Land Purchase North of Missoula Conserves Key Acres Connecting Mountain Ranges
NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 18, 2024
MISSOULA, Mont. — Grizzly bears and other wildlife navigate a changing landscape full of roadblocks in western Montana. That’s especially true in the valleys around Missoula, where increasing development pressures come face-to-face with established habitat corridors that connect mountain ranges. But bears and countless other species will benefit from a newly-protected piece of open land in a key movement area linking the Rattlesnake and Ninemile Mountains after the Vital Ground Foundation and Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) completed the purchase of 55 acres in Evaro Canyon this week.
The steep, forested property just east of U.S. Highway 93 sees heavy traffic from wildlife moving between the Rattlesnake and Ninemile ranges, including grizzlies. Bordering U.S. Forest Service and railroad-owned lands, the property faced the threat of subdivision and development that would create a significant conflict risk for bears and other wildlife.
“That area is a pinch point where mountain range touches mountain range,” said Jamie Jonkel, Wildlife Management Specialist for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. “Going east to west, the natural flow of wildlife movement goes right through that area. It’s a heavily used migration trail by elk, moose, bears, mountain lions, you name it… We’ve had multiple grizzlies show up in that area, and with so much grizzly activity in the Ninemile, I know they come through that stretch.”
The site serves as part of a geographic funnel into nearby Marent Gulch, a location where animals frequently cross Highway 93 and move into the Reservation Divide area and the Ninemile Range. Among the grizzly bears that Jonkel and other biologists have documented in the corridor, the wide-roaming bear known as Ethyl crossed Evaro Canyon during her famed walkabout through Montana and Idaho a decade ago.
With the Rattlesnake Mountains forming the southern toe of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) that includes Glacier National Park, and the Ninemile Range serving as a connection point to the Bitterroot and Cabinet-Yaak ecosystems, the project protects a modest acreage with outsized significance for regional wildlife connectivity.
“We’re grateful people and partners came together quickly to ensure this 55-acre property, situated in a critical wildlife corridor, is protected,” said Jordan Reeves, Director of Landscape Connectivity for Y2Y. “Standing on the land, it’s easy to see why. Two expanses of wilderness funnel here, each one extending out into western Montana and northern Idaho. This valuable corridor also sits very close to the Bitterroot Mountains, just across Interstate 90, making the goal of reconnecting the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem to the Bitterroot Range that much closer.”
Establishing more secure linkages between ecosystems is especially vital for grizzlies. While the NCDE hosts the Lower 48’s largest population of the species at roughly 1,000 bears, the Cabinet-Yaak is home to just 50-60 grizzlies and the Bitterroot does not contain a resident population of the bears despite serving as a federally-designated grizzly bear recovery zone. Biologists and conservationists across many agencies and organizations consider genetic connectivity between grizzly populations to be essential for the species’ long-term survival in the Lower 48.
As a result, Evaro Canyon was one of several dozen priority areas that over 60 federal, tribal, state and independent biologists prioritized for habitat protection when Vital Ground completed its rigorous conservation strategy and launched the One Landscape Initiative in 2019. The effort aims to protect key habitat linkages on private lands across western Montana and northern Idaho.
“These micro sites that are private that connect forestland to forestland are key,” said Jonkel. “They’re not glamorous, but they’re very, very important. It’s preserving linkage into perpetuity as Montana’s getting built up so quickly.”
Following last week’s purchase, Vital Ground will own and manage the property to maximize its habitat value for diverse wildlife. Beyond partnership with Y2Y, additional support for the Evaro Canyon project came from the Heart of the Rockies Initiative’s Keep It Connected program.
For more information contact:
Mitch Doherty, Conservation Director for Vital Ground, (406) 549-8650, mdoherty@vitalground.org
Jordan Reeves, Director of Landscape Connectivity for Y2Y, (406) 223-6351, jordan@y2y.net
About Vital Ground:
An accredited land trust and 501(c)(3) organization, Vital Ground conserves habitat for grizzly bears and other wildlife in the Northern Rockies. Founded in 1990 and based in Missoula, Mont., the organization also partners with communities to prevent conflicts between bears and people.
About Yellowstone to Yukon:
Formed in 1993, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) is a joint Canada-U.S. nonprofit that connects and protects habitat from Yellowstone to Yukon so people and nature can thrive. The organization is based in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Program work occurs across five American states, two Canadian provinces, two Canadian territories and at least 75 Indigenous territories.