Improving public access sometimes means improving the connectedness of public land. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s Kate Creek land conservation and access project in southwestern Montana is a good example.
When a 217-acre bank-owned inholding within the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest was listed for sale, the U.S. Forest Service approached RMEF for assistance in acquiring the property. The parcel, located about 65 miles south of Dillon, was the last significant inholding within the national forest’s Tendoy Mountain Range, and the Forest Service considered it a high-priority acquisition.
RMEF, with help from other partners, purchased the property and conveyed it to the Forest Service. It is now part of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, open to public hunting and other recreation.
The Kate Creek project protects important habitat for elk, which raise calves there, as well as mule deer, moose and pronghorns. In addition, bighorn sheep have historically used the area and are the focus of an ongoing restoration effort in the Tendoy Mountains. The property contains the headwaters of the East Fork of Kate Creek and McBride Creek, and also provides habitat for furbearers, grouse and other birds.
Kate Creek is just one of many RMEF projects that have made it easier to access public land in Montana, including three nearby projects that improved access to more than 54,000 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in Beaverhead County.
ONE SQUARE MILE A DAY.
OVER 10 MILLION ACRES BY 2030.
At RMEF, we’re not just conserving what’s here today, we’re creating what’s possible for tomorrow. That means more access, healthier habitats and a stronger future for all big game.