement areas. ■ $3.87 million in grants to local governments and com- munity groups to build and maintain trails, groom snow- mobile routes, and construct ball fields and other facilities. Part of that money also went to local gas stations, small businesses, and hardware stores for building supplies and other materials. ■ $1.2 million in property taxes and assessments to local gov- ernments and districts. Under state law, FWP pays the same amount of taxes on most lands it owns that private landown- ers would pay if the properties were in private hands. The taxes go to counties, cities, water and sewer districts, and ditch associations. "Not a single penny of those payments comes from the state general fund," says Aasheim. "Almost all of it comes from res- ident and nonresident hunting and fishing license fees and fed- eral funds and miscellaneous state revenue." Aasheim notes that the FWP budget adds new jobs and income to Montana's economy. "We're attracting fed- eral funds and generating hunt- ing and fishing license revenue that otherwise wouldn't find their way to Montana businesses and communities," he says. Stick one on Montana boaters need to re- place their green validation de- cals with new orange ones. Old validation decals expired Febru- ary 28, 2011. New ones are re- quired March 1, 2011 and are valid through February 2014. Montana requires two differ- ent decals to identify motor- boats and personal watercraft, as well as sailboats 12 feet and longer. One is the white perma- nent ("PERM") decal, valid for as long as boaters own their wa- tercraft and available by paying a one-time fee at the county treasurer's office. The other is the free validation decal. The state requires periodic validation to track the number of registered watercraft in Mon- tana, a prerequisite for receiving federal funds for boating educa- tion and enforcement. New boat owners can get validation decals from the county treasurer when register- ing a new boat. Current boat owners can obtain theirs from any FWP office or on-line at fwp.mt.gov/recreation/permits/ boats.html. Information from the Boat Registration and Pay- ment Receipt is required to obtain validation decals. Boat owners will end up with three decals for each craft. A The new orange validation decals are required starting March 1, 2011. single permanent decal goes on one side of the bow; two valida- tion decals also go on the bow, one on each side. Old decals should be removed or covered with new ones. Small sailboats and manually propelled boats such as kayaks and canoes don't need perma- nent or validation decals be- cause they are exempt from registration and taxes. Nonresi- dents' boats legally registered in another state or countn,' may op- erate in Montana for up to 90 consecutive days without Mon- tana registration. BIG TIMBER The top of Montana's tallest tree, a 194-foot ponderosa pine growing near Seeley Lake, barely reaches the low- est branches of the cloud- scraping 369-foot U.S. record coast redwood that grows In northern California. Still, Montana's biggest trees are impressive. Accord- ing to Helen Smith, fire ecol- ogist at the U.S. Forest Service Fire Science Labora- tory in Missoula, six species exceed 150 feet tall (a 15- story building). In addition to the ponderosa pine, there's the state record western hemlock (175 feet), western white pine (175 feet), grand fir (168 feet), Engelmann spruce (164 feet), and west- ern larch (153 feet). Smith, who maintains the champion tree list for Mon- tana, says several state giants may soon hold na- tional records. A western larch (tamarack), white wil- low, and white spruce have been submitted for consider- ation to American Forests, a nonprofit organization that verifies national tree records. For more information on state record trees, visit the Montana Outdoors website (fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors) and search for "Montana's Trophy Trees" (July-August 2003). Notify Smith of poten- tial state or national trophies at hsmith04@fs.fed.us. e 6 S .s o. CO o ■a ca O I MONTANA OUTDOORS »--^' -%•> ^»-~^ ■\ THE BIGHORN'S ROCKY RECOVERY W-0-«e After a catastrophic decline in the early 1900s, Montana's bighorn sheep population has grown into one of the nation's largest. But habitat loss, highway fatalities, and deadly disease could send numbers tumbling again. BY TOM DICKSON :■ >^ -A • ADRIL 2011,1 FWP.MT.-SDV/MTOUTDOORS s^ilH^'*' ii>^ .V'^^^^ U ■^SN^^^ I ?t-^:-. '/III I ', ' ' ^^ %^ s-^?-^=r-=r-^— .^%V«?T: r\rs^- ^aHa^^^ '10. 7' 7 v.< /' % ■/"'■J if- During several weeks in late 2009, Craig Jourdonnais shot dozens of bighorn sheep. It was something he wouldn't wish on anyone. "That was gut-wrenching work," says the Fish, Wildlife & Parks Bitterroot Valley wildlife biologist. "Some nights I'd come home to my wife and say, 'I can't keep doing this.'" Jourdonnais and other agency workers culled 80 dying Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep from the East Fork Bitterroot herd in the upper Bitterroot Valley. Biologists hoped to stop the spread of a pneumonia epidemic racing through the population by removing visibly sick animals— lethargic sheep with drooping heads and hacking coughs. Once bighorns contract pneumo- nia, they often perish within a few weeks. Veterinary scientists have yet to develop a vaccine to prevent the disease in wild sheep or medications that cure sick individuals. "It was a brash move, something this agency had never done," says Jourdonnais. "But there were no other options, and we had strong support from the local sports- men's community to do this." Deadly disease isn't the only threat to the majestic bighorn, valued for its thick, curled horns and symbolic of rugged mountain wilderness. Wild sheep have to survive in shrinking range that is being overtaken by noxious weeds, conifers, and new mountain resorts and subdivisions. And they must avoid speeding cars and trucks, which have killed hundreds of sheep drawn to highways by compounds used in deicing solutions. It's a wonder Montana has any bighorn sheep left. Yet the high-country ungulates survive and even thrive in many areas. Numbers have grown substantially since the 1940s, when most herds documented by early ex- Tom Dickson is editor o/Montana Outdoors. plorers had disappeared. Today Montana is home to roughly 5,250 bighorn sheep in 45 populations from the Idaho border east to the Missouri River Breaks. Over the past decade, Montana has become famous for producing big rams and now claims nearly half the Rocky Mountain bighorns entered in the Boone and Crockett Club records. Unfortunately, these achievements may be short lived. If Montana's bighorns are to continue thriving, they will need to over- come obstacles even steeper than the moun- tainsides where they live. A moth-eaten bighorn sheep mount stands in the Montana Bar in Miles City— a prairie town hundreds of miles from the mountains most people would con- sider wild sheep habitat. Before European settlement, bighorns were common here and in much of the state's eastern region. Members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition frequently saw bighorns along the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. Wildlife biologists estimate that at one time more than 100,000 wild sheep may have lived throughout the western mountains and east- ern badlands of what is now Montana. Like many big game species, wild sheep fared poorly after settlers arrived. Market hunters killed bighorns and sold them to meat vendors, while pioneers shot the ani- mals for food. Cattle pushed wild sheep out of their winter range along mountain foothills. But it was the introduction of do- mestic sheep— and with them new diseases such as scabies (mange)— that nearly doomed what Theodore Roosevelt called "one of the noblest beasts." Disease killed wild sheep outright or made them too weak to escape predators or survive Montana's harsh winters. By the end of the 19th cen- tury, bighorn numbers statewide were tum- bling like boulders down a mountain. The Montana legislature responded by setting hunting seasons and limits and even clos- ing the season entirely starting in 1915. But it was too late. In 1916 a hunter illegally killed the last of the Montana badlands wild sheep, once con- sidered a separate species known as Audubon's bighorn, along the Missouri River Breaks northwest of Jordan. Over the next two decades, bighorns in the state's largest remaining herd along the Rocky Mountain Front repeatedly died off in large h^Aa^^'^'^^fM 5*.>*):^~SSr>:,rX2jae' "^Wf "It was a brash move, something this agency had never done, but there were no other options." 10 I MARCH-APRIL 2011 FWP.MT.GOV/MT0UTD00RS numbers. By 1941 a report from the Depart- ment of Fish and Game, as it was known then, glumly noted that Montana's bighorn sheep population at the time had reached "a low ebb both in density and distribution." Biologists today believe numbers statewide dropped below 1,000. That same year Montana began work to recover the state's dwindling bighorn pop- ulation. With funding from the new federal Pittman-Robertson Act, which levied a tax on firearms and ammunition to raise money for wildlife management, Fish and Game began studying and monitoring wild sheep herds. Biologists also trapped big- horns from strongholds on and near what is today the Sun River Wildlife Management Area, carting the animals to historical habi- tats. Over the next decade, state wildlife workers reestablished new populations in the Gates of the Mountains, West Fork of the Gallatin, Missouri River Breaks, and other sites. By 1950, the statewide popula- tion had grown to 1,200 bighorn sheep in 16 populations. Three years later, Montana allowed limited ram hunting for the first time in 38 years. Since trap-and-transplants began, wildlife biologists— and, starting in the 1980s, hired crews from New Zealand who fire nets over the animals from helicopters— have captured and released more than 2,000 sheep. FWP continues the practice as a way to control herds outgrowing their available habitat, es- tablish new herds in suitable vacant habitat, and augment existing herds. Expanding bighorn populations beyond where they are today won't be easy. Among the obstacles is the steady loss of suitable range. Bighorns require a combi- nation of four habitat elements: ample wild grasses and forbs, reliable water sources, wide visibility so they can see cougars and other predators, and steep, bare slopes nearby for escaping danger. Not just any mountain can support the minimum of 125 sheep that biologists say is required to main- tain a healthy herd. Threatening this limited bighorn habitat are noxious weeds, such as spotted knap- weed, which crowd out bunchgrasses and other native forage. Another problem is conifers encroaching on open grasslands. Bighorn sheep distribution in Montana Before European settlement wild sheep ranged widely across Montana, from the Bitterroot Range east to the Missouri and Yellowstone River Breaks. By the 1940s disease and displacement by livestock had reduced the population to just a few strongholds. Since then. FWP has restored big- horns in many historical habitats. Today Montana is home to 45 herds, 40 with huntable populations. 