Intermontane Prairie Potholes

This Guidebook was developed to assess the ecological functions of intermontane prairie potholes. These wetlands are located in high concentration in many of the glaciated valleys of the northern Rocky Mountains that were sculpted by alpine glaciers during the last glacial period. Many of these intermontane valleys have climatic regimes that favor the development of a prairie-type vegetation dominated by short grasses. Two of the most prevalent areas regionally containing extensive pothole complexes can be found in the Flathead Valley south of Flathead Lake in the region locally known as Ninepipe and in the Blackfoot Valley north of Ovando, both in western Montana (See Reference Domain).

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Web Date: October 1997
Updated: April 2008