Wildlife Connectivity in the Ninemile Valley Area

The Ninemile area is vital to wildlife connectivity in Western Montana. One reason is its abundant wildlife. All the wildlife present when Lewis and Clark passed through the Lolo National Forest over two hundred years ago can still be found here today. Petty Creek hosts one of the forty-five herds of big horn sheep in Montana. Elk, white-tailed deer, and mule deer are abundant. Moose are frequently seen and are protected from hunting on the north side of Interstate 90. Our large prey base supports a healthy carnivore population. Black and grizzly bears, mountain lions, gray wolves, coyotes, and the occasional wolverine can be found here along with most of the smaller carnivores. Beavers and otters are protected from trapping in the upper Ninemile Creek above Pine Creek.

Secondly, most of this land is managed by the Forest Service and a significant percentage of private land in the valleys have conservation easements. These public and private lands provide wildlife habitat protected from development.

One species found here is the grizzly bear, which many consider emblematic of true wildness. Providing connectivity for grizzly bears would enable most other wildlife species passage across the landscape as well. Ninemile is perfectly centered between three of the six grizzly bear recovery areas: the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) to the north, The Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem to the northwest, and the Bitterroot Ecosystem to the south. The Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, which includes Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, has a robust population of about 1200 grizzly bears which are expanding in both number and range.

The Ninemile Valley’s location and suitable habitat enable grizzly bears to safely move between these recovery areas, an essential element of connectivity necessary for genetic vigor and long term survival. The Forest Service recognized this importance and designated Forest Service land north of the interstate as the Ninemile Demographic Connectivity Area (DCA) as part of the grizzly bear conservation strategy. The aim of the DCA is to allow for female grizzly bear occupancy that would support eventual dispersal to the Cabinet-Yaak and Bitterroot Ecosystems from the expanding Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem grizzly bear population.

Another critical element to connectivity is enabling wildlife to safely cross transportation corridors such as I-90. Many wildlife crossing structures have already been built on Highway 93 to the east which aids wildlife movement to here. Ninemile and Sixmile Creeks are recognized as good areas to improve wildlife passage across the interstate highway. 

I-90 Sixmile Creek Wildlife Underpass Project

This project will make travel safer for both people and wildlife - giving bears, elk, deer, and other animals a safe way to cross I-90 between Alberton and Frenchtown while restoring year-round fish passage in Sixmile Creek. A new bridge system at Sixmile will open a vital connection under the interstate, and wildlife fencing will guide animals toward the crossing and the existing Clark Fork bridges, keeping them off the roadway and out of harm's way. With federal funding and strong public support, we can turn this vision into a reality and create a safer, and more connected landscape for all.

NWW is a participating partner with the Western Montana Wildlife Connectivity Group that is bringing this project fo fruition. More information is here.

Nine Mile Community Cider Pressing & Chili Cook-off

We coordinate with several organizations to host a cider pressing and chili cook off party at the Nine Mile Community Center. This Fall event gives people an opportunity to get together for a fun event while encouraging them to gather their fruit and minimize bear attractants near their homes. Demonstrations, brochures and tables provide additional information about living in bear country. Now that you have some cider, you can find some hints on how to store it along with some recipes here [PDF].

Wildlife Lecture Series
The NWW Annual “Celebrate Wildlife” Lecture Series began in 2007 and has been a success ever since. Learn more about our lectures on our Events page here. 

Bear Aware
As part of its ongoing efforts to reduce human/bear conflicts, Ninemile Wildlife Workgroup secured a grant in 2012 to cover much of our area with bear resistant garbage cans. This program ended in 2014, You can read the details of this project here.  See also Bear Aware.

Newsletters
From 2011 through 2020, we created newsletters that contained useful information about wildlife. Please click on the links below.

Spring 2011 / Fall 2011 / Spring 2012 / Fall 2012 / Spring 2013 / Fall 2013 / Spring 2014 / Fall 2014 / Spring 2015 / Fall 2015 / Spring 2016 / Fall 2016 / Spring 2017 / Fall 2017 / Spring 2018 / Fall 2018 / Spring 2019 / Fall 2019 / Winter 2019 / Spring 2020

Adopt a Highway Program
Members of the Ninemile Wildlife Workgroup maintain a 2 mile stretch of Hwy. 10 west of the old railroad bridge. We pick up trash along our stretch of highway frequently. If you’d like to help, please contact Lisa Schweigert at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Want to Get Involved?

We need volunteers to help us out with our projects and events.  Let us know how you can help by contacting us and we will add you to our list of volunteers.