Rising more than 60 feet
from the creek bed below,
the Falls Creek waterfall more
than lives up to its name,
but for the general public
to see it, it was impossible.
That is, until now.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
worked with a willing landowner
and a group of partners
to permanently protect and open
access to 442 acres of land
about 30 miles south-west of Augusta,
along Montana's Rocky Mountain front.
The waterfall is located at
the back of that property.
The Falls Creek Project, as it's called,
not only protects and
provides public access
to the immediate 442 acres,
but it greatly improves access
to more than 26,000 acres
of public land beyond.
The property offers quality habitat
and serves as spring, summer
and fall range for elk.
It's also home to grizzly and black bears,
whitetail deer, mountain lions,
and many other species of wildlife.
Falls Creek is part of the
Dearborn River watershed
that eventually empties
into the Missouri River,
so quality riparian habitat
and good fishing abounds as well.
The Falls Creek Trailhead and Trail,
also inaccessible for years, are now open
for hunters, anglers, hikers,
and other forms of non-motorized travel,
since the acreage is now part of the
Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.
RMEF and its valued partners raised nearly
two and a half million
dollars to close the deal
and did so in time for the 2019
general big game hunting season.
Since 1984, RMEF opened
more than 1.2 million acres
of prime elk country to public access.
