Page 57 - Flathead Beacon // 3.5.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM OUTDOORS MARCH 5, 2014 | 57

LEFT: Wildlife biologists with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the Wild Sheep Foundation run health tests on bighorn sheep. RIGHT: Crews
relocated 61 sheep from the island, transporting them by helicopter in groups of three to ive.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON

protect unique natural environment in it group that preserves wild places for public recreation destination, has been manager at Wild Horse Island for 22

perpetuity.
transfer to federal, state or local agen- working for the past several years to years.
MacDonald’s family ofered to sell cies.
conserve the shortgrass prairie habitat “We were able to purchase parcels
the island to the state for $2 million, well Today the island is managed as a that is important to wild sheep and oth- at a time and the Nature Conservan-
below the appraised value of $3.5 mil- primitive area, meaning very little de- er wildlife species on site.
cy fronted that. That was the dream of
lion. In the spring of 1977, the Montana velopment beyond trail maintenance “That was part of what he wanted (MacDonald) to do that and preserve it
Legislature authorized the purchase of can occur.
to do, was to preserve it instead of sell- as a recreational and wildlife site.”
Wild Horse Island with the help of the Staf with Montana State Parks, ing of lots to private owners,” said Jer- [email protected]
Nature Conservancy, a private nonprof-
which manages the island as a popular
ry Sawyer, who has been the state park

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