1890 1942 2008 A NEW HOME Starting in the 1940s, state wildlife workers began capturing bighorn sheep from strongholds along the upper Sun River and transporting the ani- mals by truck to his- torical habitats. By 1950, when this photo was taken, the statewide population had grown to 1,200 wild sheep in 16 pop- ulations. Nowadays trapping is done by contracted New Zea- land helicopter crews, who use netguns to capture the animals. Facing page: FWP workers carry out the grim task of removing tissue from diseased wild sheep culled from the East Fork Bitter- root herd in late 2009. Historically contained by frequent low- intensity wildfires sparked by lightning, trees have filled in parklands over the past century. For instance, wildfire suppression in the Kootenai Falls bighorn sheep range during the past centuiy has allowed Douglas firs and ponderosa pines to shade out sun- dependent bunchgrasses and prevent wild sheep from seeing stealthy predators. Some solutions to habitat loss can do more harm than good. Though prescribed burning keeps conifers from encroaching on open areas, the fires spur the growth of some noxious weed species. And an increasingly popular way to control weeds— using sheep and goats trained to cat the plants— increa.scs MONTANA outdoor;- opportunities for the domestic animals to commingle with wild sheep. Then there's the problem of human en- croachment. New resorts and subdivisions displace wild sheep from historical range and fragment their habitat with access roads. As western Montana's highway traf- fic grows, so does the number of bighorns ending up as roadkill. In January 2010, de- spite large warning signs, a truck plowed into a herd on Montana Highway 1 near Anaconda, killing eight wild sheep. In northwestern Montana, more than 400 bighorns from the Thompson Falls herd have died from car and train collisions since 1985. Another threat to bighorns is deadly disease. A 2010 study by the University of Washington proved that Mannheimia haemolytica can be transmitted from domes- tic sheep to bighorns even when a fence sep- arates the animals. The bacteria, carried by but harmless to domestic sheep, is one of the pathogens that cause pneiunonia in bighorns. The findings validate what biologists have seen for decades as once-robust bighorn herds often succumb to disease after mingling with domestic flocks. In- fected ewes that don't die outright produce diseased lambs that perish soon after weaning, causing diminished populations to stagnate for years. In 2009 nearly 90 percent of a 220-bighorn herd in the Elkhorns died from pneumonia. Tom Carlsen, FWP biologist in Townsend and author of the state's new bighorn conserva- FATAL ATTRACTION A craving for chemical compounds in deicing solution draws bighorns to highways. Despite warning signs, sheep fatali- ties are common in some areas. Facing page: Able to leap livestocl< fences, bighorns often contract disease by mingling with domestic sheep. Says one FWP biologist, "A ram during the rut is a highly effective vector for pneumonia." tion plan (see sidebar, page 15), says bacte- ria causing the disease likely came from a handful of sheep allowed to run loose on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) prop- erty and adjacent private land. "The sheep producer in the valley had a grazing allot- ment with the BLM and was doing a good job keeping his animals separate from the bighorns," Carlsen says. "But then some- one moved in on a small patented mining claim and brought in a few sheep and goats Raising management money With only about 5,250 bighorn sheep in Montana, FWP can allow hunters to harvest no more than a few hundred rams and ewes each fall. That limits hunting license revenue necessary for monitoring populations and transplanting bighorns to augment existing herds. To generate more wild sheep management money, the Montana legislature authorized auctioning one bighorn license each year and awarding another through the SuperTag lottery. Since 1984 the auction, conducted each spring by the national Wild Sheep Foundation, has generated $3.7 million (winning bids average $170,000). The money also helps purchase habitat and hunting lands, such as the Blue-Eyed Nellie Wildlife Management Area near Anaconda, recently expanded from 6 to 460 acres. The bighorn sheep SuperTag lottery — chances for which cost $5 each — has brought in more than $500,000 for game law enforcement and hunter access since starting in 2006. that he let roam all over. Sure enough, the bighorns got sick, and within a year we'd lost almost the entire herd." Global competition and the growth of synthetic fabrics have depressed markets for Montana sheep, reducing numbers from a high of 5 million in 1910 to 300,000 today. But the number of hobby farms that bring tame sheep and goats dangerously close to bighorn range appears to be increasing as subdivisions and ranchettes pop up in mountain foothills. Jim Weatherly, president of the Montana Wild Sheep Foundation, has met with several hobby farmers to explain the risk their animals pose to bighorns. "Most of the time they don't know about the threat and are real concerned," he says. Many large-scale sheep producers use guard dogs and herders to keep their flocks separate from bighorn herds. But some wool growers lease grazing allotments on national forests and BLM land, where their domestic herds can mingle with bighorns. That trou- bles sportsmen like Jim Bailey of Belgrade, a retired University of Colorado wildlife biol- ogy professor and board member of the Gal- latin Wildlife Association. "We think there should be more wild sheep in this region in places like the Snowcrest-Gravelly Range," 12 I MARCH-APRIL 2011 FiWP.MT.GOV/MT0UTD0ORS DON'T MISS a single issue: Subscribe today! YES! I'd like a year (six issues) of Montana Outdoors for Just $9. My/Donor Information: (Required for gm subscription) Name Address Select: Send a Gift to: (Pleasepnnt) Name Address lYear 6/$9 State 2 Years 12/$16 Zip 3 Years 18/$22 City Select: lYear 6/$9 State 2 Years 12/$16 Zip 3 Years 18/$22 Payment enclosed Bill me later Add $3 per year for Cariadiarj subscriptions. All other foreign subscriptions are $45/year, paid in adience For faster service, subscribe by phone: (800) 678-6668 Or subscribe on-line: fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors Best Deal! UlOA U Place Stamp Here MONTANA OUTDOORS MONTANA FISH WILDLIFE & PARKS 930 W CUSTER AVE PO BOX 200701 HELENA MT 59620-0701 oors BLAGKBEARS Is hunting hurtingthe population? I'll lli|irl»ili<"iii«il'l' Subscribe today and you'll Ka receive the latest on Montana's: ■ Fish and wildlife management ■ Conservation issues and activities ■ Hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching Plus the annual photo issue'. ;. ^4^«:>^ '•J he says. "But because a grazing company drives domestic sheep up there each spring, much of that area continues to be unsuitable for bighorns." Adding to the problem is the bighorn's highly sociable nature. Sheep often stay close together and regularly touch muzzles, spreading bacteria. During the fall mating season, young male bighorns range for miles in search of breeding ewes— wild or tame. After mixing with domestics, a randy ram may head back to his herd like a bighorn Ty- phoid Mary. "A ram during the rut is a highly effective vector for pneumonia," says Carlsen. Unfortunately, the way FWP man- ages bighorn herds creates even more po- tential disease disseminators. By restricting sheep harvest, the department produces not only record-book rams but also herds with abundant male sheep of breeding age. Another concern, says Bailey, is the loss of genetic diversity in dozens of small, iso- lated bighorn herds, many of them founded with just a few individual sheep. "Wildlife need a diverse gene pool to draw from for natural selection," he says. "Inbreeding within small herds reduces genetic varia- tion, which in turn may increase the animals' susceptibility to diseases." Keeping wild and domestic sheep apart is FWP's top priority for managing big- horns. To reduce the number of dis- persing males, FWP keeps some bighorn herds at lower densities than the habitat would support. The department generally recommends against transplanting wild sheep any closer to domestic herds than 14 miles— the minimum distance that studies have shown is needed to prevent mingling. FWP wildlife managers have urged the BLM and U.S. Forest Service to stop issuing new grazing allotments where domestic sheep could mix with wild herds. And they've met with both hobby farmers and major sheep producers. Biologists explain the potential disease threats and discuss measures that reduce commingling, such as installing double fencing on small pens or swapping federal grazing leases for those not on wild sheep range. "FWP has been real willing to work with us, and we want to encourage our members to cooperate with FWP," says John Helle, a third-generation sheep producer in Dillon and past president of the Montana Wool- growers Association. "There are manage- ment practices that can reduce the threat of disease, like using guard dogs and herders to keep bighorns away from domestic sheep, so they both can use the same range." Another way woolgrowers can reduce disease risk, says Helle, is to develop grazing plans that provide "seasonal separation" so range can be shared by both domestic and wild sheep. One example is to graze domestics on bighorn winter range only in summer, when wild sheep are at higher elevations. Bighorns in Montana TIMELINE Pre-European Settlement: Biologists estimate that up to 100.000 bighoms may have lived in Montana. ^ 1805: Lewis and Clark see their first bighorns near the Missouri River. — " 1889: Montana establishes a bighorn sheep hunting season. 