DESCRIPTION OF AREA 



The Robb/Ledford WMA (WMA) is located in Madison and Beaverhead Counties in 

 Southwestern Montana (Figure 1 ). It is situated on the western slopes of the Snowcrest 

 Mountains approximately 20 miles south of Alder, Montana, along the Robb and Ledford Creek 

 drainages of the Ruby River. This WMA borders the Beaverhead National Forest (BNF), Bureau 

 of Land Management (BLM), Department of Natural Resources (DNRC), Montana Fish, 

 Wildlife & Parks (FWP), Blacktail WMA, and private lands in Madison and Beaverhead 

 Counties south of Alder, Montana. 



The area ranges in elevation from approximately 6000 feet along Ledford and Robb Creeks to 

 9200 feet on the upper reaches of the WMA. The basic character of the land involves open 

 rolling rangelands intersected with perennial streams and a small amount of timber in the upper 

 reaches. Rangelands are grass and grass-shrub mixes with timber primarily Douglas fir. 



Average annual precipitation is 15-20 inches, much of which occurs in the form of snow. The 

 soil type is Underwood-Babb. Some rock outcrops exist, but soil is generally free of gravel to 

 depths of 6-12 inches. 



The WMA was purchased in one acquisition. The total deeded acreage of the WMA is 17,291 

 acres. Along with the purchase, FWP acquired a lease of 10,818 acres of DNRC land within the 

 WMA. In addition, there are 6,802 acres of BLM land associated with the WMA. The entire 

 area associated with the WMA then, is 34,91 1 acres. 



HISTORY OF AREA 



The WMA was acquired in July 1988 from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The Rocky 

 Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) acquired the property from the Ledford Creek Grazing 

 Association the same year, acting as an intermediary until FWP was able to purchase the land 

 using Habitat Montana dollars. 



At the time FWP purchased the WMA the Association retained grazing rights for 16,000 animal 

 unit months (AUM) from May 1 through November 30 annually for three years (1988-1990). 

 These grazing rights were compensation for the mineral rights granted in the sale of the WMA. 

 These grazing rights expired on November 1, 1990. Since that time, the Association has leased 

 the grazing privileges under a rest rotation grazing formula from June 15 through October 15 

 each year. This grazing has been leased for a fee based on fair market value. This lease has 

 expired each year on October 15. 



The Association also holds permits for grazing on three federal livestock allotments. These are 

 directly adjacent to the WMA on Forest Service land to the east, and on BLM and Forest Service 

 land to the south, adjacent to the Blacktail WMA. 



From about 1958 to 1988, the previous owners grazed about 2200 cow/calf pairs on the range 

 associated with the WMA. This use occurred on an annual basis and followed a semi-regular 



