Northwest Montana Wetland Management District

About Us

The units of the Northwestern Montana National Wildlife Refuge Wetland Management District (NWMTWMD) geographically situated within the Mission, Flathead, and Swan Valleys of northwestern Montana are administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). These units contribute to a larger network of conservation lands across four counties and support a diversity of game and non-game wildlife species that enhance and highlight the biodiversity of northwestern Montana. 

 

Our History

The Northwest Montana Wetland Management District was once part of the National Bison Range Complex. In 2021, USFWS transferred the National Bison Range (now Bison Range) to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT). Learn more about the transfer: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-transfers-national-bison-range-lands-trust-confederated-salish-and-kootenai.

The remaining federally managed lands from the Complex consist of Ninepipe, Pablo, Swan River, and Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuges, Lost Trail and Swan Valley Conservation Areas, and the Northwest Montana Wetland Management Districts. Due to the transfer, the remaining lands are now known as the Northwest Montana Wetland Management District.

Other Facilities in this Complex

Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge
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.
National Wildlife Refuge
Great Falls,MT
Benton Lake Wetland Management District
The Benton Lake Wetland Management District is managed as part of the Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The district also includes conservation easement programs in Missoula and Lake counties.
National Wildlife Refuge
Great Falls,MT
Sunset at Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge
Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge
Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge is in the center of a glacial terminal moraine with a high density of small wetlands and upland grasses. Its own history and management is as complex as the lands and waters that surround it.
National Wildlife Refuge
Charlo,MT
Arial view flying over Pablo Wildlife Refuge with the Mission Mountain Range in the background
Pablo National Wildlife Refuge
Pablo National Wildlife Refuge is in the center of a glacial terminal moraine with a high density of small wetlands and upland grasses. Its own history and management is as complex as the lands that surround it.
National Wildlife Refuge
Pablo,MT
Swan River National Wildlife Refuge
Swan River National Wildlife Refuge is in the heart of the Swan Valley and sits between the Mission Mountains to the west and the Swan Mountains to the east.
National Wildlife Refuge
Swan Lake ,MT
Ronan,MT
Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge
Welcome to Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge! A place where wetlands, streams, native intermountain prairie and forests are being actively restored and managed to provide habitat for migratory birds as well as a wide variety of other wildlife and plant species.
National Wildlife Refuge
Marion,MT
Northwest Montana Wetland Management District
The Northwest Montana Wetland Management District which is home to the following: Ninepipe, Pablo, Swan River, and Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuges, Lake County, Flathead County, and Cruz Waterfowl Protection Areas. Visitors from all over the world travel to the Complex, which seeks to provide...
National Wildlife Refuge
Ronan,MT