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Pine Butte Swamp Preserve
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Pine Butte wetlands © Ted Wood |
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Grizzly bear. |
The Big 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 one of the grizzly bear's last strongholds on the plains.
Pine Butte lies next to the vast Bob Marshall Wilderness and serves as a lush lowland extension to this mountain region. Besides providing essential seasonal habitat, it provides a vital connection for migrating wildlife as they travel from mountains to plains and back. The preserve is a place of stark, primeval beauty. The looming sandstone butte which rises 500 feet above the grasses and wetlands, survived the glaciers that scoured the surrounding country. Its ponds and wetlands are fed by the silvery north and south forks of the Teton River.
A Treasury of Habitats
In addition to the surface water flows through the preserve, Pine Butte Swamp (or fen) is an extensive peatland fed by mineral-rich groundwater. What distinguishes if from other fens is its proximity to mountains, foothills and grasslands. This crazy-quilt of habitats -- wetlands and dry ground, flat prairie and steep mountains -- meet in a geologic sweep ranging from 4,500 to 8,500 feet in elevation. The result is a remarkably diverse flora. Rare wetland species such as yellow lady's slipper, Macoun's gentian, cotton grass and Craw's sedge flourish in proximity to common upland prairie plants such as shrubby cinquefoil, rough fescue and Montana's state grass, bluebunch wheatgrass. To date, 40 distinct plant communities have been identified on the preserve.
This wealth of vegetation provides habitat for an equally diverse fauna. Each spring grizzly bears descend from their mountain retreats while snow still blankets the high country, and follow these watercourses and others on the Rocky Mountain Front, down to the swamp -- there to feed and raise their young. Since foraging is easy in the rich wetland environment, the bears can replenish their depleted energy reserves with little risk.
Besides the grizzly forty-two other species of mammals (beaver, muskrat, mink, elk, moose, mountain lion, bobcat, lynx, black bear, mule deer and the largest population of bighorn sheep in the continental United States) as well as 150 species of birds (warblers, waterfowl, waders and raptors) find forage and shelter in Pine Butte's woods, prairies and labyrinth wetlands. A rare hybrid minnow resides in the wetland waters as well. Sharp-tailed grouse use the wet meadows on the swamp's periphery for their "dancing grounds." In short, Pine Butte Swamp is a wildlife bonanza.
Traces of History
Pine Butte is also rich in history. Drawn by the abundance of prey, pre-Columbian peoples frequently occupied the area. The Great North Trail, trod by Mongols who had migrated across the Bering Sea land bridge, cuts through the preserve. Tipi rings testify to the presence of prehistoric plains dwellers. A buffalo jump, used before the advent of the horse, and drive lanes of a buffalo mire have been uncovered. Scant remains of homestead structures dot the preserve,while ranching activities continue as they have for the past century.
Much earlier the preserve was home to vast herds of plant-eating dinosaurs. Eighty million years of geologic folding and erosion have brought thousands of dinosaur bones to the surface. A site, known as Egg Mountain, harbors one of the richest paleontological finds of our century: Maiasaura Peeblesorum, the "good mother lizard" who nested, laid eggs, fed and protected her young. Many nests, eggs, hatchlings and juveniles have been unearthed here. This research has provided more insight into dinosaur behavior than any other site in the world.
In 2005, the Conservancy sold the Egg Mountain site to the Museum of the Rockies, which has led important research on the site. The Conservancy retains a conservation easement on the site.
The Challenge
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| Pine Butte & wetlands |
The Conservancy's responsibility for protecting the Pine Butte assemblage while promoting its ecological significance extends far into the future. Having completed studies on the area's hydrology, vegetation and wildlife -- the Conservancy has developed a long-range plan for the bear, the fen and the surrounding foothills prairie. Cooperative efforts with local agencies and neighboring landowners also enhance the integrity of the larger ecosystem.
Additionally, the Pine Butte Guest Ranch provides educational tours of the preserve and the surrounding wild country to its visitors. Working closely with the local community to balance economic development and conservation remains an essential goal of the Conservancy.
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