Pryor Mountains

Summary
Citizens' Proposal: Intensive Inventory: Wilderness Study Area: BLM Recommendation:	40,032 acres 38,327 acres 33,824 acres	(4,432 in Wyoming) (4,432 in Wyoming) (4,432 in Wyoming)

Highlights
Erosive forces have incised deep canyons through the limestone uplift of the Pryors, reminiscent of the Southwest canyon country. The Pryor Mountains proposed wilderness is a multi-agency proposal that includes adjacent wildlands. Three areas comprise the Pryor Mountains study area: Bighorn Canyon ‑ managed by the National Park Service and BLM, Burnt Timber Canyon ‑ managed by the BLM, and Lost Water Canyon ‑ managed by the Forest Service. Most of the proposed wilderness is in Montana, due south of the Crow Reservation. Appropriate protection for the Pryor Mountains can only be achieved through an ecosystem approach of which this northern Wyoming BLM section would complete.

The Pryor Mountains contain tremendously varied terrain. A hiker may traverse desert plateau, red and gray canyons, white limestone cliffs and pinnacles, explore multitudes of caves, and mountain forests in a single day. Within a space of a few miles, you can travel through a great diversity of habitats, from arid desert to scattered spruce and lodgepole stands and finally into a dense forest of Douglas fir amidst multi-colored limestone cliffs.

Wilderness Qualities
Extensive recreation opportunities in the Pryor Mountains include exploring ice caves, rock climbing, studying nature and geology, Spectacular vistas from cliffs and ridges within the area overlook Bighorn Canyon‑‑etched over a thousand feet deep in the desert plateau. Well‑preserved vertebrate and invertebrate fossils have been found in the study area. The Crooked Creek National Natural Landmark, of which 160 acres are within the area, is a site for vertebrate fossils.

Numerous prehistoric sites, including tepee rings, a rock shelter, lithic scatters, and petroglyph panels, are within the Pryor Mountains. A portion of the study area is within the boundaries of the Demi‑John Archeological District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This district contains over 230 stone circles and stone alignments, and is significant for its large size and abundance of features.

Wildlife within the area includes bighorn sheep, mule deer, black bear, scorpions, and rattlesnakes. The wild mustangs of the Pryors survived in this rugged, broken canyon country until the Pryor mountain wild horse range was established, the first of its kind in the nation. The herds are now managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The extensive caves and canyon walls within the Pryor Range provide excellent sites for bats to raise young and hibernate. At least ten species, including spotted and Townsend's big‑eared bats (federal threatened and endangered candidates), and pallid bats (listed as a species of special concern by the Montana Natural Heritage Program and a Priority Species by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department), have been documented (Worthington 1991; WNDD, 1993). Other state Priority Species in Need of Special Management, such as Yuma myotis, California myotis, Keen's myotis, and fringed myotis, may also inhabit the area (Luce 1991). Extensive nesting habitat for endangered peregrine falcons exists in the area, but is unoccupied at the present recovery level (Oakleaf 1991).

Three rare plant species are observed in the area: persistent sepal yellowcress, hairy prince-plum, and a wild buckwheat (all State Priority species) that have less than 20 populations known in Wyoming (WNDD, 1993).