For a long time, she said, nothing disturbed the mirror image. No fish were feeding. She enjoyed sitting there, listening to the songbirds, and contemplating the serenity of her surroundings.

Then she noticed a subtle bulge in the slack water along the far bank. The head of a shockingly large trout suddenly emerged, and as Boyd watched transfixed, the hulking brown delicately sipped an insect off an overhanging reed. Noiselessly, causing barely a ripple, it disappeared.

Boyd stripped some line off her fly reel and cautiously cast, dropping a Quigley cripple mayfly imitation gently on the spot where the brown rose. But the clear water and close quarters of the small, spring-fed stream, foiled her. The fish spooked, pushing up a V-shaped wake that plowed the 50-foot length of the pool in a second.

"That was a torpedo," Boyd said of her recent outing. "I couldn't believe such a monster fish was living in such a little pool."

The fishing she described is one of the better-kept secrets in the Bitterroot Valley. The stream she was referring to is a spring-fed side channel of the Bitterroot River located on the Teller Wildlife Refuge. It's one of several extraordinary spring creeks located on the private, nonprofit refuge near Corvallis, which offers fabulous, exclusive fishing in those streams to its guests.

The Teller Refuge was created in 1987 by the late Otto Teller to preserve and enhance open space and native wildlife habitat and provide educational and recreational opportunities for the public. Its 1,300 acres of riparian habitat and rich river-bottom farmland is managed to demonstrate land-management practices that respect wildlife, sustainable agriculture and the local community.

But Teller has grown up in the shadow of its older and larger counterpart in the Bitterroot Valley, the federal Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge near Stevensville. Its 2,800 acres of wetlands and riparian habitat were purchased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1963 for the Ravalli National Wildlife Refuge. The name was changed in 1979 to honor Montana's late senator.

Boyd, who has been executive director of the Teller Refuge for about a year and a half, had barely arrived when she encountered the confusion that exists - even locally - about the two refuges, and realized why Teller has struggled for identity.

After spending 20 years as a renowned wolf researcher in western Montana, Boyd applied for her current position at the Teller Refuge. When she came for her job interview, she stopped at a Bitterroot Valley kennel to board her dog, and to ask for directions.

"I asked the kennel owner for directions to the Teller Wildlife Refuge," Boyd said. "He said, 'You mean the Metcalf Wildlife Refuge in Stevensville.'

" 'No,' I said, 'the private Teller Wildlife Refuge near Corvallis.'

"He said 'I never heard of it.'

"That got me thinking that this is such a beautiful, untapped resource, the community needs to be more aware of what we have to offer. Since I took over, in the last year and a half, we've done a lot more outreach events. We had 600 people here for a Stephen Ambrose talk last year."

What Teller has to offer includes many nature and land-use educational programs and family activities, which have been popular in the community. The refuge has an active volunteer program that helps achieve and promote its objectives. Approximately 3,000 schoolchildren visit the refuge each year to participate in hands-on, multidisciplinary field trips to observe and to explore the natural world. And the refuge regularly is the site of retreats, seminars and workshops for businesses and organizations.

What's not so well known about the Teller Refuge, however, is the opportunities it offers to the public for luxurious lodging in a rustic setting and nature-oriented recreation.

Whether you're seeking a getaway for fishing, hunting, wildlife watching, skiing, snowboarding, hiking, nature photography, golfing, swimming, river floating, mountain biking, horseback riding, or simply a little quiet solitude, the Teller either has it, or you can find it nearby.

Lodging options at Teller include three historic, restored 1860s farmhouses, and two riverfront rustic cabins.

At the refuge's Chaffin and Slack houses, guests are treated to a stay at a gracious country inn, featuring three gourmet meals a day, prepared to their taste and dietary needs by their own private chef. Most of the herbs and produce are grown in the refuge's organic garden located just a short stroll away.

The multi-course feasts are served with fine linen, crystal, china and tables decorated by candlelight. Guests might be lucky enough to be serenaded by a meadowlark or great horned owl during dinner.

Guests will receive pampered treatment from Randy Demorest, the refuge's guest services director, and his wife Sharon, the executive chef/lodging manager. The couple recently took over management of the refuge lodging after operating a private guest ranch in Idaho.

"Guests really feel at home when they're here," said Randy Demorest. "And they have complete access to the refuge. We'll line up a guide for them for fishing if they want, or a guide for bird-watching, or to float the river, pretty much anything they want to do."

Daily rates at the Chaffin and Slack houses are $250 per guest for up to four guests, and $160 per guest for additional guests. The Chaffin House sleeps six; the Slack House sleeps up to eight. For stays longer than five nights, all guests stay at the lower rate after the fifth night.

For guests looking for a comfortable, but less-than-spoiled-rotten stay, the Teller Refuge offers three more economical choices.

The Burroughs House is another remodeled farmhouse on the refuge, built in the 1880s. The charming Victorian-style house has two bedrooms with 1Þ baths, and is completely furnished. Weekly maid service is provided in the weekly rate of $675 and daily rate of $200.

