Lost Trail slowly being transformed from ranch to refuge

Hungry Horse News

As Ray Washtak views the landscape of the Lost Trail Wildlife Refuge in the Pleasant Valley west of Kalispell, he can't help but smile.

When it comes to wildlife habitat, the refuge offers a nearly complete package-from high cliffs to low bottom wetlands to sweeping grasslands, all in a mere 8,000 acres.

The refuge was a long time coming, Washtak said in a recent tour of the spread.

Talks first started in the mid-1980s between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and what was then Montana Power Co.

The power company ran the Kerr Dam at the end of Flathead Lake at the time. There's one problem with the dam. In the summer, it keeps Flathead Lake levels artificially high, causing erosion of wetland habitat the federal government already owned on the north end of the lake, Washtak explained.

Federal law requires power companies to mitigate lost wetland habitat caused by dams as part of their relicensing agreement.

Dahl Lake, which sits in the heart of the Lost Trail refuge, came to mind with the Service, Washtak explained. For one, it was a natural lake. Secondly, it was an excellent wetland.

There was just one problem. It was also on a working cattle ranch that wasn't for sale. The Service only wanted a deal that had a willing seller and a willing buyer.

Ten years passed by, and the plan was pretty much shelved. Then in 1996, the ranch came up for sale. Ultimately, Montana Power bought it and offered Dahl Lake and another wetland on the refuge to the Service.

There was just one problem with that, Washtak recalled. The two wetlands, under the initial proposal, would have been separated, and the land in between likely would have been sold and probably subdivided for homes.

They don't call it the Pleasant Valley for nothing. Travelers come up and over a hill and through the woods, and the landscape opens up before you in a broad expanse of cliffs, lakes and grassland-a true Montana gem.

It is home to elk, both species of deer, moose, badgers, a host of predatory birds, songbirds, waterfowl, black bear, an occasional grizzly and thousands of ground squirrels.

The Service then got into serious talks about creating a complete wildlife refuge out of the valley. In the end, the government paid about $5 million for the rest of the land in between the wetlands-which was about half the acreage.

As Washtak put it, "The public got 8,000 acres of land for the price of 4,000 acres."

Today, Lost Trail is managed under the umbrella of the National Bison Range. It also includes waterfowl production areas on the north end of Flathead Lake, at Smith Lake and Swan Lake as well.

Slowly but surely, the Lost Trail refuge has been restoring habitat with the help of volunteers from the local chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

As a working cattle ranch, there were miles and miles of barbed wire fence. The fence was an impediment to the refuge's elk herd of 300, as well as its white-ailed and mule deer. Washtak saved several elk and deer that were caught in the wire through the years. He's also seen plenty die in it, too.

With the help of Elk Foundation volunteers, most of the fence has now been pulled up and taken down. The wire and posts, in turn, were sold by the chapter, raising about $10,000 for habitat improvements.

Other habitat improvements have also taken place-a long ditch that drained Dahl Lake for irrigation purposes has been filled in, and there are about 500 acres of additional wetlands to be restored.

The refuge also allows hunting in select locations and is currently in the process of creating a comprehensive conservation plan. It just recently brought on biologist Lynn Verlanic, who has the daunting task of doing a complete baseline data inventory of just about every plant and animal species on the refuge.

That baseline data, along with public comment, will be key in drawing up the final management plan, Washtak said.

Currently a draft plan is undergoing internal review-a huge stack of paperwork sits on Washtak's desk.

Even so, he wouldn't have it any other way. He also lives on the refuge and there is no better place to wake up in the morning.

"It's been a challenge and a privilege to be on the ground floor of the creation of a wildlife refuge," he said.

Folks interested in getting on a mailing list to keep up with developments on the refuge plan can write Washtak at Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge, 6295 Pleasant Valley Road, Marion MT 59925.

To get to the refuge (it makes a great Sunday drive), take U.S. Highway 2 west to Marion, turn right at Marion and follow the road past Bitterroot Lake (stay to the right). The road will eventually turn to dirt. Go through a somewhat narrow (and a little hairy) canyon, and as you crest the hill, you'll see the refuge below.

The Pleasant Valley Road runs straight through the refuge. There are hiking and biking and even horseback riding opportunities on the refuge. Some areas are, however, closed from mid-September to mid-December. Maps and other information are available at kiosks.