Living in the 9-Mile

Wildlife

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The Nine Mile Valley is filled with an abundance of wildlife: from mountain lions to grizzly bears, black bears to volves, coyotes, porcupines, bald eagles, hawks, owls, raccoons, deer, elk, beavers, bob cat, fish, otters, and the list goes on and on. Lots of creatures call this valley and mountain region - up to and including the divide and surrounding areas home. We live amongst the wildlife in harmony - most times. There are times where humans and the animals conflict, and in those times we strive to do what we can to once again live in harmony. Most times, simple actions such as properly securing trash, bird feeders, and small livestock (chickens, goats, sheep, etc.) is all that is needed to deter an animal from getting themselves into more trouble. In some cases, the location of human homes among the wildlife creates situations in which animals become complacent towards humans, barking dogs, and other human caused noises, movements, and buildings. In these situations it is important to remember where we live, be aware of the conflict, and resolve the conflict by the most effective means (such as installing wildlife electric fences, using bear proof trash cans, taking down bird feeders, etc.). Removing the attractant, also known is the food source, is not only effective for the animal causing the conflict, but future animals as well. It is important to also remember our FWP representatives when conflicts occur in effort to discuss the best option and what is driving the animal to do whatever it is doing that is out of character or destructive. It is also our responsibility to be educated of the animals among which we live. This is why the Nine Mile Community Center tries to host several animal awareness programs throughout the year. 

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In a recent, August 2025, lion sighting, the animal was determined to be complacent towards humans, shining lights, and dogs (a common issue as more humans occupy lion territories) - in the effort to obtain a quick dinner of chickens, geese, or farm turkeys (all of which resemble the prey of wild turkeys). The homeowner spoke with FWP, obtained some facts, and posted an awareness post on social media, primarily so people know that not every lion they see is the complacent lion. There are an estimated 100 lions in the Nine Mile region is a fact that many were concerned about. Some were frightened by the post, some concerned hunters with dogs would be drawn in to the valley area, and others were skeptical of the accuracy. Just as in when the grizzly posts were flooding the social media feed for awareness, they caused some fear among residents that were not sure of what to do - this is why we have wilderness awareness classes at the center. In the end, several people reached out to FWP, Jamie Jonkel and Eli Hampson (Our Region 2 Bear and Lion contacts), of which this is the response from Jamie:

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"Let everyone know that I didn't mean to create a scare with the number of 100.  As everyone in the valley is aware the Ninemile Valley is home to lots of lions, black bears, wolves, grizzlies and an array of other wildlife. That's what is so unique about the valley. The resident predators travel seasonally and widely throughout the Ninemile Divide mountain range. One day a lion might be in Magpie Creek on the reservation side and two days later the same lion might be along the river near Quinn's Hot Springs. And then a week later the same lion might be walking along the Ninemile Creek bottoms. The same goes for our other predators like wolves, black and grizzly bears.  

I certainly did not mean that there were a hundred lions just in the Ninemile Drainage.  I was talking about the whole mountain range complex. That is of course my own estimate of the number of lions ranging between both sides of the reservation divide, with lions from adjacent mountain ranges occasionally passing through. I would guess that we would have a similar number of black bears, probably more.  The Ninemile Divide Mountain Range Complex is broken up by multiple drainages, side streams, and ridgelines both north, south, east, and west of the reservation divide. And within that area there are multiple overlapping mountain lion home ranges.  Some of these lions are sub-adult males and females learning new territories; some are adult males traveling widely in search of females in estrous; some of them are adult females raising kittens or yearlings. In my opinion 100 lions would be about average for that amount of habitat in and around the Ninemile Divide. In today's day and age, it is almost impossible for our wildlife to not become complacent in the presence of humans. No matter where a bear or lion goes anymore there we are, and in order to use the habitat they have to become human tolerant. Some lions and bears do step over the line and will begin killing livestock or causing property damage. But one of the best ways to prevent that behavior from developing in the first place is to minimize the food attractants, such as uncontained garbage and pet and livestock feed. And for small livestock protection there is no better tool than electric fence." Jamie Jonkel.

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For residents of the Nine Mile, there could be at any given time a bear or lion travelling through the area near your residence. The best way to ensure small livestock, such as chickens, rabbits, hogs, goats, etc. remain safe is to work together in an effort to find grant funding to assist the community. Similar efforts have taken place in the Blackfoot Valley with the Blackfoot Challenge project with great success in reducing livestock and predator conflicts. Electric fence must be done properly to defend against bears and lions - and it is not necessarily the same as when setting up for livestock in many designs. Though, if that electric works for bears and lions, it is going to work for your livestock. For example, livestock electric fencing can be made of electric rope - and it works for horses and cows with their wide noses. However, that rope is not going to necessarily work for a bears narrow nose - meaning they can touch it and not get shocked. Bare wire is the way to go. Also, rope is not so effective for sheep noses and hogs (for different reasons) ... speaking from experience. Electric fencing can also become quite expensive for landowners. In an effort to protect wildlife from becoming issues, there are several funding options for individuals out there. Some are great for small projects (such as in Defenders of Wildlife matching grant up to $500 (Got Bears? | Defenders of Wildlife)), and others need several individuals to band together to apply for larger projects (such as in federal grant funding). If interested in coming together to create community grant, contact Julie Van Hise at j_vanhise@outlook.com (valley resident), or Jamie Jonkel, FWP. 

In the Nine Mile, we are extremely lucky to have several resources available to us.

     *The most local resource is the Ninemile Wildlife Workgroup which has a ton more resources on their resources tab!

     *Fish, Wildlife, & Parks:

            *Jamie Jonkel, JaJonkel@mt.gov, 406-544-1447

            *Eli Hampson, Eli.Hampson@mt.gov 

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Did you know?

      By Steven King

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     Did you know, through very unofficial tracking of seasonal hummingbird arrivals to the Nine Mile, that the little buggers get here around the 3rd week in April?

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              And you know what? As always, the hummingbirds arrived the 3rd week of April to the Nine Mile Valley. There were reports of the hummingbird arrivals in Frenchtown, Huson, and Alberton the week prior, but not any in the valley until the 3rd week.

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