Places We Protect in Montana

The Centennial Valley ©Jim Steinberg

The Nature Conservancy is the world's leading private conservation group. Since 1979, the Conservancy has worked with landowners to conserve more than half a million acres of land in Montana.

We work collaboratively with landowners and many partners to achieve conservation that is compatible with local  economies. We also own several preserves across Montana that have unique natural features. 

Crown of the Continent
This region -- encompassing national parks, wilderness areas and vast privately-owned ranchlands -- is home to some of the most intact wildland on the continent, where predator-prey relationships are still functioning.

The Rocky Mountain Front
The Rocky Mountain Front is a convergence of mountains and plains that stretches in a 50-mile swath for over 300 linear miles of Alberta and Montana.

The Centennial Valley
The Centennial Valley is a remote ranching valley in southwestern Montana and one of the most important corridors for wildlife migrations from Yellowstone to the northern Rockies.

Big Hole Valley
The Big Hole Valley is the highest and widest mountain valley of southwestern Montana. Through it flows the Big Hole River, a world-renowned fishery and one of the few free-flowing rivers left in the West.

Northern Montana Prairies
One-half of Eastern Montana holds perhaps the largest and most significant native grassland communities remaining in the Northern Great Plains.

The Yellowstone River
The Yellowstone River remains one of the longest free-flowing rivers in the lower 48 states. This unique river is the focus of one of the Conservancy's community-based programs in Billings, Montana.

Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
This 27 million-acre ecosystem encompasses America's oldest and perhaps most well known national treasure, Yellowstone National Park, whose biological integrity depends on the much larger complex of federal, state and private lands surrounding it.

Preserve - Pine Butte Swamp
The Nature Conservancy continues an ambitious project to protect Montana's Pine Butte Swamp: the largest wetland complex along the Rocky Mountain Front and the grizzly bear's last stronghold on the plains.

Preserve - Centennial Sandhills
The Conservancy announces a new preserve in southwest Montana: the 1,400-acre Cetennial Sandhills Preserve.

Preserve - Comertown Pothole Prairie
In the far northeastern corner of Montana, there is a rolling landscape of native grasses and shallow “pothole” lakes that was formed over 10,000 years ago by the great continental glaciers.

Preserve - South Fork Madison
Located about five miles west of West Yellowstone, the South Fork Madison Preserve is an important wetland habitat which supports outstanding populations of fish, waterfowl and fur bearers.

Preserve - Swan River Oxbow
Between the Swan Range to the east, and the Mission Mountains to the west, the Swan River flows through a beautiful valley. In 1986 The Nature Conservancy purchased 392 acres of this valley, creating the Swan River Oxbow Preserve.

Preserve - Lindbergh Lake Pines
Lindbergh Lake Pines is a 40-acre preserve of venerable old-growh ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir and western larch.