Fowler Creek PROJECT BRIEF

Tucked into the northwestern corner of Montana, the Yaak Valley is one of the most remote places in the Lower 48 states. With major support from the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust (HSWLT), our latest project in the Yaak helps sustain its unique rural character and important wildlife habitat. In early 2021, we purchased 315 acres of diverse habitat along Fowler Creek, a tributary of the Yaak River and well-traveled pathway for elk, moose, grizzly bears, native fish and many other species.

“Protecting crucial habitat and connectivity for grizzlies and other far-ranging wildlife is increasingly urgent,” says Jim Reed, Executive Director of HSWLT. “The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust is proud to help Vital Ground secure another substantial expanse of key habitat in Montana’s Yaak Valley as a safe haven where grizzlies and wildlife will forever benefit from humane stewardship. “

Located near Vital Ground’s Broadie Habitat Preserve that the two organizations conserved in 2020, the lush Fowler Creek bottomland helps stabilize a wildlife corridor across the Yaak Valley bottom, connecting mountain habitat strongholds for grizzlies, Canada lynx, wolverine and other national species of concern. Amid a statewide housing boom, the project also protects water quality, open space and the wild character of the Yaak, a rural valley just south of Canada in Montana’s far northwestern corner.

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