Habitat Project:
Interstate 90 Corridor
Interstate 90 Corridor
Interstate 90 Corridor PROJECT BRIEF
Late in 2025, Vital Ground and the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) teamed up on a pair of conservation projects protecting key habitat near highway underpasses along Interstate 90 on either side of Missoula.
Both projects carry significance for regionwide grizzly bear connectivity, conserving low-elevation habitat at or near existing infrastructure that wildlife use to cross under the interstate and connect mountain ecosystems.
Southeast of Missoula between Drummond and Garrison, the Brock Creek Project was completed with a 50-acre land purchase on the north side of I-90. Located in a linkage zone connecting the Garnet and Flint Creek mountain ranges, the site abuts an existing highway bridge span that sees regular wildlife traffic.
West of Missoula near Superior, the Nellie Creek Project protects 160 acres on the south side of the interstate via a voluntary conservation agreement with the Gould Family, whose roots on the property trace back five generations. With the Bitterroot Mountains extending to the south, an underpass near the project connects it with forestlands north of the Clark Fork River that extend into both the Northern Continental Divide and Cabinet-Yaak ecosystems.
Interstate 90 Corridor At a Glance
- Brock Creek Project east of Missoula protects 50 acres abutting highway underpass
- Nellie Creek Project west of Missoula protects 160 acres near underpass
- Both projects conserve key linkage areas connecting Northern Continental Divide and Bitterroot ecosystems
- Low-elevation habitat key for grizzly connectivity as well as seasonal elk, black bear and other wildlife movement