STUDY AREAS 



Eight established research natural areas (RNAs) were 

 inventoried in 1997 and seven were inventoried in 

 1998, representing all designated RNAs administered 

 by the U.S. Fish and WildUfe Service (USFWS) on the 

 national wildlife refuge (NWR) system in Montana 

 (Figure 1). Together they total 11,756 acres. 



The fifteen research natural areas fall within five 

 National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs), including Benton 

 Lake, Charles M. Russell, Lake Mason (administered by 

 Charles M. Russell), Medicine Lake, and Red Rock 

 Lakes National Wildlife Refuges. They are part of the 

 NWR System that includes more than 500 refuges 

 nationwide encompassing over 92 million acres of land 

 and water, supporting a diversity of flora and fauna, and 

 established for many different purposes. 



The five National Wildlife Reftiges of this study are 

 among the largest NWRs in the state, including most of 

 the NWRs east of the Continental Divide. They were 

 established to protect specific wildlife values, briefly 

 highlighted below. This summary provides a basis for 

 considering the contributions of the RNAs within them 

 to the overarching refuge goals. 



Lake Mason NWR was established in 1941 and 

 provides habitat for breeding and migratory waterfowl, 

 shorebirds, passerines, raptors, and antelope. 



Medicine Lake NWR was established in 1934 through 

 the passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act, 

 as a "prodigious" waterfowl nesting area for Canada 

 geese, dabblers, and divers. It has been subsequently 

 recognized for its value for colonial nesting birds, as a 

 migration stopover, and as habitat for upland grassland 

 birds, including upland game, that are declining 

 elsewhere in their range. 



Red Rock Lakes NWR was established in 1935 through 

 the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act as a major 

 trumpeter swan breeding and wintering area. It has 

 subsequendy been recognized for its value for 

 threatened and sensitive raptors, reintroduced 

 peregrine falcons, waterfowl migration stopover, and 

 habitat for lacustrine Arctic graying, Clarke's grebe, 

 black-crowned night-heron, colonial nesting birds, and 

 a host of others. 



Benton Lake NWR was established in 1929 as a "refuge 

 and breeding ground for birds." It is a significant 

 breeding ground and migration stopover for ducks, 

 geese and swans and is a recognized shorebird site of 

 the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. 

 It also harbors colonial nesting bird Species of Special 

 Concern including Franklin's gull, double-crested 

 cormorant, white-faced ibis, black-crowned night- 

 heron, black-necked stilt, coinmon tern, forster's tern 

 and black tern, and upland grassland birds declining 

 elsewhere in their range. 



Charles M. Russell NWR was established as a national 

 game range in 1936, later converted to a national 

 wildlife refuge in 1976 in recogiution of key game and 

 non-game species occupying its rugged terrain and 

 extensive habitat. They include: pronghom antelope, 

 white-tailed and mule deer, reintroduced elk, 

 introduced Rocky Mountain bighorn, colonial nesting 

 birds, piping plover, raptors, mountain plovers, black- 

 tailed prairie dogs, upland grassland birds declining 

 elsewhere in their range, and reintroduced black-footed 

 ferret. 