1907: Bighorn bag limit is reduced from eight sheep to one. 5, 1910: Domestic sheep production peaks at five million animals. 1915: Bighorn sheep hunting is closed indefinitely statewide. 1922: Canada supplies Montana with 12 bighorns from Banff National Park. 1937: Pittman-Robertson Act passes, * provides federal funds for state conservation work. 1941: Bighorn sheep population reaches "a low ebb both in density and distribution," states a Department of Rsh and Game report. The agency begins a bighorn sheep research and management program. 1941-50: Wildlife biologists establish several new populations of bighorns through trap-and-transplant. i— • 1940s: Domestic sheep production J begins to decline because of foreign competition. 1950: Biologists estimate the state bighorn population at 1,200. .. - *• 1953: Montana reopens bighorn hunting season for the first time in 38 years. 1984: Largest die-off on record. 400 sheep, along the Rocky Mountain Front. Another 250 die at the Beartooth WMA. 1990s: Major die-offs in the Highlands. Tendoys. Lost Creek, and other herds, totaling more than 1,400 sheep. 2010: FWP approves first statewide comprehensive bighorn sheep conservation plan. Major die-offs kill a total of 640 wild sheep in the East Fork Bitterroot, Bonner, Upper and Lower Rock Creek, and Anaconda herds. Top: Captain William Clark's 1805 sketch of a bighorn sheep MONTANA OUTOOOB home of the biggest bighorns Before 1974 only ten bighorns with the combination of horn cir- cumference and length totaling 200 points — a size hunters con- sider phenomenal — had ever been recorded. Most were from Alberta and British Columbia, and none were from IVlontana. That has changed. Over the past four decades, sheep populations throughout the Rocky IVIountalns have grown, producing more big rams regionwide. And since 2006, Montana has produced more 200-plus-point rams than any other state or province. Mon- tana also now claims nearly half the rams In the Boone and Crockett record book that meet the minimum score of 180. Many of Montana's big sheep have been taken in the Missouri Breaks. Though by no means fertile, the badlands' soils are more productive than those in the flinty high country where most Rocky Mountain bighorns live. This produces more nutritious and abundant grasses and forbs that foster greater horn growth. Another reason Montana has become Big Horn Country is that FWP issues relatively fewer hunt- ing permits than other states do. This limits hunting opportunity , but allows more rams time to • grow b.i;ger horns— and to. pass their trophy-horn genes on to fu- ture generations of rams. Mon- tana hunters -appear; satisfied with the: trade-off; State regula- tions Gontinue to receive stronf public support. : - 14 MARCH^APRIL 2t)ll- By the end of 2010, pneumonia in five western Montana herds had killed 640 wild sheep— more than 10 percent of the state's entire population. Though acknowledging that domestic herds transmit pneumonia-causing bacteria to bighorns, Helle isn't convinced tame sheep are entirely to blame for die-ofFs. "Some bighorns get pneumonia even with no apparent mingling with domestic sheep," he says. "And some herds have mixed with domestic sheep for years without problems. We wonder if there might be other issues such as stress or viruses that contribute to the problem." Helle hopes FWP can find ways to make wild herds more resistant to disease. "We think there needs to be more work on mak- ing bighorn herds immune so that when there is contact— and that's inevitable no matter how hard we try to keep them apart— they are better able to survive." FWP offi- cials say wildlife veterinary scientists throughout the West have long sought to learn why bighorns are more susceptible to disease and continue searching for ways to make herds less vulnerable. Until then, keeping domestic sheep away from their wild cousins— and bighorns away from tame flocks— appears to be the best so- lution. If that fails and infection occurs, bi- ologists are left with only two unsavory options; Let the disease run its course, or re- move infected individuals to improve the odds that the rest may stay healthy. Jourdonnais, the Bitterroot biologist, says the agonizing work of culling sick bighorns from the East Bitterroot herd ap- pears to have worked— at least for now. Lamb survival last summer was much higher than among herds where biologists could not prevent pneumonia from spread- ing. Yet in the Upper and Lower Rock Creek herds, where in early 2010 biologists culled 47 infected sheep in an attempt to halt the spread, the disease was already too far ad- vanced. Lamb survival last spring was near zero. By the end of 2010, pneumonia in five western Montana herds killed 640 wild sheep— more than 10 percent of the state's entire bighorn population. "The toughest thing about bighorn management," says Jourdonnais, "is that you work for years with hunters, private landowners, and other agencies to recover these herds and keep wild sheep alive and then, wham, dis- ease gets in there and wrecks all that work practically overnight." ^ A nev\r plan for wild sheep I In 2010 FWP issued Montana's first comprehensive strategy for conserving bighorn sheep. The 300-plus-page plan recounts the history of wild sheep, explains how biologists and hunters rebuilt populations, and identifies major threats to existing herds. Funded in part by the Montana Wild Sheep Foundation (MWSF), the strategy outlines how FWP will conduct management activities such as monitoring herd health and evaluating the condition of bighorn sheep habitat. "It also gives new biologists protocols for trap- ping and transplanting bighorns and a process for identifying suitable transplanting sites," says Jim Weatherly, MWSF president. Tom Carlsen, FWP biologist in Townsend and the plan's author, says the document shows the public how FWP has managed bighorns in the past and plans to manage them in the future. "People want to know how we conduct surveys and issue licenses, and we want to be accountable," he says. Included in the plan are formulas for determining the percentage of rams and ewes that should be harvested in order to grow, main- tain, or shrink populations as needed. And the document recom- mends observing herds more closely to detect sick animals and regularly capturing wild sheep to test blood and tissue for disease. "It's like with humans: The earlier you can detect a disease, the eas- ier it may be to contain its spread," says Carlsen. The plan calls for biologists to meet more frequently with sheep producers to agree on when domestic herds should be allowed on bighorn range and what to do when wild and tame sheep mix. Some hunting groups criticized the plan for recommending that FWP not reestablish bighorns in The "Montana Bighorn Sheep Conservation Strategy," which includes the management history and plans for each of the states bighorn hunting districts, is available on-line at fwp.mt.gov. habitat closer than 14 miles from domestic sheep and goat herds. They say the policy keeps vacant too much prime habitat that would otherwise support bighorns. Hunting groups such as the Safari Club and the Gallatin Wildlife Associ- ation also dislike a new policy in the plan stating that, unless the rancher agrees, FWP will not ask federal land managers to rescind grazing leases that put domestic sheep into bighorn range. Department officials point out that allotments affect only a few of the state's 45 bighorn herds. And they defend efforts to work with the sheep industry, which supports the plan. "We don't think bighorn sheep management can be effective over the long term without collaborating closely with domestic sheep producers." says Quentin Kujala, chief of the FWP Wildlife Management Section. MONTANA OUTDOORS STANDING FOR MONTANA Strange stories of how the bitterroot, grizzly bear, mourning cloak butterfly, and Montana's other state symbols came into existence, by sara groves Sam Groves, Helena, is a writer and the marketing and communications coordinator for the Montana State Library. 16 MARCH-APRIL 2011 raP.MT.GOV/MT0UTD00RS HOW do you represent to the rest of the world a state like Montana, with its diverse landscape, plants, animals, and people? Montanans have been trying for nearly 150 years— from the creation of our state seal in 1865 to recent but unsuccessful efforts to designate an official Montana state pancake. Symbols have been promoted by schoolchildren, garden clubs, legislators, and others. Some were decided via statewide vote, others were picked by the legislature, and a few just sort of snuck in. All represent an important part of Montana's natural history or culture. Each symbol tells an interesting story about Montana to the rest of the world. We're the place to see grizzly bears, and the state where one of the world's most significant dinosaur fossil discoveries was made. Even more interesting are the stories of how Montanans selected these particular symbols over other popular candidates. ►► THK STATE SEAL In 1865 territorial delegates appointed a committee to select an official seal to represent Montana to the world. Committee chairman Frank M. Thompson wrote that "the territorial seal shall . . . represent a plow, a miner's pick, and shovel; upon the right, a representative of the great falls of the Missouri; upon the left, mountain scenery. Underneath, as a motto, the words Oro el Plata. The Seal shall be two inches in diameter and sur- rounded by these words: 'The Seal of the Territory of Montana.'" (Fortunately, someone caught the Spanish language goof and changed the motto from "Gold the Silver" to "Gold and Silver," or Oroy Plata.) That same year Governor Sidney Edgerton signed a bill approving the territorial seal. Thompson sent a crude sketch to an engraver, who produced the seal with a bison on the banks of the Mis- souri River, as per the wishes of the territorial delegates. The seal was to be shared by