lliildlilift 



Shurefarming agreements require that farmers leave a ponion oj their crops 

 standing in the fields to provide food and cover fnr .iumc birds. 



duck populations. The local agricultural 

 communiiy had become outraged by a 

 steady increase in noxious weeds on the 

 WMA in the 1970s and early l98Us. To 

 resolve the contlict, FWP adopted a 

 more aggressive approach to managing 

 weeds. Part of the solution invol\ed 

 sowing seed mixes of desirable, 

 competitive grasses and legumes that 

 grow into dense, durable stands 

 providing cover for pheasants and 

 many watertowl species. 



The W.Vl.A incoiporates hay cutting 

 in its management scheme as a way of 

 keeping these fields in vigorous 

 contlition while at the same time 

 benefiting local ranchers. To protect 

 nests, time of cutting is delayed until 

 after the peak nesting period. Although 

 the hay crop is past its prime, most of 

 the eggs are hatched. Late season 

 regrowth is then left to provide fall, 

 winter, and spring cover. 



Another cooperative management 

 praciice that helps keep noxious weeds 

 in check — sharefarming — has been a 

 big plus for local landowners as well as 

 hunters. Farmers grow barley and 

 winter wheat on WMA lands and, as 

 rental payment, leave FWP's share of 

 the grain standing in the fields. The 

 farmer is able to enhance his operation, 

 f^P gets a lot of necessary work 

 accomplished at someone else's 



expense, birds have an abundant and 

 nutritious food source, and hunters are 

 allorded a great opportunity to kick up 

 a rooster or decoy some ducks or geese. 



Water management, too, is a key 

 componeiii in maintaining Ninepipe's 

 productivity. Irrigation rights on about 

 a third of the WM.A allow managers to 

 supplement natural wetland recharge 

 and regulate water levels in some of the 

 area's approximately 800 natural 

 glacial wetlands as well as in its man- 

 made wetlands. Thus, regardless of 

 local precipitation, resident and 

 migratory wildlife species always find 

 plenty of wetland habitat. 



Restoration of wetlands drained 

 while the land was in private owner- 

 ship, creation of new wetlands, and 

 enhancement of others continues to 

 increase the productivity of the WMA. 

 Dollars from the Montana Waterfowl 

 Stamp program and from Ducks 

 Unlimited have financed 32 wetland 

 improvements in the past two years 

 alone. Through contributions to these 

 programs, hunters are helping offset the 

 destruction of wetlands that has 

 occurred nationwide and ensuring that 

 waterfowl will always fill October 

 skies over Ninepipe. 



Hunters are not the only people 

 benefiting from these wetland develop- 

 ments, however. Birdwatchers, photog- 



raphers, anglers, artists, and others are 

 rewarded by the wildlife and natural ^ 

 splendors that abound all year long. fr 

 "Schools and colleges bring their kids 

 here by the busload," says Jim Rogers, 

 whose wrap-around picture windows 

 look out on nearly every comer of the 

 WMA. "There's geese, redheads, wood 

 ducks, whatever waterfowl you want to 

 name. There's loggerhead shrikes, 

 kestrels, and shorebirds like avocets." 



In 1994, some visitors were re- 

 warded with a special — though 

 unusual — viewing treat. Between 

 spring .ind f,ill, five different grizzly 

 bears were seen on the WMA at various 

 times. A female and her three cubs 

 were occasionally sighted from 

 Highway 93, and a young male was 

 seen in several places. .'Mthough the 

 nearby Mission Mountains Tribal 

 Wilderness and adjacent foothills and 

 creek bottoms are well known for their 

 grizzlies, the bruins rarely venture into 

 the open valley bottom. 



Winter, too, has great potential for 

 wildlife viewing. The WMA and 

 surrounding areas provide one of the m 

 best opportunities to view raptors in the 

 Northwest. Five species of falcons can 

 be seen at Ninepipe, plus a variety of 

 hawks, eagles, and owls. "You can see 

 birds here that are not usually seen in 

 other parts of the state," says Denver 

 Holt, founder of the Owl Research 

 Institute in Missoula. "The diversity 

 and productivity of the area, coupled 

 with its location on a major migration 

 route, is what makes it so incredible. In 

 the Ninepipe area in 1990. we found 

 the highest density of nesting short- 

 eared owls ever recorded in the 

 literature." 



Vole populations are the principal 

 factor determining raptor numbers. 

 "When they're here, everything eats 

 them," says Holt. Vole numbers 

 fluctuate wildly; some years it's 

 impossible to walk into a field without 

 sending a dozen or more scurrying with 

 nearly every step. 



Voles impact the WMA in more 

 ways than the number of raptors that ^ 



winter there. They dig shallow burrows C 

 and devour grass, and at high densities 

 turn productive fields into bare, loose 

 soil, temporarily eliminating nesting 



