Tribal biologists request swan information

Wildlife Biologists with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes began a project to restore trumpeter swans as a resident species on the Flathead Indian Reservation in the mid-1990s. Subsequent efforts resulted in the release of 258 captive bred trumpeter swans since 2002, which has resulted in at least 100 successful nesting attempts that have produced 294 fledgling cygnets to date. Most of the nesting success has occurred on the Flathead Indian Reservation, but nesting swans that originated from the restoration project have also nested near Eureka during the past three years, and others that likely originated from the project have nested at Glacier National Park, Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge and elsewhere in the Flathead Valley and north toward British Columbia. Thus far, the project has proved to be very successful in restoring this native species to northwestern Montana as a viable breeding population.

As the released swans reach maturity at the age of three, they begin pairing and producing cygnets (baby swans). In an effort to better document the expansion of trumpeters in northwestern Montana, the Tribal Wildlife Management Program and other agency partners annually survey wetlands on the Reservation and elsewhere to record nesting attempts and production. Many excellent wetlands occur on privately-owned lands in northwestern Montana, and these wetlands may provide nesting habitat for nesting swans. To date, people in northwestern Montana have shown a lot of support for the project and enjoy seeing swans. The program staff is requesting observations from the public of trumpeter swan nesting and production of cygnets throughout northwestern Montana. If you have observed tumpeter swan nesting or adult swans with cygnets, please contact Dale Becker, Tribal Wildlife Program Manager by phone at (406) 675-2700, extension 7278 or by email at daleb@cskt.org. The assistance of the public is greatly appreciated.