the governor and the territorial secretary. However, in 1876 enterprising Secretary James Callaway decided to augment his salary by charging to affix the seal to documents. He took physical possession of the seal, forcing Governor Benjamin Franklin Potts to commission a new one, which ended up without a bison, to use on newly issued territorial bonds and other documents. Over the next year, both men used their respective seals on territorial papers. In 1877 the legislature decided that Callaway's seal was the official version. Six years later, delegates decided to have that seal destroyed and commission a new one, which was entrusted to the territorial secretary. In 1887 an engraver replacing the worn-out 1883 seal changed the mountains, removed the clouds, added trees, and put the sun in the sunset position. Two years later, when Montana entered statehood, the seal was again changed, to replace the word "Territory" with "State." The new engraver, a Helena jeweler, took his own liberties with the state seal. He moved the trees, altered the Great Falls and the Missouri River, and redesigned the mountains. Montana's official state seal remains much the same today. Montana has also designated a state song, state lullaby, and state quarter. Learn more about state symbols in Symbols of Montana, by Rex C. Myers and Norma B. Ashby, and by visiting montanakids.com. {Click on "Facts and Figures. ") MONTANA OUTDOORS 1' BLAGKSPOTTED CUTTHROAT TROUT (On corhyn ch us clarki lewisi) The idea for a state fish may have first been proposed in this magazine. George Holton, a senior fisheries man- ager, suggested in a 1974 Montana Outdoors article that the state designate an official fish species because "fish- ing is a major recreational pursuit for state residents and an important attraction for the state's tourism industry." Holton then wrote, "At the risk of biasing the outcome, I propose as candidates the paddlefish, the Dolly Varden [bull trout], and the Arctic Grayling." The grayling was the top choice of C. J. D. Brown, a distinguished professor, fisheries researcher, and author of Fishes of Montana. In a letter to Senator Margaret War- den, who would later introduce legislation for designat- ing a state fish, Brown warned, "I think it would be a serious mistake to designate other trouts not native to Montana. Utah is the laughing stock of ichthyologists and fish biologists and sportsmen for designating the rainbow trout the state fish, which is native only to the Pacific coast states and is a true exotic to Utah." A prominent supporter of the blackspotted (west- slope) cutthroat trout was television personality Norma Ashby and her husband, Shirley, of Great Falls, both avid fly anglers. In 1976, Ashby launched on her TV show, "Today in Montana," a campaign for Montanans to vote for a state fish. Described by Captain William Clark in 1805, the blackspotted cutthroat trout was also the choice of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. The cutthroat campaign got its most eloquent en- dorsement by Art Whitney, chief of the state's Fisheries Division, who wrote, in testimony later delivered be- fore the 1977 legislature: "Probably more than any other species, the cutthroat trout symbolizes the qual- ity we are striving for . . . in Montana. Just as this fish requires a quality habitat if he is to survive, Montanans as a people are striving for a quality of life already lost in many parts of this nation. Naming the blackspotted cutthroat trout as Montana's state fish will be just an- other indication that the people in this state vwll settle for nothing but the very best in protecting the Montana way of life we are all dedicated to preserving." The legislature agreed, after which Governor Thomas Judge signed into law the bill that made the blackspotted cutthroat trout Montana's official state fish . iPs'^'i?- ti^f '■'■',- 'JH ■**":. C «^ 9' % %» • 18 MARCH-APRIL 2011 FWP.MT.GOV/MT0UTD00RS STATE ANIMAL: GRIZZLY BEAR (Ursus arctos horribilis) Secretar\r of State Jim Waltermire launched the State Animal Project in 1982 as a way to "impress upon Montana students the importance of an indi\idual's vote and to familiarize them wdth the legislative process." Students statewide were encouraged to learn about Montana's wildlife, nominate candidate species, and even form "political" com- mittees to support and campaign for a particular animal. Students voted in a primary election and narrowed their choices to the grizzly bear and the elk. The general election was scheduled for a month later. Students across Montana heard an earful from the two campaigns on why they should vote one way or the other. Adults also weighed in. Some believed that if the elk became the state animal it would lose its big game status, thus eliminating Montana's multi-million-dollar elk hunting industry. Others opposed the grizzly because it was a predator and had only a few years earlier been given federal protection under the Endangered Species Act, which ended grizzly hunting and closed some trails and roads. The grizzly won, capturing 34,346 votes to the elk's 18,354 in the students' election. Senator Larr\' Tveit sponsored a grizzly designa- tion bill in the Senate, and Representative Clyde Smith was the House sponsor. More than 1,000 children attended the grizzly bear desig- nation hearings, and the bill passed by wide margins in both houses. Governor Ted Schwinden, decked out in a grizzly cap, signed the bill into law in 1983. STATE GRASS: BLUEBUNCH WHEATGRASS (Agropyron spicatum) At a PTA seminar on the environment in 1972, Havre resident Toni Hagener heard Joseph C. Zacek, a range conservationist with the Soil Conservation Service, mention that Montana had no state grass, even though 75 percent of the landmass was composed of rangeland. Hagener wrote to Zacek that a local com- munity development group she chaired might be interested in promoting an official state grass. She asked which native grass would best qualify: Western wheatgrass? Blue gamma? Another species? Zacek repUed that blue gamma was not highly regarded by ranchers. "We have a saying about this grass: 'A cow has to have a mouth a yard wide and travel 20 miles an hour to get a belly-full,'" he wrote. His top choice was rough fescue, which he claimed was the "one species that is definitely Mon- tanan because it occurs in only limited amounts in other states." His second choice was bluebunch wheatgrass, found through- out the state. That's the species Hagener's group decided to lobby for, and in 1973 the legisla- ture made bluebunch wheatgrass Mon- tana's official state grass. MONTANA OUTDOORS STATE GEMSTONES: SAPPHIRE AND AGATE In 1895 prospector Jake Hoover discovered gold in the Little Belt Mountains. He and two partners invested $40,000 to begin an extensive mining operation. After a year of mining, Hoover managed to extract only $700 worth of gold, but he also found some pale blue pebbles in Yogo Creek. He sent a cigar box full of the stones to Tiffany & Co. in New York to see if they were worth anything. George F. Kunz, at the time considered America's foremost gem expert, called Hoover's rocks "the finest precious gemstones ever found in the United States." Tiffany & Co. sent the prospector a check for $3,750, the first of many he would receive for his discovery. Hoover's mines, which the U.S. Geological Survey later described as "America's most important gem locality," eventually produced an estimated $40 million worth of sapphires. Montana's yogo sapphires are even found in the Royal Crown Jewel Collection in London. The Montana Council of Rock and Mineral Clubs asked the legislature to declare both the sapphire and the Mon- tana agate (the latter found in abundance along the Yellowstone River) as Montana's official state gemstones. The legislative body complied in 1969. V ^ V STATE TREE: PONDEROSA PINE (Pinus ponderosa) The ponderosa pine is a common western conifer that grows on dry slopes and mountain foothills, often surrounded by juniper, sage, and prairie grasses. Its range extends from central British Columbia south to central Mexico and east to South Dakota's Black Hills. Ponderosa pine forests, found throughout Montana, are highly valued for their commercial timber. The tree is likely named for its "ponderous" size, reaching 230 feet in some regions (though topping out at 194 feet in Montana), or its heavy wood. Ponderosa pine forests are used by a wide range of wildlife, including birds such as western tanagers and great horned owls, and mammals such as grizzly bears and mule deer. This tree also helped build the West, supplying timber for mine braces, railroad ties, and res- idential homes. In 1908 Montana schoolchildren selected the pon- derosa pine over the Douglas fir, American larch, and Cottonwood as Montana's state tree. But not until 1949, after a yearlong campaign by the Montana Federation of Garden Clubs on behalf of the ponderosa, did the legislature finally make the designation official. 20 1 MARCH-APRIL 2011 ' PA'P.MT.GOV/MTOUTDOORS JK >W .