Big Snowy Mountains – Montana
It is a textbook example of a Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation land conservation and access project.
In 2022, RMEF worked with Shodair Children’s Hospital to acquire and convey 5,668 acres of high-quality wildlife habitat to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks which then created the Big Snowy Mountains Wildlife Management Area.
Not only did the project open access to the new acreage in central Montana, but it also improved access to more than 4,300 acres of nearby public land.
The rolling, grassy foothills feature meadows, mature forests including aspen stands and several mountain springs and seasonal streams, supplying great habitat for elk, whitetail and mule deer, black bears, pronghorn antelope, wild turkey and other species of wildlife.
Not only is the new wildlife management area a boon for hunters but the transaction allowed Shodair Children’s Hospital to generate vital funding to build a new facility so it can better care for Montana’s children now and into the future.
So what’s the bottom line? The Big Snowy Mountains Wildlife Management Area is a win for wildlife, a win for hunters, a win for land and natural resource management, a win for conservation, a win for kids and a win for public access.
Creating and improving public access is a long-time focus of RMEF’s mission.
Since 1984, RMEF has opened or improved public access to more than 1.5 million acres of habitat.
To view the sites and boundaries of RMEF land conservation and access projects, turn on the RMEF layer and use the code RMEF when you sign up for your onX subscription to receive a 20% discount.