Elk that spent their winter in northwest Montana near the Rocky Mountain Front will soon have improved forage. They just need to exercise a little patience to get it.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), in cooperation with the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest and with funding support from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, plans to conduct prescribed burns across 300 acres of the Sun River Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The goal is to improve habitat for elk and other wildlife while also reducing fuel loads that can feed potential wildfires.
“This is a short disturbance for long-term benefits for wintering elk,” Brent Lonner, FWP wildlife biologist, told the Choteau Acantha. “As partners and neighbors, we are working together with the Forest Service to improve habitat for elk and other wildlife while also improving fire resiliency of the landscape.”
The WMA is especially popular for hunting, hiking, shed hunting and other recreational activities.
(Photo source: Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks)