BRETT FRENCH
The Bureau of Land Management is proposing to acquire more than 11,000 acres south and east of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, a portion of which is along a five-mile stretch of the lower Musselshell River.
In an environmental assessment the agency released on Monday, the proposed acquisition would consolidate 39,130 acres of its land along the border of Petroleum and Garfield counties that abuts the refuge. In the process, the acquisition would provide access to 8,040 acres of BLM land and 1,320 acres of State Trust lands now inaccessible to the public, according to the EA.
âThe Lower Musselshell River Acquisition Project represents a rare and unique opportunity to improve access into an area that is already a very popular outdoor recreation destination,â said Eric Lepisto, Miles City Field Office manager, in a statement.