Description
In the far northeastern corner of Montana, a rolling landscape of native grasses and shallow “pothole” lakes formed more than 10,000 years ago by the great continental glaciers. Sometimes referred to as the Missouri Coteau, this land represents the largest unplowed stretch of pothole prairie ecosystem left in the state of Montana. While the prairie extends into North Dakota and Canada, it is under threat: large stretches of grass-and wildflower-rich prairie sod are plowed under each year to plant agricultural crops. This prairie pothole region, which extends from southern Canada to the north all the way into Iowa to the south, provides crucial breeding habitat for many of North America’s waterfowl species. The Nature Conservancy currently owns 1,130 acres of this rapidly disappearing ecosystem, protecting the prairie and the incredible array of waterfowl and other birds that flock to this undulating mosaic of lakes, ponds and native grasses. The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also protect the area through several conservation easements.