Photos & video by The Herd Studios
On June 29th and 30th, a group of 15 BHA volunteers and 8 US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) employees removed 3 miles of barbed wire fence from the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (CMR) in Phillips County, Montana. The fence ran across the middle and southern end of the Rock Creek drainage just east of the Slippery Ann Elk Viewing Area. This is prime elk and mule deer habitat in the iconic Missouri Breaks!
We had a great turnout for the event, including a group of college students all the way from Clemson University in South Carolina. We also had a ton of support from the USFWS and the CMR on this one. They provided the equipment and expertise to get the job done efficiently.
On Saturday night, we enjoyed an assortment of wild game around the campfire. This included fried Missouri River catfish, deer sausage/bison liver jambalaya and feral goat brats from Hawaii. After dinner (and a few beers), one of the BHA volunteers brought out his fiddle and played some old timey tunes in the natural amphitheater of a cut-bank on the Missouri River. It was quite a show!
It was truly inspiring to see this gathering of BHA volunteers and federal employees, and the commitment to wildlife and habitat that we share. I’m not sure that we will be able to reproduce this one, but we will certainly give it shot next year when we continue this important stewardship work. Many thanks to all that participated!
About Manning Rushton
Northeast Montana Chapter Leader