Northwest Montana is known for its lakes and rivers, featuring two-thirds of all the recreational waters and one third of all registered boats in the state. Over 500 lakes support fish, ranging from 125,000-acre Flathead Lake, the largest lake west of the Great Lakes, to hundreds of high mountain lakes. More than 3,000 miles of fishable stream flow through the Region. Sensitive native fish species, including the westslope cutthroat trout, bull trout, and red-band rainbow trout, reside in the waters of Region One. Important wildlife species include grizzly and black bear bears, mountain lion, white-tailed deer, three species of mountain grouse, and furbearers such as marten and wolverine. Region One provides about half of the black bear and mountain lion harvest in the state. The white-tailed deer is the most popular big game animal pursued by hunters.
Varied land ownerships and agency responsibilities make for challenging natural resource management in the Region, which is bound by the Flathead Indian Reservation to the south, and Glacier National Park to the north. Millions of acres of national forest wilderness and hundreds of thousands of acres of corporate timberlands are found in Region One as well. FWP, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and various local, state, and federal agencies work together to manage habitat and wildlife. The state and tribes have unique agreements to co-manage fisheries in Flathead Lake, and fishing and hunting on the Flathead Indian Reservation.