^ ^^^ STATE FOSSIL: MAIASAURA (Maiasaura peeblesorum) One of the most significant paleon- tological discoveries of the latter 20th century came in 1978, when fossils of a nesting colony of duck- billed dinosaurs were foimd west of Choteau. The followingyear, paleon- tologist Jack Horner and research partner Bob Makela determined that the species, which they named Ma- iasaura ("good mother lizard"), raised its young in colonies, as many birds do, rather than abandon the nest after laying eggs, like reptiles. So scientifically important was the finding that in the mid-1980s the Montana Council of Rock and Min- eral Clubs decided to lobby for the Maiasaura as the state's official fossil. Representative Orval Ellison introduced the fossil designation legislation, telling Ben Veach, chair- man of the council, "You get me the kids and I'll get your bill passed." Veach enlisted the help of Helen Peterson's sixth-grade class at Liv- ingston Middle School. Peterson and 130 schoolchildren wrote let- ters to Governor Ted Schwinden, legislators, and other schools in Montana. They wrote songs and stories and made and distributed brochures and T-shirts. They also baked 2,000 Maiasaura-shaped cookies for the legislators, and toured the State Capitol and gover- nor's office. The House imanimously passed the bill in February 1985. The Sen- ate passed it after debating whether the Tyrannosaurus rex would be more appropriate. A few weeks later, the governor visited Livingston to sign the state fossil bill. Rarely before had a law been signed outside of the State Capitol, but as Veach put it, "I'm sure the capitol is well-built; it with- stood the Helena earthquake of 1959. But 130 sixth-graders twice in one year? Well, why risk it.'" MONTANA OUTOOORS -i STATE FLOWER: BITTERROOT (Lewisia rediviva) The bitterroot's scientific name comes from Meriwether Lewis, who first officially described the plant in 1805. {Rediviva, Latin for "revived," refers to the plant's bright flowers, which blossom each summer.) But long before that, the bitterroot was well known to American Indians of the region, who for centuries boiled and ate the plant's nutritious root. Despite its heritage and lovely pink petals, the bitterroot was no shoo-in for Montana's state flower. Many people denounced the oddly shaped forb. The Helena Independ- ent editorialized in 1894 that the bitterroot "has one quality which should be fatal to it as a state em- blem. It has no stem . . . and the leaves and flower grow out of the top of a thick, fleshy, spindle- shaped root." That made the flower difficult to pick, the editors argued, and lacking a stem it couldn't be made into a bouquet or worn as a boutonniere. But 3,621 Montanans dis- agreed, and that year they made the bitterroot the clear winner in a statewide contest. (The evening primrose and the wild rose took distant second and third places with 787 and 668 votes, respec- tively.) The 1895 legislature acknowledged the public's deci- _ sion and made the bitterroot the official state flower of Montana. STATE BIRD: WESTERN MEADOWLARK (Sturnella neglecta) Another state symbol inspired by its connection to Meriwether Lewis is the western meadowlark. The melodic prairie bird was first recorded for science by the explorer on June 22, 1805, when the Corps of Discovery portaged around the Great Falls of the Missouri River. In his journal that night, Lewis wrote, "there is a kind of larke here that much resembles the bird called the oldfield lark with a yellow brest and a black spot on the croop . . . the beak is somewhat longer and more curved and the note [song] differs considerably; however in size, action, and colours there is no perceptable difference; or at least none that strikes my eye." In 1930 Montana's schoolchildren voted for the western meadowlark as the bird that best represented their state. The following year, the state legislature made it official. In 1998 several lawmakers proposed to replace the meadowlark with the magpie. They argued, unsuccessfully, that unlike the songbird, which flies south each fall for warmer climes, the magpie stays in Montana year-round and is more deserving of the state bird honor. .Jt^LpSuCfU^ 11 ; MARGH-APRIL 20: STATE BUTTERFLY: MOURNING CLOAK Who would have thought that naming a state butterfly would spark a Grizzlies versus Bob- cats controversy? But it did— at least for one state representative. In 2001 all 100 mem- bers of the Montana House except Rep- resentative Brad Newman voted to make the mourning cloak the state butterfly. The mourning cloak is a handsome in- sect. Its wings of dark brown (the color of mourning cloaks once worn to funerals) are edged in bright blue and yellow. Newman took issue with the blue and yellow, which he believed too closely resembled the school colors of Montana State University. The Butte Democrat claimed that his loy- alty to The University of Montana, along with the Bobcats' losing streak at the time, kept him from voting for the mourning cloak. "I think that as a matter of legislative policy, we ought to stick with a winner," Newman said after his vote. "I'm holding out for a maroon butterfly." He couldn't convince enough of his fel- low lawmakers, however, and in 2001 the legislature made the mourning cloak Mon- tana's state butterfly. Hk MONTANA OUTrorr : ■- -^'iai ii-" TAHBJPH ^ . ?^wp>*] \ r 0- ■/>:. HAT ARE WEST COAST^ RAINFOREST CREATURES DOING ' IN NORTHWESTERN MONTANA? ^^H WLW STORY BY BEN LONG PHOTOS BY DAVID HERASIMTSCHUK rsse*^^: BIG AMPHIBIAN Only recently discovered In Montana, the Idaho giant salamander (shown here in Its larval stage) lives In the Northern Rocky Mountain Refuglum, a bastion of biologically diverse coastal creatures in the BItterroot Mountains. MONTANA OI/T The phenomenon struck me while I was watching the 2010 Olympics on TV. The scenery around Vancouver, British Co- lumbia, looked a lot like my family's favorite camping spot at Bull Lake, south of Troy, Montana. I could identify redcedar and hemlock cloaking the slopes where skiers were racing for gold medals. Even the pitch of the mountains looked familiar. It turns out scientists have noticed the same thing. They've recognized that parts of western Montana and northern Idaho look like a big chunk of rainforest plucked from the Pacific Coast and plopped down 350 miles in- land. And it's not just casual appearances. Sci- entists have identified scores of similar species living in both places, from mighty trees to lowly mayflies. For instance, the vi- ciously thorny devil's club plant shows up in both Olympic National Park west of Seattle and Glacier National Park east of Kalispell. How did these rainforest plants and ani- mals survive the glaciers and glacial lakes that not so long ago covered most of north- western Montana? Even more puzzling: How did a place that looks like Washington's Olympic Peninsula get here in the first place? Making the Inland Rainforest The earth's crust is assembled of plates that fit together like puzzle pieces. But they don't snap together neatly. Instead, slowly mov- ing tectonic plates collide and buckle over and under each other, occasionally pushing skyward to form mountains. Sometime between 90 and 65 million years ago, the Farallon Plate slid under the North Ameri- can Plate, piling layers of the earth's crust upon one another to form the Rocky Moim- tains. At the time, northern Idaho and northwestern Montana were the continent's western coast. What are today Oregon and Washington were continental islands float- ing on their own tectonic plates in the Pa- cific Ocean. Over the next ten million years, the con- tinental islands drifted east and stacked up against Idaho to form Oregon and Washing- ton and the new Pacific Coast. For several million years, moist air masses moving east from the Pacific Ocean dropped rain across the region all the way to the Rockies, creat- ing a giant rainforest stretching for hun- dreds of miles. This vast mesic ecosystem was awash in warm coastal rain and lush with life. Dinosaurs had long been extinct, but salamanders slithered in the misty MONTANA'S "OLYMPIC PENINSULA" Small high-gradient mountain streams in northwestern IVIontana look remarkably similar to those along the Pacific Coast, 350 miles to the west. Northwestern Montana Inland Rainforest Timeline 200 MILLION YEARS AGO ^ 200 million years ago North America is part of the supercon- tinent Pangea. Today's western Mon- tana and northern Idaho are the west coast of the continent, with ocean waves lapping up against the Idaho Panhandle. Most of Montana is under a shallow inland sea. What is today Washington and Oregon are continen- tal islands in the Pacific. 90 to 65 million years ago Large tectonic plates collide, push up, and form the Rocky Mountains. 65 to 55 million years ago The continental islands drift east and stack up against the Idaho coastline like ice floes, building today's Oregon and Washington and creating the new west coast. Moisture-bearing clouds coming in off the Pacific drop rain from the coastal shore all the way to the Rockies. This creates a giant rain- forest stretching hundreds of miles. 17 to 15 million years ago Immense lava flows from Oregon spread east, covering large tracts of what had been rainforest in central Idaho. N ICE S H E E NATURE'S ARK Thousands of years ago, Glacial Lake Missoula and glaciers creeping south from Canada covered much of the inland rainforest in today's northwestern IVlontana. Several large areas that were too high, too low, or too far south to be covered by ice acted as refugia — places containing isolated populations of once-widespread species. streambeds, and creeks were full of snails, slugs, aquatic insects, and water plants. Today we consider these to be coastal rain- forest species, yet they existed well into the continent's interior. Just as geological events created the giant rainforest, so did they destroy large parts of it. Roughly 17 to 15 million years ago, im- mense lava flows from Oregon spread east, covering large tracts of eastern and central Idaho rainforest with molten rock. Then, roughly five million years ago, the Cascade Range of today's Oregon and Washington was born. The mountains forced air masses coming in off Puget Sound to rise, causing the moisture to cool, condense, and fall as rain. This produced a "rain shadow"— a dry region on the lee side of mountains— east of the Cascades. Much of the wet forestland there eventually turned into the dry scrub- land and prairie of today's eastern Washing- ton and Oregon. After retaining their moisture over the low-elevation aridscape, the air masses rose again when they reached Idaho and Mon- tana, dropping rain. This produced enough precipitation to continue supporting thirsty plant species like hemlock and water-loving animals such as salamanders. That was the pattern for several million years, with one rainforest thriving along the Pacific and another— separated by hun- dreds of miles of lava fields, grassland, canyons, scrublands, and dry pine— persist- ing along the western face of the Rockies. Then, about two mil- lion years ago, the cli- mate changed again. Covering much of Montana's inland rain- forest were glaciers up to 1 mile thick and, during the most recent ice age, 200-mile- long Glacial Lake Missoula. But some val- leys, where lower elevations created warmer temperatures, escaped glaciation. And southern reaches of the rainforest were at latitudes too warm to sustain thick ice. These rainforest remnants are known as refugia— places containing isolated or relict populations of once-widespread animal or plant