Montana’s landscape is a complex, constantly changing patchwork of federal, state, private and tribal ownership. Within these ownerships are many kinds of designations, ranging from Wilderness to game ranges to conservation easements. Because information on land stewardship is critical to effective land management, the Montana Natural Heritage Program began integrating ownership and management data into a stewardship mapping data system in 1997. The goal of the Montana Stewardship Mapping Project is to manage a single, statewide digital data set that incorporates information from both public and private entities. It assembles public land ownership data from state and federal agencies, as well as land trusts on a regular basis, with a major database update occurring every winter.

View recent news about the Montana Stewardship Mapping Program.