Wild Horse Island

Wild Horse Island
Wild Horse Island
Wild Horse Island in Montana
Geography
Location Flathead Lake
Coordinates 47°50′43″N 114°12′54″W / 47.84528°N 114.21500°W / 47.84528; -114.21500Coordinates: 47°50′43″N 114°12′54″W / 47.84528°N 114.21500°W / 47.84528; -114.21500
Total islands 1
Area 2,163 acres (875 ha)[1]
Highest elevation 3,749 ft (1,142.7 m)[2]
Administration
United States
State Montana
County Lake
Indian Reservation Flathead Indian Reservation

Wild Horse Island is the largest island on Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Montana.[3] For centuries, the Salish-Kootenai used the island, approximately 2,164 acres (876 ha) in size,[1][4][5] in order to pasture horses and keep them from being stolen by other tribes. The island was part of the Flathead Indian Reservation from the time of its creation in 1872 up until its dismantlement in 1904, when the island was divided into individual plots of land. A number of attempts were made on the island towards agricultural development, but none succeeded.[6]

Between 1910-1915, homesteaders on the island cut down much of the old growth trees and introduced non-native grasses and other plant species. These species have competed with and overtaken much of the short-grass prairie that herbivorous wildlife need to survive.[7] This short grass prairie is one of the last few remaining in Montana,[6] and because of this efforts must be made to control various animal species on the island in order to preserve the grasses from over-pasturing and extinction. Bighorn Sheep, for example, are managed at around 100 sheep. In 2014, the population was between 160-200 sheep, and Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks worked to relocate 59 sheep to other herds in Northwest Montana.[8]

Protected as a state park since 1978, the island near Big Arm Bay is home to abundant wildlife including bighorn sheep, mule deer, waterfowl, bald eagles. As of 2013, the wild horse population was five mares and one gelding.[5] Access is by boat only and for day–use only.[9] It is managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and lies within both the Flathead Indian Reservation and Lake County, Montana. There are 56 private lots on the island,[1] about an acre (0.4 ha) each. The highest point is at 3,749 feet (1,143 m),[2] which is 853 feet (260 m) above the island's shores.[2]

Climate and topography

A study conducted over a 25-year span has shown the average yearly precipitation on Wild Horse Island to be 15.7 inches. However, while this is the average, over 50% of the years in the study were found to have a below average precipitation rate. The average temperature ranges from 24F-66F, with spikes sinking below 5F during colder months and above 90F during the hotter months in dryer years. Overall, the island experiences below freezing temperatures about two thirds of the year.[7]

Wild Horse Island was formed by the Cordilleran Glacier, giving the island a varying topography. The glacier caused the hills in the center of the island, ranging from 3,277-3,745 ft. above sea level, to be formed into roche mountenee, with rugged northern faces and rugged southern cliffs. Meadows sprawl the western and southern shores, while grasslands cover the southeast. The northern side of the island boasts forests of Ponderosa Pine and Douglas Fir trees.[10]


References

  1. 1 2 3 "Wild Horse Island State Park" (PDF). Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. 2008. Archived from the original on 2013-06-14. Retrieved 2015-08-19. Although 56 privately owned parcels still exist along the shore areas, most of the island (2,163 acres [875 ha]) is now a state park.
  2. 1 2 3 "Wild Horse Island High Point, Montana". Peakbagger.com.
  3. ↑ "Flathead Lake". Montana Office of Tourism. Retrieved 2015-08-19. Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi in the lower 48 states, with over 200 square miles [520 km2] of water and 185 miles [298 km] of shoreline.
  4. ↑ Philley, M. Peter; McCool, Stephen F. (1978). Wild Horse Island Recreation Study. p. 1. OCLC 884564441. Retrieved 2015-03-14. The Island, comprising 2,165.09 acres [876.18 ha], is in Lake County, Montana, and also within the boundaries of the Flathead Indian Reservation.
  5. 1 2 Scott, Tristan (2013-04-23). "Oldest horse on Flathead's Wild Horse Island dies". Missoulian. Missoula. Archived from the original on 2015-10-05. Retrieved 2015-08-19. The old horse's death leaves five mares and one gelding, a population that still outweighs what is technically allowed by Wild Horse Island State Park's management plan – a maximum of five wild horses to run free on the island's 2,164 acres [876 ha].
  6. 1 2 Tipton, Diane (2001). "Wild Horse Island". Montana: The Magazine of Western History. 51, No. 1 (Spring): 70–71 – via JSTOR.
  7. 1 2 Kautz, Darrell R. (1981). "Range and Wildlife Resources of Wild Horse Island, Flathead Lake, Montana". search.proquest.com. Ann Arbor. Retrieved 2016-12-13.
  8. ↑ "WILD HORSE ISLAND BIGHORN SHEEP CAPTURE COMPLETED". States News Service. February 27, 2014. GALE|A360101386 – via Academic OneFile.
  9. ↑ "WILD HORSE ISLAND / FLATHEAD LAKE STATE PARK". http://stateparks.mt.gov/wild-horse-island/. Retrieved December 13, 2016. External link in |website= (help)
  10. ↑ H., Schneider, Robert (1965-01-01). "A summer art school for Wild Horse Island, Flathead Lake, Montana".

Further reading


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