Today, in addition to meat production, these ranches serve another important ecological role—maintaining open space and a place for wildlife to prosper.
Thousands of elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, antelope, and other smaller animals live, eat, and migrate through the valley. While public lands of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest provide protected habitat in the mountains surrounding the valley, ranch lands of the valley bottom provide essential food, security, and freedom of movement for many animals, particularly in winter.

One of the greatest threats to wildlife is the loss of this critical habitat to human encroachment. As ranches are subdivided, the open space and abundant food supply these area ranches provide are lost.