The Benton Lake Wetland Management District contains 23 Waterfowl Production
Areas totaling over 16,000 acres. These WPAs are scattered throughout 8
counties (Cascade, Choteau, Glacier, Hill, Pondera, Powell, Teton, Toole) and
include many great hunting locations and bird watching sites. The District was
established in 1975 and includes 3 conservation areas, and 4 distinct easement
programs.

There are several types of Refuge System lands within the wetland management
district:

  * Waterfowl production areas, which are acquired in fee-title
  * Perpetual wetland easements, which protect privately owned wetlands from being drained, filled, or leveled, while the landowner keeps all other rights
  * Perpetual grassland easements, which protect privately owned rangeland and hay land from conversion to cropland, and the landowner keeps all other rights
  * Perpetual Farmers Home Administration conservation easements, which help farmers reduce their debt load on farmland and protect wetlands and grasslands
  * Perpetual conservation easements, which primarily protect wetland and grassland habitats and prevent property from being subdivided for residential, commercial, or industrial purposes
  * A grassland and wetland parcel leased from the State and managed similarly as a waterfowl production fee-title unit

The Benton Lake Wetland Management District contains 23 Waterfowl Production Areas totaling over 16,000 acres. These WPAs are scattered throughout 8 counties (Cascade, Choteau, Glacier, Hill, Pondera, Powell, Teton, Toole) and include many great hunting locations and bird watching sites. The District was established in 1975 and includes 3 conservation areas, and 4 distinct easement programs.There are several types of Refuge System lands within the wetland management district:<ul><li>Waterfowl production areas, which are acquired in fee-title</li><li>Perpetual wetland easements, which protect privately owned wetlands from being drained, filled, or leveled, while the landowner keeps all other rights</li><li>Perpetual grassland easements, which protect privately owned rangeland and hay land from conversion to cropland, and the landowner keeps all other rights</li><li>Perpetual Farmers Home Administration conservation easements, which help farmers reduce their debt load on farmland and protect wetlands and grasslands</li><li>Perpetual conservation easements, which primarily protect wetland and grassland habitats and prevent property from being subdivided for residential, commercial, or industrial purposes</li><li>A grassland and wetland parcel leased from the State and managed similarly as a waterfowl production fee-title unit</li></ul>

A photo of Site A017 of Loop A at Tuolumne Meadows Campground with Picnic Table, Fire Pit, Shade, Food Storage

Benton Lake Wetland Management District

The gently rolling terrain of Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge is
dominated by native mixed-grass prairie and surrounded by mountain ranges on
three sides: the Highwood Mountains to the east, the Big Belt Mountains to the
south, and the Rocky Mountains to the west. The Refuge is located at the
western edge of the famed Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), an area characterized
by millions of wetlands or "potholes" which serve as the breeding ground for
most of the Nation's waterfowl. These wetlands also harbor scores of other
wetland-dependent wildlife, including many endangered species. The PPR is
characterized by boom and bust cycles tied to precipitation and runoff.

The Refuge includes over 6,000 acres of wetland habitat. The once seasonally
flooded wetland basin was transformed to a semi-permanent wetland basin in the
early 1960's and is now returning to a seasonal basin with a variety of
wetland flooding and drying regimes.

When the Refuge was established in 1929, the flooding of the wetland basin
fluctuated with the amount of natural runoff received. This included large
shifts in the duration and depth of flooding in the wetland basin from several
hundred acres to over 6,000 acres. These shifts corresponded to the wet and
dry cycle of the Northern Great Plains prairies.

Concern with the fluctuations in flooding and extended dry periods prompted
members of the Cascade County Wildlife Association to secure Congressional
funding to transform the marsh into a consistently wet environment. From
1958-1962, a pump station, pipeline, and multiple impoundments with water-
control structures were constructed to bring irrigation return flow water from
Muddy Creek about 15 miles west of the Refuge. This management regime was
implemented with some modifications until 2012.

