The National Park Trust Preserves Valuable Wildlife Refuge

National Park Trust
Wednesday, 24 November 1999

Washington, DC - Through the financial support of the National Park Trust, a critical 40 acre in-holding has been acquired and added to the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.

The timely acquisition of this land was necessary in order to provide immediate protection for the wildlife living outside of the boundaries of the refuge and to eliminate the possibility that the land would be subdivided in the future.

The Refuge is located in the Centennial Valley of Montana, 30 miles west of West Yellowstone. It includes over 58,000 acres and was originally set aside in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in order to protect migratory birds. Since that time the Refuge has been enlarged in order to provide continuing protection for its wildlife.

Red Rock Lakes presented NPT with a dual opportunity, to contribute to the protection of a wildlife refuge, and the ecosystem of a national park. Red Rock is part of the larger ecosystem of Yellowstone, an area long needing protection, both in the park itself and in its surrounding areas.

This is the first time that the National Park Trust had purchased land for the Fish and Wildlife Service. "Not all the areas of national significance are just in our national parks," said NPT President Paul Pritchard. "There are very valuable resources protected by the Fish and Wildlife Service, National Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service. This represents an important new opportunity for the Trust to show its concern about protecting important habitats outside of the national park system, in this case, in a national wildlife refuge."

The refuge's wetland and grassland ecosystem contains a multitude of species, twenty-four of which are of particular concern due to their declining populations. The development of Red Rock Lakes would further threaten two of Montana's peregrine falcon eyries and the bald eagle nests that reside along the refuge's boundaries. Development would also disturb the refuge's efforts to perpetuate trumpeter swan recovery efforts. Currently the refuge hopes to bring the swan population back to its historic range in this area.

"I think what the National Park Trust has done is admirable," said Harvey Wittmier, Chief, Division of Realty of the Fish and Wildlife Services. "This particular refuge is very high profile and was a very good selection. The partnership between NPT and the Fish and Wildlife Service in Denver, CO has been very helpful and I'm hoping it takes another step forward."

The National Park Trust is the only land conservancy dedicated to preserving America's national system of parks, wildlife and historic monuments.

For more information, or to contact National Park Trust, see their website at: www.parktrust.org