Relict Areas 



Grassland Inhabitants 



Throughout Montana there are many 

 areas where the grasses grow just as they 

 did before domestic grazing began. These 

 relict areas, identified and maintained 

 through the Soil Conservation Service, are 

 located on ranches, in pioneer cemetaries, 

 (figure 8), and in isolated areas. On all of 

 these sites more tall grasses grow, with 

 smaller numbers of short grasses, broad- 

 leafed forbs, and woody shrubs. 



One of these relict areas, near Ekalaka, 

 contains about 400 acres and is on top of a 

 butte that large grazing animals can't 

 reach. Others are on the old Custer and 

 Reno-Benteen battlefields southeast of 

 Hardin. Another is a railroad right-of-way 

 near Whitehall that has not been grazed 

 since 1912. These plots provide ranchers 

 with comparisons for grazing lands in their 

 areas, so they can maintain similar mixes 

 of native grasses. 



Montana's grasslands are home to many 

 wild things. The most commonly seen big 

 game are mule deer and pronghorn ante- 

 lope (figure 9), but hundreds of other crea- 

 tures burrow beneath the grass or nest in 

 it, or fly above it looking for food. Among 

 the burrowing animals, the largest is the 

 badger. Smaller animals like ground squir- 

 rels, moles, voles, and prairie dogs also 

 burrow under the thick mat of roots and 

 grasses. Snakes often share quarters with 

 the larger underground inhabitants. Over- 

 head drift the hawks and buzzards, and on 

 the forest edges, eagles hunt from their 

 nests on cliffs and dead trees. 



9. Antelope 



Montana Department of Commerce 



U.S. Soil Conservation Service 



8. Relict Area— Helmville Cemetary 



Sparrows, quail, grouse, bluebirds, and 

 thrushes keep to the sagebrush and grass 

 that join the arid fringes of ponderosa pine 

 and Douglas fir. In the mountain valleys, 

 where wild marsh grasses (or sedges) line 

 many of the waterways, muskrats, 

 skunks, and raccoons make their homes. 

 They pad their burrows with grass, and 

 prey on the crayfish, frogs, and water in- 

 sects that live in these grassy streams. 

 High on the talus slopes, the little gray 

 pica, or coney, the haymaker of the wild, 

 clips grass and spreads it on the rocks to 

 cure for his winter meals. 



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