The Charles M. Russell Wetland Management District is located in central and south-central Montana. It is bounded on the north by the Missouri River Breaks and on the south by the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The District encompasses several conservation easements and six Waterfowl Production areas consisting of wetlands and grasslands providing landscape beauty and wildlife viewing opportunities as well as critical refugia for wildlife. Come see for yourself!

Visit Us

The Charles M. Russell Wetland Management District is comprised of six Waterfowl Production Areas and numerous conservation easements. The Waterfowl Production Areas are open to the public for hunting, hiking, wildlife observation, and photography. The easements are privately owned and thus closed to the public, unless landowners allow access. The District headquarters is located in the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge Complex headquarters in Lewistown, MT.

Location and Contact Information

      About Us

      The Charles M. Russell Wetland Management District is a part of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge Complex headquartered in Lewistown, MT.  The District boundary encompass five counties in central and south-central Montana: Petroleum County, Musselshell County, Golden Valley County, Yellowstone County, and Stillwater County. Within this authority area lie six Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs).  They are: War Horse WPA, Hailstone WPA, Spidel WPA, Tew WPA, Clark's Fork WPA, and James L. Hansen WPA.  Importantly, Clark's Fork WPA is managed by the District, but resides outside of District boundaries in Carbon County.  Several conservation easements reside within and are an integral part of the District as well. 

      Also within District boundaries are four small separate National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs).  These Refuges are separate from the District's jurisdiction and are often referred to as "the District and associated Refuges".  The names of these Refuges are: War Horse NWR, Hailstone NWR, Lake Mason NWR, and Grass Lake NWR. In the event of visiting these Refuges, it is important to note that they have their own rules and regulations separate from District jurisdictional lands - the WPAs. 

      Tours

      District lands are such that six WPAs are spread over five counties in remote areas.  As such, visiting each requires multiple days and effective time management.  Some roads into District lands are unimproved, thus entering them during inclement weather is not advised.  Please plan accordingly.

      What We Do

      The overall management goal at Charles M. Russell Wetland Management District is to promote biological diversity and maintain the natural abundance of native plants and wildlife. Science is the foundation upon which conservation decisions are made. We use research, monitoring and the best-available science to inform our work to conserve fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitat.

      Services
      A beautiful green grassland with white flowers in bloom under a partly cloudy sky

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      Dozens of waterfowl flying over a grassy wetland

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