Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge

The 2,062-acre Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge is contained within the Tribal Trust Lands of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The property is about 5 miles south of the town of Ronan. Most of the property is water surface, there are only 390 acres of exposed land in a narrow band around the reservoir.

While the occassional grizzly bear wanders down to the lake for a drink now and then, you'll mostly find mammals like porcupines, muskrats and badgers on the property. For birds you might find bitterns, grebes, Canada geese, ospreys, great blue herons and various species of ducks depending on the season.

The property is directly off of US Highway 93. It is essentially unstaffed and has no visitor improvements. The US Fish & Wildlife Service manages the refuge as an easement, meaning jurisdiction applies only to species and habitat management. Ninepipe NWR is managed from an office at the National Bison Range, only a few miles to the southwest (by road).