War Horse National Wildlife Refuge, National Wildlife Refuge in Petroleum County, Montana.
War Horse National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area in Petroleum County made up of three separate units featuring ponderosa pine forest, grassland savanna, and sagebrush plains. The varied landscapes support diverse wildlife and provide important stopover habitat for migratory birds.
The sources do not record an establishment date for the refuge, so its founding year cannot be stated. It now forms part of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which links it with other federal refuges in central Montana. The refuge lies in Petroleum County, about 16 km from Winnett, and is normally unstaffed with few visitor improvements.
The name comes from War Horse Creek, and the refuge lies in Petroleum County near Winnett, about 16 km from the town. Visitors can watch sage grouse, pronghorn and mule deer, and more than 100 bird species use the three water-centred units when the reservoirs hold water.
The refuge has three separate units, each centred on a small body of water, and is normally unstaffed with few visitor improvements. It lies in Petroleum County, about 16 km from Winnett, and the surrounding terrain is flat sagebrush plain; Bald Butte rises 11.8 km to the east. One reservoir holds rainbow trout but is sometimes empty, so check water conditions before relying on it.
The refuge's three units each centre on a small body of water, and one reservoir is stocked with rainbow trout even though it is sometimes empty. The surrounding sagebrush plains and ponderosa pine groves grow on acid-shale soils, a substrate that explains the pines' presence here.
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