Trumpeter swans were released back into the restored Madison Valley wetlands after years of being absent from the area. Photo by Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez.
Several trumpeter swans were given a new home with the help of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). A partnership between the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the Montana Audubon Society brought a signet and his four siblings to the Madison Valley wetlands. The area was once heavily populated with trumpeter swans until farmers drained the 8000-acre wetlands. Through a partnership with CREP — a voluntary land retirement program that helps agricultural producers protect environmentally sensitive land, decrease erosion, restore wildlife habitat and safeguard ground and surface water — the wetland has been restored and returned to the swans. Read more (Bozeman Daily Chronicle).
