Wild Horse Island (

Montana Salish The Salish or Séliš language , also known as Kalispel–Pend d'oreille, Kalispel–Spokane–Flathead, or Montana Salish to distinguish it from other Salishan languages, is a Salishan language spoken (as of 2005) by about 64 elders of the Fla ...

: Čt'išeʔém,

Kutenai The Kutenai ( ), also known as the Ktunaxa ( ; ), Ksanka ( ), Kootenay (in Canada) and Kootenai (in the United States), are an indigenous people of Canada and the United States. Kutenai bands live in southeastern British Columbia, northern ...

: kwiⱡq̓anqmi), approximately in size, is the largest island on Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

. Protected as a state park since 1977, the island near Big Arm Bay is home to abundant wildlife including

bighorn sheep The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns might weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspec ...

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whi ...

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which i ...

, and bald eagles. It is managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and lies within both the

Flathead Indian Reservation The Flathead Indian Reservation, located in western Montana on the Flathead River, is home to the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreilles tribes – also known as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation. The ...

and

Lake County, Montana Lake County is a county located in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,134. Its county seat is Polson. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total a ...

History

For centuries, the Salish-Kootenai used the island to pasture horses and keep them from being stolen by other tribes. The island was part of the Flathead Indian Reservation from the reservation's creation in 1872 until 1904, when the island was divided into individual plots of land. A number of attempts were made towards agricultural development, but none succeeded. Between 1910 and 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. This short grass prairie is one of the last remaining in Montana, and various animal species are controlled to preserve the grasses from over-pasturing and extinction. Two

Bighorn sheep The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns might weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspec ...

were introduced in 1939. , when two bighorns were brought from Lincoln County, a total of ten sheep have been relocated to the island. In 2014, the population was between 160 and 200 sheep, and Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks worked to relocate 59 sheep to other herds in Northwest Montana. Three of the top five bighorn sheep recorded by the

Boone and Crockett Club The Boone and Crockett Club is an American nonprofit organization that advocates fair chase hunting in support of habitat conservation. The club is North America's oldest wildlife and habitat conservation organization, founded in the United Sta ...

during the three years 2015-2018 came from Wild Horse Island. , the wild horse population was five mares and one gelding.

Geography

The island was formed by the Cordilleran Glacier, giving the island a varying topography. Its shores are above sea level. The glacier caused the six summits in the center of the island, ranging in heights between , to be formed into , 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 has forests of

Ponderosa pine ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is the ...

and Douglas fir trees. The highest point is at , which is above the island's shores.

Climate

A study conducted over a 25-year span has shown the average yearly precipitation on Wild Horse Island to be . The average daily temperature ranges from , with spikes sinking below during colder months and afternoons above during the hotter months in dryer years. Overall, the island experiences below freezing temperatures about two thirds of the year.

Access

Access is by boat only and for day-use only. There are 56 private lots on the island, about each.

Gallery

File:Bighorn Sheep on Wild Horse Island, Montana.JPG, Bighorn sheep grazing on the island. File:How to get to wild horse island by boat or jet ski.JPG, Jet-skis parked on an Eastern shore. File:Hiking on wild horse island flathead lake montana.JPG, Hiking trail that passes through pine-trees.

References

External links

Wild Horse Island State Park
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Wild Horse Island State Park Trail Map
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks {{authority control Landforms of Lake County, Montana Lake islands of Montana Protected areas established in 1977