species. One of the largest, the North- ern Rocky Mountain Refugium, extends from where 1-90 crosses into Idaho south- west for roughly 150 miles along both sides of the Montana-Idaho border to the south- ern end of the Bitterroot Valley. There, rain- forest species covered by glaciers elsewhere in northwestern Montana were able to sur- vive the Pleistocene. Scientists have docu- mented roughly 150 species of complex The Ice Ages Cometh This was the Pleistocene Epoch, a two-million- year period of great ice ages that chilled the en- tire planet. Though aver- age temperatures were only a few degrees lower than today, snow piled up so high that great slabs of ice covered Canada and the Rockies. These glaciers shaped modern Montana, pushing the Missouri River south toward the Gulf of Mexico, gouging out the footprint of Flathead Lake, and whittling dovm the peaks of the Rockies. Many species dispersed from this and other refugia— which acted as natural Noah's arks. plants and vertebrate animals (and many more if insects are included) living in the Northern Rocky Mountain Refugium that have "sister taxa," or related forms, on the Pacific Coast. Among these are the 2-inch- long Coeur d'Alene salamander, the Rocky Mountain tailed frog, the newly discovered 90 MILLION YEARS MCM 65 MILLION YEARS AGO 17 MILLION YEARS 5 million years ago The Cascade Range is formed. This creates a rain shadow over eastern Oregon and Wash- ington, producing an aridscape that further cuts Off the inland rainforest from the coast. The clouds retain moisture as they move east across lower elevations, then drop rain when they hit the Rockies. This sustains what be- comes an isolated rainforest ecosystem in northern Idaho, northwestern Montana, and south-central British Columbia. 2 million to 10,000 years ago Glaciers and Glacial Lake Missoula cover much of Montana's inland rainforest with ice and water up to 1 mile deep. Some low-elevation valleys (which are warmer), mountain peaks, and areas south of the gla- ciers escape inundation. These are known as refugia. One of the largest, the Northern Rocky Mountain Refugium, stretches 150 miles along the Bitterroot Mountains and contains coastal plant and animal species established millions of years earlier that continue to survive. 10,000 years ago to today After the glaciers retreat, some species from the refugia "arks" recolonize parts of the previously ice-covered rainforest, which continues to receive moisture from the Pacific. Other species survive only in the refugia. which one scientist calls "multi-taxa hotspots of genetic diversity." Biologists hope that studying the refugia and publicizing the findings will help preserve the areas and associated dispersal corridors. Holding that frog or snail will be like staring into the depths of time. Lolo mayfly (Caurinella idahoenis), and dozens of other aquatic invertebrates, slugs, snails, and delicate wetland flowers. When the last of the glaciers retreated and floodwaters subsided roughly 10,000 years ago, many plant and animal species dispersed from this and other refugia— which acted as natural Noah's arks. Over millenia, the flora and fauna followed av- enues of suitable habitat known as "disper- sal corridors" and recolonized parts of northwestern Montana's inland rainforest where they had once thrived. But many species are endemic, meaning that only the Northern Rocky Mountain Refugium and other inland rainforest refugia retained the ecological conditions they needed to survive. The Bering Land Bridge Colder temperatures also triggered a sweep- ing change that created the suite of wildlife species we enjoy today. During the ice ages, moisture remained locked up in the polar ice caps rather than evaporating into the atmos- phere and falling as rain into the oceans. That caused sea levels across the globe to drop. One result was the Bering Land Bridge between Siberia and Alaska, across which bison, grizzlies, wolves, moose, elk, and other mobile species migrated from north- ern Asia into North America. When temper- atures eventually warmed, Pacific fishes such as cutthroat trout and bull trout migrated from the ocean, swim- ming up river water melting from glaciers, and eventually populated inland streams. We think of these species as Montana natives. Yet compared to northwestern Montana's Idaho giant salamander, tailed frog, and Ben Long is a writer in Kalispell. David Herasimtschuk is a conservation photographer in Fort Collins, Colorado. other refugia species, familiar mammals such as elk and mule deer are newcomers. Montana's original natives, like those of the Northern Rocky Mountain Refugium, have dwelt here for millions of years. They and other rainforest creatures quietly carried on with their lives as ice ages came and went and even entire mountain ranges were thrust up from the ocean floor. All this was a revelation to me. I have lived my entire life within the boundaries of the in- land rainforest, an ecosystem that runs from the mountainous country of the Clearwater and St. Joe River drainages of northern Idaho, east to western Montana's Lolo, Bitterroot, and Kootenai National Forests, and north about as far as Revelstoke, British Columbia. The lush forests and steep mountains are im- printed on my psyche as "home." So are its wildlife. Yet until recently I was perfectly ignorant of the area's ancient history. Now I know that the reason Vancouver's ski slopes resemble Montana's scenic Bull Lake area is because both are part of what was once a contiguous mesic forest that ex- tended from the Pacific to today's Glacier Na- tional Park. And that it was the emergence of the Cascade Range, which five million years ago created a rain shadow between here and there, that isolated our part of the rainforest. Now when my son and I pluck a snail off a rock at Ross Creek or ponder a tailed frog from the Yaak, I can tell him that the crea- ANCIENT CREATURES Coastal mesic forest species like this snail and tailed frog have lived in northwestern Montana for millions of years. Compared to these creatures, Iconic Montana wildlife such as elk and mule deer arrived here only yesterday. 28 I MARCH-APRIL 2011 , FWP.MT.GOV/MT0UTD00RS Great catch: one year only $9. Subscribe today! -'I YES! I'd like a year (six issues) of Montana Outdoors for just $9. My/Donor Information: (Required for gm subscript! ion) Send a Gift to: (Piease print) Name Name Address Address City Select: lYear 6/$9 State 2 Years 12/$16 Zip 3 Years 18/$22 City Select: lYear 6/$9 State 2 Years 12/$16 Payment enclosed Bill me later Add $3 per year for Canadiar) subscriptions. All other foreign subscriptions are $45/year. paid in advance For faster service, subscribe by phone: (800) 678-6668 Or subscribe on-line: fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors Zip 3 Years 18/$22 Best Deal! UIDB Place Stamp Here MONTANA OUTDOORS MONTANA FISH WILDLIFE & PARKS 930 W CUSTER AVE PO BOX 200701 HELENA MT 59620-0701 i'iliinlli|i|'>l"i|ii'l'M'l' ture's history goes back in Montana so long it makes the oldest human history seem like a click of the secondhand on Earth's wristwatch. I'll explain how the little mol- lusk or amphibian has a biological twin liv- ing hundreds of miles away on the West Coast, and how its pedigree stretches back to a time before the Cascade Range even existed. I'll show him how refugia are remarkable areas of biological richness, places where we can flip a rock or peer into a mountain pool and see creatures found nowhere else in Montana. Holding that frog or snail will be like star- ing into the depths of time, just as by looking at a distant planet he and I will stare into the depths of space. And I will wonder what new discoveries await his generation and what secrets re- main to be unlocked here and in other wild, pristine parts of Montana. ^ MONTANA OUTDOORS 29 where Wildlife Reigns Supreme Enjoy the natural splendor of Montana's 21 national wildlife refuges . by lee lamb It was a clear and cold March morning when I stood in the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) parking lot shivering be- side the other students in my Uni- versity of Montana ornithology class. We were waiting to head out on our first birding field trip. This was in 1994, and at the time I had no idea of the or- nithological spectacle about to unfold. Skirting the east banks of the Bitterroot River 25 miles south of Missoula, Lee Met- calf NWR encompasses 2,800 acres of woodlands, ponds, wetlands, and upland meadows. Established in 1963 and named 30 MARCH-APRIL 2011 FWP.MT.GOV/MT0UTD00RS to honor the U.S. senator, Stevensville na- tive, and lifelong conservationist, the refuge is now one of the few remaining large tracts of undeveloped land in Montana's rapidly growing Ravalli County. Tucked between the Bitterroot and Sapphire Mountains, the refuge is home to eagles, herons, mer- gansers, warblers, pheasants, deer, coyotes, muskrats, and more. It offers visitors spec- tacular scenery, an excellent environmental education program, and opportunities for fishing, hunting, birding, and hiking (on 2.5 miles of trails). Lee Metcalf is one of 553 national wild- life refuges nationwide encompassing more than 150 million acres and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The National Wildlife Refuge System was estab- lished by Congress in 1903, when President Theodore Roosevelt made tiny Pelican Is- land in Florida the first permanent sanctuary for birds. The refuge system now encom- passes a network of lands and waters man- aged to conserve fish, wildlife, and their habitats. Congress appropriates funds for stafl^, operations, and maintenance, and the USFWS uses hunters' license dollars to buy and expand the refuges. Ninety-eight per- cent of funds from the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp— the Dawn at Lee Metcalf NWR, one of the few remaining large undeveloped tracts in the rapidly growing Bitterroot Valley. Right: American kestrel. federal duck stamp waterfowl hunters must buy each fall— goes to leasing or purchasing wetland habitat included in the NWR Sys- tem. It's a sound investment. Each year refuges nationwide draw nearly 40 million visitors who pump more than $1.5 billion into regional and local economies. "Many refuges in the Lower 48 were estab- lished primarily for waterfowl, and waterfowl