PRELIMINARY WILDLIFE AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN 

 HUGHES LIVESTOCK COMPANY PROPERTY, DIPPING VAT COULEE 



INTRODUCTION 



The Wildlife Habitat Acquisition Act or House Bill 526 was originally passed in the 1987 

 legislative session. The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission has adopted rules 

 which provide for implementation of House Bill 526. Those rules specify that a 

 Preliminary Management Plan must be written prior to any final action by the 

 Commission. This Preliminary Management Plan is intended to give an immediate 

 general analysis and provide the basis for public comment. 



Comments which identify areas not addressed by the Preliminary Management Plan 

 will be addressed in the final plan prepared by the Montana Department of Fish, 

 Wildlife & Parks (MFWP). The preliminary plan identifies the Department's 

 management goals for the property and does not contain specific work activities. 

 These will be addressed in the final management plan when proper inventories have 

 been made and compliance requirements met. The final Management Plan will be 

 available for public review phor to approval by the Commission. Once the final 

 Management Plan is in place, it will be reviewed periodically, and necessary 

 adjustments incorporated. 



The Hughes/Dipping Vat Coulee property will become part of the existing Judith River 

 Wildlife Management Area (JRWMA). The current JRWMA is comprised of 7,696 

 acres of land owned and managed by MFWP. Consequently, MFWP management of 

 wildlife, lands, and public use on the Hughes property will be in accordance with 

 Department management programs that are currently in effect on the JRWMA. The 

 final management plan for the property will be incorporated into a comprehensive 

 management plan for the JRWMA. The Project Proposal identifying the need and 

 importance of the acquisition is attached. 



AREA DESCRIPTION 



Location and Physiographic Characteristics: 



The proposal area consists of a 2,143.13 acre inholding on the eastern edge of the 

 JRWMA. The JRWMA is located adjacent to the east-central edge of the Little Belt 

 Mountains and the Lewis and Clark National Forest in Judith Basin County; 

 approximately 60 air miles southeast of Great Falls, 40 miles southwest of Lewistown, 

 and 10 miles southwest of Utica (see map Appendix I, EA). 