Otto's Fishing Cabin is located 14 miles south of the main refuge on the Bitterroot River. It will accommodate a maximum of six guests in rustic comfort and privacy. Weekly rate for the first four guests is $1,800. Day rate is $350. Additional guests pay $75 each per day.

The Wards Cove House is located in a secluded meadow on the west bank of the Bitterroot and offers a very comfortable vacation getaway. The three-bedroom, two-story house has a deck overlooking the river, screened porches front and back, and full amenities for up to six guests. Maid service is provided weekly. Weekly rate for the first four guests is $2,100. Day rate is $400. Additional guests pay $100 each per day.

The Burroughs House, Otto's Cabin and Wards Cove have fully equipped kitchens that allow you to prepare your own meals. However, the refuge lodging staff offers a broad range of culinary support if you desire, from the convenience of delicious homemade packaged meals, to the full services of one of its accomplished personal chefs.

A bonus of enjoying the comforts of the refuge's lodging is full access to the entire refuge and all of its recreational opportunities, including upland bird and waterfowl hunting, deer hunting, hiking, bird watching, and exclusive fishing privileges on the refuge's spring creeks, along with access to isolated stretches of the Bitterroot River.

Fishing on the small, prolific streams within the refuge is a "finite resource" and must be restricted to protect those delicate habitats and populations of wild brown trout, rainbows and cutthroat trout, Boyd said.

But virtually all the other recreational opportunities are available at no cost to the public, she said.

Hikers, bird-watchers and photographers are asked only to call the refuge in advance to receive permission. This is required mainly to avoid conflicts with other scheduled activities.

In addition, access to the refuge along the Bitterroot River is available to the public from a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks fishing access site on the north side of the Woodside Bridge, on the east side of the river. A trail parallels the river. The refuge phone number is posted at the trailhead and visitors are asked to call and check in before using the area.

"That public access is a wonderful thing," Boyd said. "And it's free."

In a one-mile walk across the refuge to the river, you'll pass through hayfields, along irrigation ditches, past small ponds, some marshy areas and spring-fed streams. In the riparian forest near the river, the hayfields give way to grasses, hawthorn thickets and aspen groves. This variety of habitat makes for some exciting birding experiences year-round.

A good way to learn about birds on the refuge is to join in one of the monthly bird-watching and nature walks led by local volunteer Wayne Tree, an avid birder who is knowledgeable about the area's natural history and wildlife in general.

Anyone interested in the refuge's Walking and Watching with Wayne program, should call him at (406) 777-3159 for more information. Walks are limited to 12 participants. Reservations are required. If there is more demand for the walks, Tree will add a second monthly walk.

Hunting at the Teller Refuge is entirely open to the public and managed through Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks' Block Management Program.

The refuge has opportunities for hunting pheasant and waterfowl, with limited access for archery and shotgun hunting of white-tailed deer with special permits.

Reservations are required to hunt on the refuge with restrictions on the number of hunters and the days of the week access is allowed. All access is walk-in only from designated parking areas.

Reservations for hunting birds can be made by calling the refuge at (406) 961-3507 seven days or less in advance of the hunting day requested. Leave name, phone number and date you wish to hunt on the phone message. There is a high demand for the quality hunting opportunities, and a limited number of hunting slots. Hunters are selected on a first-come, first-serve basis. People who volunteer to work on refuge projects can earn credit for hunting time. Guests staying in refuge lodging will receive hunting priority.

Reservations for shotgun deer hunting are taken on a first-come, first-serve basis.

A limited number of archery deer hunters who request access will be placed on a waiting list and will be called and notified of hunting dates.

For more information on refuge hunting, a block management area map and regulations are available from FWP in Missoula.

While many educational and recreational activities offered by the Teller Wildlife Refuge are free to the public, there is a price for those opportunities in an area where they are rapidly being lost to private development, said Boyd.

"We do all of this for free," she said. "But we depend on community support, grants and philanthropy to stay alive."

Her first challenge, she said, is making sure the community knows there are two wildlife refuges in the Bitterroot Valley.

Reporter Daryl Gadbow can be reached at 523-5264 or at dgadbow@missoulian.com

Volunteer your time

CORVALLIS - Join your Bitterroot Valley neighbors and share your talents at the Teller Wildlife Refuge's fifth annual volunteer work day.

The project is designed to address Teller's restoration needs and provide volunteers with a fun environment in which they can learn land stewardship practices applicable to their own properties. This spring's project will be to plant sage on the refuge's tent camp field trip site and pot will cuttings for future plantings.

Participants will learn the process of propagating willows from cuttings as well as the proper habitat and techniques for sage plantings. Project work will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by lunch provided by Teller. Participants are asked to bring a dessert to share.

To sign up, and for information about what to bring and where to meet, call (406) 961-1865.

If you're interested

For more information about the Teller Wildlife Refuge and its education, recreation and lodging programs, visit its Web site at www.tellerwildlife.org. For more information about lodging, call (406) 961-3707.