In central Montana, sagebrush-covered hills roll gently down toward Arrow Creek before dropping off in dramatic cliffs where the creek joins the Missouri River. This Bureau of Land Management land, near the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, is prime habitat for deer, elk and game birds. Arrow Creek’s remote location and its renown as a hunting destination made it an ideal candidate to debut a new land-management designation: the backcountry conservation area. Backcountry conservation areas were conceived as a compromise between giving land the full protections — and restrictions — of a designated wilderness area, and offering no protections at all: a way to conserve big game wildlife while still supporting recreational access.