How the Upper Missouri River Breaks
became a National Monument

In 1976, Congress designated the Missouri River segment and corridor in this area as a National Wild and Scenic River. Secretary Babbitt toured the area in May 1999 with Senator Max Baucus, author/historian Stephen Ambrose, and author Dayton Duncan.

Following Babbitt's trip, the Central Montana Resource Advisory Council (RAC) held meetings throughout all the towns in the area over a five-month period and developed recommendations pertaining to management that were sent to the Secretary in December 1999. More than 800 pieces of testimony were collected by the RAC and reviewed by the Secretary.

Babbitt's office consulted with the Governor and the Montana delegation throughout the process.

Babbitt returned in the spring of 2000 and held another meeting with the RAC and members of the public. In June 2000, Babbitt met with the Montana delegation in Washington, DC to discuss the status of the proposal, legislative options, and the importance of holding true to the recommendations of the Resource Advisory Council.

On December 22, 2000, Secretary Babbitt recommended to the President that the area be designated a national monument. President Clinton designated the area as a national monument on January 17, 2001. (Read the Proclamation.)

Why National Monument Status?

Around every bend in the Missouri River and through every coulee in the Breaks, visitors can find areas of historic, cultural or natural significance. This land is an irreplaceable part of our Western heritage and a great addition to our system of national monuments.

It's not surprising, then, that the majority of Montanans favored national monument status for this unique and precious resource. In the public process that led to the monument designation, most public input favored monument protection. The Central Montana Resource Advisory Council (RAC) initiated a thorough public process. Of the more than 500 letters they received, 56% favored monument status for the Missouri Breaks. (Go to News & Views Archives to read letters and editorials describing the public process.)

National Monument Status Recognizes and Honors
the Many Assets of the Missouri River Breaks

At the heart of the monument, located in north-central Montana, is the remote and unspoiled 149-mile long segment of the Missouri River. The Bullwhacker area, in the northeastern part of the monument, contains some of the wildest country on the Great Plains, providing important wildlife habitat for elk, deer, antelope, and sage grouse.

The boundaries extend along the river from Fort Benton to the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. Because of its isolation, the area remains wild and unspoiled--one of the few places left on the river that Captains Lewis and Clark would still recognize 200 years after their epic journey.

Preserving this slice of our Western heritage is just one of the reasons we are working to protect this precious landscape for future generations of Americans. Over the next few years, hundreds of thousands of people will visit Montana and the river to celebrate the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial in 2006. National monument status should provide the Bureau of Land Management with the support and resources it needs to properly plan for and accommodate the increased visitation to these public lands.

Not only does this monument designation protect an important part of our past, it also permits cattle grazing, fishing, hunting, hiking, floating, and other traditional uses to continue. Private landowners continue to own, access, and manage their property as they see fit. Oil and gas companies can continue to develop their existing leases.

The Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument includes segments of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, the Chief Joseph (Nez Perce) National Historic Trail, the Missouri Breaks National Backcountry Byway, Upper Missouri National Wild and Scenic River, the Cow Creek Area of Critical Environmental Concern, and six wilderness study areas. It consists of 377,346 acres of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The designation does not affect state or private lands or prohibit access to these properties.

Threats to the Monument

Unfortunately, there are a few powerful interests who want to develop the lands within the monument or who want to weaken the protections that could forever change the landscape of the area. The Friends of the Missouri River Breaks Monument was formed to highlight the extensive public support for the monument. We are challenging those who would carve up and develop the Breaks for private profits and questionable gains. Our goal is to preserve and protect the Missouri River Breaks National Monument today so that our children and grandchildren can enjoy it long into the future.

To find out what you can do to protect our Monument and preserve it for future generations, go to Citizen Action.

PHOTO CREDITS: Grazing elk, photo by Craig E. Sharpe
Sharptail grouse, photo by Craig E.Sharpe
Looking downriver toward Hole-in-the Wall, photo by Rick Graetz
Coal Banks on the river, photo by Rick Graetz

FRIENDS OF THE MISSOURI BREAKS MONUMENT
224 W. Main, Suite 202
Lewistown, MT 59457
(406) 538-8506

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