The consistent flooding regime resulted in unexpected consequences including:
selenium toxicity, domination of single vegetative species, establishment and
aggressive expansion of non-native vegetative species, and loss of production.
The Service in cooperation with local interest groups and Montana Fish,
Wildlife, and Parks recently developed an alternative management plan that
will restore the wetland health and strive to provide reliable fall waterfowl
hunting opportunity. More information about this management direction can be
found in the Final Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan for the Benton
Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

The Refuge includes nearly 6,000 acres of intact, northern mixed-grass
prairie.

Since sixty to ninety percent of the original native grasslands have been lost
in the Prairie Pothole Region of Montana, preservation of native prairie is
extremely important. Visitors to the Refuge can experience the vastness of the
"big sky" and relatively undisturbed prairie landscapes. Native prairie areas
are important to grassland-dependent species such as northern pintail,
burrowing owl, chestnut-collared longspur, and Sprague's pipit as well as
other species of concern. These wildlife species favor large expanses of
native prairie and are negatively impacted by its development and conservation
to agricultural uses. Large, intact native prairie communities can still be
found throughout the Refuge Complex.

The gently rolling terrain of Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge is dominated by native mixed-grass prairie and surrounded by mountain ranges on three sides: the Highwood Mountains to the east, the Big Belt Mountains to the south, and the Rocky Mountains to the west. The Refuge is located at the western edge of the famed Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), an area characterized by millions of wetlands or "potholes" which serve as the breeding ground for most of the Nation's waterfowl.  These wetlands also harbor scores of other wetland-dependent wildlife, including many endangered species. The PPR is characterized by boom and bust cycles tied to precipitation and runoff.The Refuge includes over 6,000 acres of wetland habitat.  The once seasonally flooded wetland basin was transformed to a semi-permanent wetland basin in the early 1960's and is now returning to a seasonal basin with a variety of wetland flooding and drying regimes.When the Refuge was established in 1929, the flooding of the wetland basin fluctuated with the amount of natural runoff received. This included large shifts in the duration and depth of flooding in the wetland basin from several hundred acres to over 6,000 acres. These shifts corresponded to the wet and dry cycle of the Northern Great Plains prairies.Concern with the fluctuations in flooding and extended dry periods prompted members of the Cascade County Wildlife Association to secure Congressional funding to transform the marsh into a consistently wet environment. From 1958-1962, a pump station, pipeline, and multiple impoundments with water-control structures were constructed to bring irrigation return flow water from Muddy Creek about 15 miles west of the Refuge. This management regime was implemented with some modifications until 2012.The consistent flooding regime resulted in unexpected consequences including: selenium toxicity, domination of single vegetative species, establishment and aggressive expansion of non-native vegetative species, and loss of production. The Service in cooperation with local interest groups and Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks recently developed an alternative management plan that will restore the wetland health and strive to provide reliable fall waterfowl hunting opportunity. More information about this management direction can be found in the Final Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan for the Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex.The Refuge includes nearly 6,000 acres of intact, northern mixed-grass prairie.Since sixty to ninety percent of the original native grasslands have been lost in the Prairie Pothole Region of Montana, preservation of native prairie is extremely important. Visitors to the Refuge can experience the vastness of the "big sky" and relatively undisturbed prairie landscapes. Native prairie areas are important to grassland-dependent species such as northern pintail, burrowing owl, chestnut-collared longspur, and Sprague's pipit as well as other species of concern. These wildlife species favor large expanses of native prairie and are negatively impacted by its development and conservation to agricultural uses. Large, intact native prairie communities can still be found throughout the Refuge Complex.

Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge

A photo of Site A015 of Loop A at Tuolumne Meadows Campground with Picnic Table

A photo of Site A015 of Loop A at Tuolumne Meadows Campground with Picnic Table, Fire Pit, Shade, Food Storage

Benton Lake Wetland Management District

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Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge