A conservation WIN for the Yellowstone River
Siskin Island (view to the south) image from FWP
An 82-acre island on the upper Yellowstone River will soon be permanently protected and managed for wildlife habitat! We don’t get to celebrate public access and land acquisition wins often enough, so I wanted to make sure this one was on your radar.
Siskin Island—named after the Pine Siskin, the hardy little native finch we see flying around Paradise Valley all year round— is just upstream from the Pine Creek fishing access site. The island was donated to the Trust for Public Land who are now working to transfer the entire island to Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP). This will permanently protect the cottonwood forests, grassy meadows, and habitat next to some of the best spawning areas for trout on the river.
This is a meaningful win at a time when we are seeing significant rollbacks in protections for public lands. Because this is a public project, we need to provide feedback to FWP. Please take a quick moment to send an email to show our community support and have meaningful input. Let’s show them how much we value these community wins and habitat protections that benefit the Yellowstone River.
While we are 100% behind this acquisition, we want to make sure it’s done right for our neighbors, the wildlife, and the river itself.
What we’re most excited about...
Permanent Protection: It stops any future private developments like glamping sites or luxury retreats and keeps 82 acres of cottonwood forests and trout spawning side-channels exactly as they should be.
Public Access: This secures a rare, high-quality "wade-in" or "float-in" spot in the heart of the valley. It bridges the gap between Mallard’s Rest and Pine Creek, ensuring the public—not just the highest bidder—can enjoy this stretch of the river.
Smart Management: FWP will finally have a presence here to manage weeds and patrol the area, which currently has no oversight.
Recreational Use: We are bound to see an increase of recreational use on the island once it is made public, including day use, camping, fishing and hunting. We want FWP to take this into consideration and manage it accordingly.
We recommend that there are designated camping spots, limited to 3-5 total to minimize camping impacts.
Due to the proximity of a residential neighborhood, we suggest that rifle hunting be prohibited, while still allowing for archery and water fowl hunting.
What we would like to see more of…
Keeping it Clean: Since this is a Pack-In/Pack-Out site with no toilets, we want FWP to require that all trash is taken out by users and to require “groover” so that all human waste is removed as well.
Safety & Fire Restrictions: With no fires allowed, we need to make sure rules are strictly enforced to protect the mature forest and nearby properties from wildfire risks.
Wildlife First: We support food storage mandates and monitoring that keep our wildlife and human communities safe. Due to black bear activity, we recommend that all camping users be required to use bear safe storage containers.
This is a big win, and FWP needs to hear from our community. Please take a quick moment to send an email comment and mention that you value both the access and the long-term stewardship of the site:
Support the Siskin Island FAS Acquisition (Project #FWP-CEA-POR-R3-26-004).
Email Mark.Filonczuk@mt.gov to submit your comment.
The deadline to comment is on March 28, 2026.
Let’s help celebrate this win and continue to protect and care for this river reach for wildlife and next generations to come!
FWP Related Resources