The Grandeur R ecreation and history abound in the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. The Breaks were a wonder to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark during their voyage with the Corps of Discovery and have provided a spot for recreation and work for most of the time since. President Bill Clinton declared more than 377,000 acres of public Breaks land as monument in January 2001. About 120,000 more acres of state and private land are reserved to become part of the monument if sold or given to the federal government. The Bureau of Land Management, which managed the land before Clinton’s proclamation, continues to manage the monument. Access to the monument is generally by gravel roads, although, highways from Malta and Harlem meet and cross the Missouri just off the eastern edge of the monu- of the Missouri River Breaks ment in the James Kipp Recreation Area. Many outfitters are licensed to run boating trips and other organized expeditions down the river, and two of the three ferries operating on the upper Missouri are in the monument. One is at Virgelle, and the McClelland Ferry joins the roads between Chinook and Winifred. BLM has a visitor center in a more than 100-year-old building in Fort Benton, a town that is a registered historic site. Volunteers staff the center during the summer months and provide information about the monument, the Fort Benton community and local sites. The center also has a bookstore and interpretive displays. Some commercial uses of the Breaks, including cattle grazing and oil and gas exploration on existing leases, continue. Recreational uses include camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, sightseeing and noncommercial fossil seeking as permitted by rules and regulations prior to the area becoming a monument. Vehicles are allowed on existing roads and authorized trails, but the area is closed to off-road use of motorized or mechanized vehicles, including mountain bikes. A variety of plants and animals live in the monument, including more than 60 species of mammals, 20 amphibians and reptiles, and 48 species of fish. For more information, contact the BLM River Management Station in Fort Benton at (406) 622-3839, or the Fort Benton Visitors Center at (406) 622-5185. On the Net: BLM Upper Missouri Breaks Monument: www.blm.gov/mt/st/ en/fo/lewistown_field_office/umrbnm.html