| Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The breaks of the Upper Missouri River National Monument | |
   | |
| Location | Chouteau,Fergus,Blaine, and Phillips counties,Montana, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Great Falls |
| Coordinates | 47°47′0″N109°1′17″W / 47.78333°N 109.02139°W /47.78333; -109.02139 |
| Area | 377,000 acres (1,530 km2)[1] |
| Established | January 17, 2001 |
| Visitors | 63,512 (in 2002) |
| Governing body | U.S.Bureau of Land Management |
| Website | Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument |
TheUpper Missouri River Breaks National Monument is anational monument in thewestern United States, protecting theMissouri Breaks of north centralMontana. Managed by theBureau of Land Management (BLM), it is a series ofbadland areas characterized by rock outcroppings, steep bluffs, and grassy plains; a topography referred to as "The Breaks" (as the land appears to "break away" to the river).[2]
Created by proclamation in 2001 by PresidentBill Clinton on January 17, it encompasses 377,000 acres (589 sq mi; 1,526 km2),[1] of public lands, most of which were already managed by thefederal government. The adjacentMissouri River was designated aWild and Scenic River in 1976 and forms a western boundary while theCharles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge is to the east. The Breaks country was a model for many of the paintings done by painterCharles M. Russell.
Frenchtrappers found the area in the late 18th century peopled byNative American tribes such as theBlackfoot,Northern Cheyenne,Sioux,Assiniboine,Gros Ventre (Atsina),Crow,Plains Cree, andPlains Ojibwa. (TheCrow name isXuáhcheesh Annáppiio, "Where the Crow warrior Skunk was killed.")[3]
TheLewis and Clark Expedition passed through the Breaks in 1805 and were the first to document the region through notes and drawings, and their sighting and documentation ofbighorn sheep in the Breaks region was the first time thisspecies was recorded inNorth America by white explorers. Much of the Breaks region has remained as it was when Lewis and Clark's party first saw it. The confluence of theJudith and Missouri Rivers was the setting for important peace councils in 1846 and 1855.
In 1877, the eastboundNez Perce crossed the Missouri and entered the Breaks country intheir attempt to escape toCanada. TheCow Island Skirmish occurred in the Breaks and was the last encounter prior to the Nez Perce's surrender to theU.S. Army at theBattle of Bear Paw, just north of the monument."[4][5]
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A full management plan is still under development due to various privateinholdings and lease agreements between private citizens and the federal government. Whileconservationists would like to see some of the Breaks monument lands become designated asWilderness, local ranchers and farmers under long standing lease agreements with the federal government, who graze upwards of 10,000 head ofcattle annually within the new monument, are concerned that the monument status may adversely affect their livelihood and the economies of local towns.
Under the proposed management plan from theDepartment of the Interior, although the resources of the monument will be given better protection, "currently permitted livestockgrazing,hunting,fishing, and similar activities will generally not be affected, nor will private property (approximately 81,911 acres (128 sq mi; 331 km2)) and state land (approximately 38,722 acres (61 sq mi; 157 km2)) within the boundary of the proposed monument, as well as other valid existing rights".[6]
In 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the BLM's management plan violated historic site laws with their practices.[7] TheNational Trust for Historic Preservation cited the site as one of ten historic sites saved in 2013.[7]
The Breaks is home to at least sixtymammal species and hundreds ofbird species.Willows andshrubs are found along the Missouri River banks whilesagebrush andshort grass prairie are dominant elsewhere.[8]
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