FWP to renew lease on north shore of Flathead Lake

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking the renewal of a five-year agricultural lease on the North Shore Wildlife Management Area near Flathead Lake.

The objective of the proposed lease is to provide enhanced wildlife habitat for upland game birds and to continue supporting migratory waterfowl use during spring migration. This lease renewal would affect 350 acres of farm fields.

The agreement will permit the lessee to cultivate and retain portions of the harvest while leaving some standing for the benefit of wildlife, primarily migratory waterfowl and upland game birds. Weeds would also be managed.

The fields in the proposed project area were in agricultural production prior to WMA acquisition. The North Shore WMA Management Plan identifies agricultural production as the primary tool for achieving the local management objectives.

The proposal is open to public input through May 13, 2021.

For more information and to provide input, visit https://fwp.mt.gov/news/public-notices.

The 427-acre North Shore WMA is located approximately seven miles southeast of Kalispell and just north of Flathead Lake. The WMA is a mix of cultivated grain fields, seasonally flooded grasslands, and wooded uplands. The property abuts the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s 1,887-acre North Shore Waterfowl Production Area, and together they protect the lake’s longest stretch of undeveloped shoreline and are part of the Audubon-designated Flathead Lake Important Bird Area. The IBA supports over 229 bird species, including 172 species that are common or seasonally abundant, and hosts tens of thousands of migrating waterfowl that rest and feed in the waters off Flathead Lake’s north shore and within adjacent farm fields that flood during springtime. Development pressure, which could result in the loss of critical foraging areas for migratory waterfowl, was the driving force behind the acquisition of the North Shore WMA.