Get Involved
Pablo National Wildlife Refuge is a wonderful place to visit, with expansive vistas, native birds, and abundant wildlife. But you can do more than just enjoy the outdoors - you can become directly involved in supporting the Refuge by volunteering.
Volunteering
From its start in 1903, the National Wildlife Refuge System has owed its very existence to concerned citizens eager to protect America's natural resources. More than 42,000 people volunteer their time and ideas each year to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Whether they work on the land, in a visitor center or with youth, they contribute to the conservation mission that reaches back more than a century.
Become a volunteer to contribute your strength on behalf of America’s natural resources.
Contact us at:
53775 MT Hwy 212
Charlo, MT 59824
406-750-8242
Our Partners
The National Wildlife Refuge System is committed to building partnerships which encourage conservation and preservation of our natural and cultural resources. Partnerships with the Refuge System bring innovative approaches to solving land management and water disputes in the most environmentally protective manner. Scientifically-informed and technological-based stewardship of our public lands, waters, wildlife and special places must be collaborative efforts between the Refuge System, other government agencies, and private organizations if conservation efforts are to succeed.
The very existence of Pablo National Wildlife Refuge is based on partnerships since it centers on Pablo Reservoir, developed in 1910 and managed by the Flathead Irrigation Project. The Refuge was established in 1921 on Tribal Trust lands at the request of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT). Under a cooperative agreement with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the general Tribal recreation access fee is waived for non-consumptive use of Pablo NWR by non-members of the Tribes. Visitors wishing to fish at Pablo NWR must purchase the appropriate licenses from the Tribes.
Ducks Unlimited, a national organization dedicated to wetland and waterfowl conservation, constructed ponds and backwater areas to the north and west of the reservoir (see photo at top of page). Starting in 1996, these wetland areas were used as release sites for the reintroduction of trumpeter swans to the Mission Valley.
Education Programs
The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is to preserve a national network of lands and waters for the conservation and management of fish, wildlife and plant resources of the United States for the benefit of present and future generations. By educating students and their teachers, we will be influencing the future stewards of our public lands. To encourage use of the Refuge by young people, fees are waived for youth and educational groups.