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a rearing area for trout (USPS - Sheridan, pers. comm.; DF&G - Bozeman, 

 pers. conm.), this area should be evaluated on-site for possible water 

 quality impacts. 



The potential for timber harvests are quite limited on the non-USFS lands 

 of the Ruby River drainage, primarily due to the lack of merchantable 

 timber. However, parts of the watershed are particularly sensitive to 

 any surface modifications (road construction, vegetation modification, 

 etc.) because of the natural conditions. Proper road construction in 

 these unstable areas increases the cost of the operation to the point where 

 harvesting the marginal timber available is not economical. Even without 

 such economic constraints, timber harvests sould be curtailed in areas 

 where such activities would enhance the naturally occurring erosion 

 processes. Table VI-C3 delineates existing and potential impacts of 

 water quality in the Ruby River watershed; Plate I shows location of 

 these areas. 