production remains a high priority for us," says Dean Rundle, regional supervisor for refuges in Montana, Wyoming, and Utah. "But others are for big game and also for tilings like bats and small fish and endangered butterflies. I think it's wonderful diat so much of America's wildlife heritage is protected and conserved within the refuge system." After two hours of peering through binoc- ulars and adding 25 new birds to my life list that chilly spring day, I was convinced I'd hit the avian jackpot. But I've since learned that all of the 21 national wildlife refuges in Mon- tana are great spots to see birds— and hike, hunt, fish, take photographs, and learn about nature and conservation. Some highlights: Wildlife Without the Crowds For a taste of Yellowstone National Park— | without the three million tourists who visit s each year— drive another 35 miles west to ^ MONTANA OUTDOORS 31 Bulrushes ring a large wetland at Red Rock Lakes NWR in the Centennial Valley. "The big difference [between us and Yellowstone National Park] is that people who come out here have lots of country pretty much all to themselves," says the refuge manager. Red Rock Lakes NWR. The little-known refuge spans the Centennial Valley at 6,600 feet and climbs to 10,000-pIus feet up the Centennial Mountains on its southern bor- der. The nearly 50,000-acre refuge con- tains an impressive mix of vegetative and aquatic communities, including lakes, rivers, marshes, meadows, sagebrush steppes, woodlands, and even alpine areas. Perhaps nowhere else on earth can a visitor spot a pronghorn, a sage-grouse, a trum- peter swan, and possi- bly even a wolverine track in the same day. fws.gov/redrocks/ Red Rock Lake is a great location to spot wa- terfowl, shorebirds, and antelope. We have arctic grayling and nesting bald eagles, and you might even see a wolf" The refuge contains the largest wetland complex in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosys- tem. It serves as a crucial wintering area and year-round home to trumpeter swans that need wetland habitat undisturbed by htiman activity. Because much of the refuge is des- ignated as a National Wilderness Area, it contains no developed wildlife viewing areas or designated hiking paths. Visitors ex- plore the area by following game trails or striking out cross-country. Some amenities exist. Gravel roads take are rare — especially when compared to the numbers crowding the national park just a few miles to the east. "We're pretty Yellow- stone-ish in a lot of ways," he says. "We don't have geysers or bison, but we've got lots of other wildlife. The big difference is I "With all the different habitats here, you just never know what you might nm into," visitors to both Upper Red Rock and Lower says Bill West, refuge manager. "One site here. Willow Fen, is as good a place as any- where in Montana to see a moose, and Lower Writer Lee Lamb splits her time between Poison, Montana, and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Red Rock Lakes, each with a developed campground (not found on most NWRs) and water access for boats (motors not al- lowed). Fishing, waterfowling, and big game hunting are allowed in designated areas. West says visitors to the remote refuge Sales of federal duck stamps to hunters, other conservationists, and stamp collectors have raised over $700 million since 1934, The revenue has gone to acquire millions of acres of habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System. '■1 , MARCH-APRIL 2011 FWP.MT.GOV/MT0UTD00RS Ducks and other water birds rest at Red Rock Lakes, located about 35 miles west of Yellowstone National Park. Like many wildlife refuges, Red Rock Lakes is rich in wetlands. Unlike most others, it also contains prairie and mountain wildlife, including sage-grouse and cougars. that people who come out here have lots of countn' pretty much all to themselves." A Waterfowl Oasis Thousands of years ago, glaciers carved out a shallow 5,000-acre depression known as Benton Lake. This and another 7,000-plus acres of native grassland and prairie habitat surrounding the wetland complex form Ben- ton Lake NWR, located roughly 12 miles north of Great Falls. Surrounded by arid farmland for miles in all directions, Benton Lake NWR is an oasis for waterfowl and shorebirds. The wetland complex was once susceptible to severe droughts and floods, which hampered wild- life use. Now an intricate diking system di- vides the main marsh into eight sections, providing diverse wetland habitats for bird species ranging from the white-fronted goose ^^^ A to the black-crowned night-heron. More than fws.gov/bentonlake 200,000 ducks, geese, swans, and shore- birds use the refuge during spring and fall migrations. In spring and summer, Franklin's gulls and white-faced ibises gather in massive breeding colonies. Prong- horn, badgers, burrowing owls, and horned larks live in the nearby native shortgrass prairie. In April and May, the refuge allows visitors to reserve a viewing blind next to an open area called a lek, where male sharp- tailed grouse conduct their staccato-step mating dance at dawn. Most visitors take the Prairie Marsh Wildlife Drive. Open year-round to vehicles (weather permitting) and bike and foot travel, the 9-mile gravel loop passes through wetland and upland habitats. Early morning and evening are the best times to spot wildlife. An interpretive map available at a kiosk near the drive entrance contains infor- mation on wetlands, wildlife, and the area's histor\' and management. An observation blind sits on the north end of Marsh Unit 1 Perhaps nowhere else on earth can a visitor spot a pronghorn, a sage-grouse, a trumpeter swan, and possibly even a wolverine track in the same day. MONTANA OUTDOORS 33 ^■fp ^'J .'M' 'l'>iifai>il^l*Mt<>Jrtri.> i>»t4^.i^%y>ttiitt 4 r.^aayr^jfw. Clockwise from top left: The sun retreats over the Rocky Mountain Front, setting aglow Benton Lake NWR: view from the ten-story lookout tower at Medicine Lake NWR; red-winged blackbird on the Prairie Marsh Trail boardwalk at Benton Lake NWR; sharp-tailed grouse at Benton Lake NWR. at the first parking area. Prairie Marsh Trail is a 1,000-foot boardwalk reaching out into the marsh that allows visitors a closer look at birds and scenery. A Good Prescription for Birds Medicine Lake NWR offers visitors a bird's- eye view of its lush surroundings. At the refuge headquarters (25 miles north of Cul- bertson in northeastern Montana), a ten- story-tall observation tower provides an expansive panorama of the refuge's western half— prairie pothole country of rolling plains dimpled with shallow wetlands. Medicine Lake is a birding wonderland recognized by the American Bird Conser- vancy as one of the nation's top 100 globally important areas for avian wildlife. The refuge's 22 lakes and water impoundments, abundant wetlands, and expanses of mixed- grass prairie provide critical breeding habi- tat for 17 waterfowl species and several rare grassland birds, including Sprague's pipits and chestnut-collared longspurs. The 31,660-acre refuge also provides nesting habitat for migrating sandhill cranes, white- fronted geese, and tundra swans, and year- round range for sharp-tailed grouse and pheasants. Deer, coyotes, muskrats, and even the occasional moose, elk, and prong- horn live here too. Visitors unwilling to trudge 135 steps up the tower can see the refuge by taking the 14-mile (one-way) graveled wildlife drive. It winds first along the north shore of shallow 8,218-acre Medicine Lake, then past smaller lakes and ponds. Signs explain the refuge's natural and cultural resources and how the lands and waters are managed for wildlife. Pelican Overlook provides a wheelchair- accessible viewing platform with binoculars that give visitors a closer view of American white pelicans on Big Island and Bridger- man Point. The colony of more than 10,000 pelicans is one of North America's largest. The refuge encompasses the 11,360-acre Medicine Lake Wilderness Area, which in- cludes a sandhills vegetative community composed of rolling dunes dotted with cacti, native grasses, and shrubs such as buffaloberry and chokecheriy. Because the refuge contains no desig- nated hiking paths, visitors explore by follow- ing game trails and walking cross-countn,'. Fishing as well as waterfowl, upland game bird, and big game hunting are allowed. Prairie Wildlife and One Big Reservoir Because most people think of elk as moun- tain creatures, many first-time visitors to the Charles M. Russell NWR are surprised to hear bulls bugling along the Missouri River Breaks at dusk. Before European setdement, elk abounded on Montana's prairies. Today they are returning to grasslands such as those at the "CMR," as it's called locally. The best spot to hear and see elk is the Slip- MONTANA OUTDOORS 35 Sunrise at the Charles M. Russell NWR. With Its native shortgrass prairie, abundant pronghorn and elk, and nearby family ranches, the landscape has changed little since the famous Montana artist portrayed the region's open landscape and cowboy lifestyle. fws.gov/cmr pery Ann Elk Viewing Area, along a 19-mile self-guided vehicle tour on the refuge's west- em end. Hundreds of bulls, cows, and calves gather at this 1,500-acre no-hunting zone along the river bottom every September and October. Despite the re- gion's remote location, more than 200 vehicles line the viewing area some evenings. The CMR extends from Fort Peck Dam 125 miles west up the Missouri River and in- cludes Fort Peck Reservoir. The refuge is named for the famous western artist who portrayed the region's prairie landscapes and diverse wildlife in his paintings. The refuge's project leader, Barron Crawford, says the area has changed little since Russell's time. The CMR is surrounded by working family ranches, where cowboys on horseback still drive cattle on spring roundups. Conserva- tion groups and private landowners protect and conserve prairie, sagebrush-grasslands, waterfowl is popular, as are walleye and smallmouth bass fishing on the sprawling reservoir. Camping is allowed throughout the refuge within 100 yards of the river and certain roads. Fort Peck Lake— which has more miles of shoreline than the entire Cal- ifornia coast— is open for boating and, when the water freezes solid in winter, snowmobiling. At the Fort Peck Dam