Protected areas of the Rocky Mountain Front

WMA - MT Fish, Wildlife & Parks Wildlife Management Area

Areas shown in green are either federal lands designated as wilderness or state lands that have been withdrawn from use by commercial extractive industries. Areas in red are publicly owned lands under jurisdiction of the Lewis & Clark National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management where oil and gas drilling may occur, two wheeled dirt bikes and other motorized vehicles are increasingly being used, and logging is still possible.

The importance of the unprotected areas of the Rocky Mountain Front to the native wildlife of the region is shown above in the map. The Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex that borders the Front on the West is where many of the Front's species spend their summers. The green areas on the map that border the eastern most edge of public land on the Front are the state owned Wildlife Management Areas. These areas were protected because they were critical wintering grounds for a multitude of species.

Imagine the unprotected red areas on the map that lie between the wintering grounds, spring calving areas and the summer range of the Front's wildlife filled with roads, gas wells, invasive species, air pollution, and daily motorized and industrial traffic. The impact of fragmenting the natural rhythms and seasonal habitat needs to the Front's wildlife would be devastating.