The UL Bend Wilderness comprises 20,819 acres (84 km²) and is located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

within the

UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area that is located in central Montana, United States. The refuge, located at the extreme southernmost tip of Phillips County, is managed and bordered on three sides by the Charles M. Russell Nat ...

, which in turn is also surrounded by the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. Bordering on the Fort Peck Reservoir, a portion of the Missouri River that has been dammed. There are no maintained trails and the only access is either on foot or horseback. The Upper Missouri Breaks National Monument is located immediately west of the wilderness. The

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gr ...

passed through this region and wrote extensively on the abundance of wildlife and the ruggedness of the countryside.

U.S. Wilderness Area The National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) of the United States protects federally managed wilderness areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. Activity on formally designated wilderness areas is coordinated by the Na ...

s do not allow motorized or mechanized vehicles, including bicycles. Although

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more na ...

and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

are allowed with proper permit, no roads or buildings are constructed and there is also no logging or

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

, in compliance with the 1964

Wilderness Act The Wilderness Act of 1964 () was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected 9.1 million acres (37,000 km²) of federal land. The result of a lon ...

. Wilderness areas within National Forests and Bureau of Land Management areas also allow

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

in season. Hunting is permitted in this wilderness. Broken into three sections, the largest portion is characterized by steep sided cliffs of the Missouri River "Breaks" country. Along the riverbanks, cottonwood trees flourish and are home to a wide diversity of wildlife. Mammals such as elk,

bighorn sheep The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns might weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspec ...

pronghorn The pronghorn (, ) (''Antilocapra americana'') is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed, hoofed) mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is known colloquially in North America as the American a ...

, bobcats and

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by ...

s thrive here and numerous waterfowl such as pelicans,

Canada geese The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), or Canadian goose, is a large wild goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America, and it is o ...

and herons are also common. In the 1990s, UL Bend Wilderness was one of several sites selected for reintroduction of a small number of black-footed ferrets, the most endangered mammal in North America. The carnivorous black-footed ferret is heavily dependent on a plentiful supply of

prairie dogs Prairie dogs (genus ''Cynomys'') are herbivorous burrowing ground squirrels native to the grasslands of North America. Within the genus are five species: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah, and Mexican prairie dogs. In Mexico ...

as this constitutes the bulk of their food intake.

References

External links

UL Bend Wilderness
- Wilderness Connect * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ul Bend Wilderness Protected areas of Phillips County, Montana Wilderness areas of Montana Protected areas established in 1976 1976 establishments in Montana