The Missing Piece
In 2007, a grizzly made its way from northern Idaho into the Proposed Great Burn Wilderness—the first documented grizzly here since the 1950s. The event was a stark reminder that our mission area is a part of a much larger, connected landscape that countless species rely on.
This 1.9 million acre roadless region is the largest wildlands complex in the continental United States, providing a critical wildlife corridor connecting the Crown of the Continent and Selkirk-Cabinet-Yaak ecosystems with the wildlands of central Idaho and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Although a number of wild places connect these landscapes from north to south, the Great Burn is one of the only connecting west to east. It is one of the last remaining large landscapes in the continental U.S. that remains unprotected.
Making connections
Want to learn more about habitat connectivity? Liz Bradley from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks explains why the Great Burn is such an important corridor for wildlife.