Lolo National Forest

Resources, Cultural - NWTC

Ninemile Wildlands Training Center

 

About the Ninemile Wildlands Training Center (NWTC)

Contact Us

 

Letter 12/22/08

Course Schedule (updated 12/2008)

Course Descriptions (updated 12/2008)

Registration Information (updated 12/2008)

About the Training Center

The Ninemile Wildlands Training Center (NWTC) is located at the historic Ninemile Ranger Station on the Lolo National Forest in west central Montana. Our facility, the Ninemile Remount Depot, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Remount Depot was built in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps as a pack stock breeding/training facility and is still a working ranch. Because of our unique facility and history of training at the Remount, the NWTC was started in 1988 to again provide traditional skills training to Forest Service employees. These classes cover all different types of traditional skills: care and handling of traditional tools, horsemanship and packing, historic building preservation and maintenance, and low impact backcountry stock use.

So what's a Heritage Expedition?

Heritage Expeditions is part of a program that allows us (the Forest Service) to open the classes offered by the Ninemile Wildlands Training Center to the public. In 1998, we offered our first Heritage Expeditions here at Ninemile and received a tremendous response. In this year's program we continue to offer many heritage expedition courses.

In these learn-by-doing sessions, we spend very little time in a classroom, most of the learning is hands-on with instructors available to help every step of the way. We've also added in some fun time: evening programs and music around the campfire . . . you get the picture!

Why is the Forest Service offering Heritage Expeditions?

When we started the Heritage Expeditions program, we looked at the program as a way to bring in revenue to restore and improve some of our facilities at the Ninemile Remount Depot and at the old OTO Dude Ranch on the Gallatin National Forest. We've found out that the financial benefit pales compared to the personal relationships we've all developed with folks who've attended the classes. Everyone that spends a week at Ninemile has an opportunity to learn the history of the place, understand the special niche it holds, and fall in love with a truly unique corner of the world. Students also learn that the Forest Service does more than just cut timber. We spend time talking about many of the issues that are important to the local area, like managing fish, wildlife, water and recreation, and protecting cultural resources.

 

Contact Us

For more information, call us at: 406-626-5201
or write to us at:

Ninemile Wildlands Training Center
Ninemile Ranger Station
20325 Remount Road
Huson MT 59846