FLYING D
113,613 Acres | Southwest Montana
A living laboratory in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem where bison, rivers, wildlife, and working landscapes demonstrate how conservation and agriculture can thrive together.
THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM
Where rivers, wildlife, and working lands meet
Flying D Ranch sits at the heart of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the last large, intact temperate ecosystems on Earth. Stretching from the Gallatin River to the Madison River and bordering the Gallatin National Forest and Lee Metcalf Wilderness, the landscape provides critical habitat, migration corridors, and watershed protection across nearly 114,000 acres.
Protected by a conservation easement since 1989, Flying D demonstrates how large working landscapes can remain economically productive while preserving open space, ecological function, and wildlife habitat for future generations.
BISON & GRASSLAND STEWARDSHIP
Working with natural systems
Bison have shaped North American grasslands for thousands of years. Today, Flying D supports one of the largest bison herds in North America, with approximately 4,500 animals managed across a diverse network of native grasslands and pastures.
Adaptive grazing practices help maintain healthy soils, support native plant communities, and improve ecosystem resilience. More than 5,000 acres of former cropland have been restored to grazing lands, allowing natural ecological processes to play a greater role across the landscape.
By managing grazing in ways that benefit both the land and the animals, Flying D demonstrates how agricultural production and ecological stewardship can work together to support long-term sustainability..
WATER SHAPES THE LANDSCAPE
The Madison River watershed
The health of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem depends on healthy watersheds. Flying D encompasses portions of the Madison River and Gallatin River systems, along with Spanish Creek, Cherry Creek, Elk Creek, and numerous wetlands, springs, and riparian habitats that support wildlife throughout the region.
Water rights on the ranch help support both agricultural operations and aquatic ecosystems, including the protection of instream flows that maintain healthy fisheries and improve watershed resilience.
CONSERVING NATIVE FISH
Cold, clean water
Flying D plays an important role in conserving some of Montana’s most iconic native fish species. Working alongside Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and other conservation partners, the ranch has contributed to one of the largest Westslope cutthroat trout restoration efforts ever undertaken in North America.
More than 70 miles of connected stream habitat across public and private lands have been restored and protected, helping native trout persist in the watersheds they have occupied for thousands of years.
The ranch also supports Arctic grayling conservation by operating a reservoir that raises fish for reintroduction into Montana waters.
WILDLIFE WITHOUT BOUNDARIES
Protecting connected landscapes
Flying D supports an extraordinary diversity of wildlife, including grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, mountain lions, moose, elk, deer, pronghorn, beaver, raptors, cranes, and countless other species that depend on large, connected landscapes.
In 2024, every large mammal native to the lower 48 states except the Canada lynx was documented on the property. A resident wolf pack occupies portions of the ranch, while seasonal elk populations can exceed 2,000 animals.
By maintaining open space and reducing fragmentation, Flying D helps preserve the movement corridors that wildlife need to thrive throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
STEWARDSHIP THROUGH ACTIVE MANAGEMENT
Restoring ecological resilience
Healthy ecosystems require active stewardship. Flying D uses adaptive management tools including prescribed fire, forest restoration, grazing management, and invasive species control to strengthen ecosystem resilience.
More than 3,000 acres of forest have been treated to reduce impacts from mountain pine beetle and spruce budworm infestations. Prescribed fire is used to encourage grazing movement, reduce conifer encroachment into grasslands, and restore ecological processes that have shaped this landscape for centuries.
A LANDSCAPE FOR LEARNING
Science in service of the land
Flying D serves as a living laboratory where land managers, researchers, and conservation partners explore solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing the American West.
From grazing systems and soil health to fisheries conservation, watershed management, wildlife connectivity, and climate resilience, the lessons learned here help inform stewardship far beyond the boundaries of the ranch.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The future of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Flying D demonstrates that conservation and agriculture are not opposing forces. They are complementary tools for building healthier landscapes.
By protecting open space, restoring native species, conserving water, supporting wildlife movement, and managing productive working lands, Flying D continues to explore what long-term stewardship can look like in one of North America’s most remarkable ecosystems.