Inter- pretive Center and Museum in Fort Peck, visitors will find interpretive displays ex- juniper coulees, badlands, and cottonwood- laced river bottoms. As they have for thou- sands of years, these habitats provide year-round and seasonal homes for prong- horn, mule deer, coyotes, mountain plovers, and long-billed curlews. Charlie Russell would feel right at home. The refuge is packed with recreational opportunities. Hundreds of miles of gravel and dirt roads provide driving access. Hunting for big game, upland birds, and Sometimes no hunting Though supported by hunter license dollars, some national wildlife refuges are closed to public hunting — a conservation measure hunters support. That's because wildlife need these sites to be refuges In the truest sense of the word, where they can rest unbothered by hunting and other ac- tivities. Closed to public hunting in Montana are Ninepipe and Pablo NWRs and the National Bison Range, though many nearby satellite refuges and waterfowl production areas are open, as is Ninepipe Wildlife Management Area (owned and managed by the state). Also, many refuges open to hunting have regulations more restrictive than those off the refuge. Call refuges beforehand to learn of special seasons and boundaries. Download a state-by-state guide to hunting national wildlife refuges at fws.gov/refuges/ hunting/pdf/huntingguide.pdf. 36 MARCH-APRIL 2011 FWP.MT.GOV/MTOUTDOORS Male sage-grouse displaying on a lek at the Charles i i, r uisell CMR. National Wildlife magazine recently named refuge as one of the nation's top 10 wildlife viewing spots. x^o-iiiile-long eastern Montana plaining the dam's colorful history and the biology of local wildlife. Crawford says wildlife watchers have their best chance of spotting bighorn sheep by hik- ing on Mickey and Brandon Buttes. The place visitors are most hkely to see sage-grouse dancing on mating leks (in April) or catch a glimpse of reintroduced black-footed ferrets hunting prairie dogs is at UL Bend NWR, 55 miles south of Malta and within the bound- aries of the CMR. World's Biggest With these four refuges— Lee Metcalf, Red Rock Lakes, Medicine Lake, and the CMR— I've only scratched the surface of what's available in Montana. There is also the National Bison Range Complex near Missoula, which includes 2,062-acre Nine- pipe and 2,542-acre Pablo NWRs. Near Malta, 15,551-acre Bowdoin NWR is home to 260 bird species, many visible from a 15- mile driving loop. The newest refuge in Montana is Lost Trail, near Kalispell. Montana has seemingly endless federal lands containing species ranging from moun- tain goats to prairie dogs. What's so special about national wildlife refuges? "Two things stand out," says Rundle, the regional NWR supervisor. "One, this is the only federal lands system where wildlife conservation is the sin- gular highest priority. And two, it's the largest publicly owned land system in the world dedicated to wildlife conservation." Rundle adds that despite the system's rep- utation for great birding and other viewing, visitors should know that "national wildlife refuges are not zoos," where animals are on display and always easy to find. "But at the right season at the right times of day," he says, "a person looking for waterfowl, shore- birds, and other wildlife— especially wetland species— can be veiy well rewarded." Hk Learn more about national wildlife refuges in Montana at fvs.gov/ref iges/. "And it's the largest publicly owned land system in the w^orld dedicated to wildlife conservation. " MONTANA OUTDOORS 37 oil i FWP.MT.GOV/MTOUTDOORS ^^^^^^ bow in the tiny luncii . ^^B room at Melrose Ele- K ^V mentary School. The ^^ ^m sixth-grader steadies her- ^^^^m^^^ self before releasing an arrow that smacks the middle of a target 10 yards away. She and eight schoolmates— the entire student body— spend an hour shoot- ing round after round inside this small ranching town's sole school. It's the first time many of the kids have shot a bow, and they are excited. Shyann says for years she has wanted to use her father's heavy-duty compound bow, which he uses to hunt deer and elk. "But it was too tough to pull," she says. With the smaller, lightweight bows the school uses, Shyann is easily able to pull back the drawstring. And after a few days of practice, she was shooting tight groups of ar- rows into the target at the makeshift indoor archery range. Students on this cold, sunny winter weekday are shooting under the direction of teacher Shelby Blixt. Blixt had never fired a bow before taking a training class put on by the National Archery in the Schools Program Straight Aim Students p^rcheiy gives kids self-confidence and i recreation that can last a lifetime, by nick gevock HOLDING STEADY Compound bows may look intimidating, but youth models like this one are B designed for beginners with light arm strength. "A 5-year-old or an 80-year-old could shoot these bows." says one instructor. (NASP) last fall. The daylong course focuses on archery range safety and how to teach kids shooting skills. Blixt initially doubted whether her nine students could safely shoot arrows inside the school. "At first I thought, 'Are we really going to do this?' " she says. But the exercise worked out, as it has in roughly 50 other schools throughout Montana. Several sinall schools in southwestern Montana formed a cooperative to partici- pate in the NASP. The idea was developed six years ago by Ray Haftcy, a psychologist with Dillon-based Great Divide Education Services and an avid bowhunter who enjoys working with young Montannns. Great Di- vide is a consortium that provides special education instmction, counseling, and other services to member schools. Haffey used it as a model for the regional archeiy co-op. He secured commitments from seven rural schools to pitch in $.^00 apiece for MONTANA OUTDOORS 3^ archery equipment. Financial help came from the Montana Chapter of the National Wild Titrkey Federation and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. The schools collectively or- dered a NASP base package: 11 bows, a few dozen arrows, five targets, a backstop curtain, a repair kit, and a stand for holding bows. HafFey says the innovative program is custom made for schools like those in Jack- son, Grant, and Melrose with fewer than a dozen students. "The co-op approach gets archery into schools that couldn't justify going out and buying their own equipment," he says. Larger schools elsewhere in Mon- tana purchase their own archery gear. The NASP requires that all of Montana's 50 participating schools use standardized equipment and range protocols that pro- mote safety. Schools have set up archery ranges in cafeterias, multipurpose rooms, and even a local barn. "All they need is a minimum of 30 feet between the shooters and the targets," Haffey says. Equipment is half of the national archery program. The other element is a mandatory training course for teachers. Each school in the program must have a trained instructor who passes a test showing she or he under- stands archery fundamentals and how to maintain safe shooting conditions. Blixt says she dreaded the idea of spend- ing an entire day taking the archery instruc- tion course. But her mood changed after spending a few hours shooting with half a dozen other teachers. "It was really fun once we started," she says. "We each shot at least 100 arrows that day." Nick Gevock of Butte is a freelance writer and a reporter at The Montana Standard. "Archery is a sport that any kid can do with some success." Before the Melrose students are allowed to shoot, Blixt makes them recite the safety rules. Archers must stand back from their bows until the instructor blows a whistle that allows them to move to the shooting line and pick up their equipment. Another whistle command from the teacher gives the go-ahead to start shooting. Instructors teach an 11-step process on how to shoot correctly and accurately that includes proper stance, draw, anchor, aim, release, and follow-through. Jory Thompson, Sheridan High School principal and an avid bowhunter, says on some afternoons more than 40 kids from fifth through eighth grades use his school's indoor range. Such enthusiasm for archery doesn't surprise Kurt Cunningham, an FWP education specialist. "You don't have to be the biggest and the tallest and the strongest kid out there," he says. "Archers' gives kids who aren't great athletes or members of teams a chance to develop self-confidence and learn a lifetime sport." Many young archers like to compete. Montana NASP holds regional competi- tions, with winners moving on to the state championship. Of a perfect score of 300, some kids have scored in the 270s and even higher. "It's amazing how quickly they pick it up," Thompson says. "Every year some kid will blow my mind." Thompson has twice taken Sheridan archers to the NASP national shoot in Ken- tucky. Local businesses and residents chipped in to help cover the kids' travel ex- penses. In 2009 Michael Tilstra, a local mid- dle school student, scored 287 points and came in 13th of 500 archers in his group. Supporters say the archery program fos- ters the next generation of bowhunters. Thompson says many kids who leam to shoot a bow at Sheridan High School later take up archen,' hunting. To encourage the transition, the principal holds an annual hunting contest and gives small prizes such as hunting magazine subscriptions to the winners. Some awards go to the biggest deer, elk, or pronghorn. Others go to kids with the best hunting stories. Cunningham says that no matter whether young archers become bowhunters, enter competitions, or just shoot for fun, they all benefit from spending time launching ar- rows into targets. "Archery is a sport that any kid can do with some success," he says. "There's something really satisfsdng about taking aim and hitting a target." ^ Learn more at archeryintheschools.org or fwp. m t.gov/edii ca t ion/teach ers/n asp.h tm I. For information about Montana State Univer- sity Extension's 4-H archery programs, visit montana4h.ors. BOW-MOBILE A grant from the Montana Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Feder- ation paid for a horse trailer that hauls archery gear to several small schools in southwestern Montana. Archery proponents say the sport is popular because its accessible to l