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2. Shields River Drainage 



The Shields River drainage in south central Moatana is a tributary of 

 the Yellowstone River. The watershed is delineated by the Crazy Mountains 

 to the east, Elkhorn Ridge to the north, and the Bridger Range to the 

 west, with the mouth of the river about seven miles northeast of Livingston, 

 Montana. The drainage basin contains 875 square miles and' the DNR&C 

 basin identification number of 43A. DHES classifies the drainage as a 

 B-Dl stream. 



A checkerboard ownership pattern (USFS/private) dominates the forest land 

 within the Shields River drainage. Private ownership in these areas is 

 predominantly Burlington Northern along the east flank of the Bridger Range, 

 and the 71 Ranch which has extensive holdings in the northern Crazy 

 Mountains. 



Timber harvesting has been fairly extensive in the Shields River water- 

 shed. The headwaters area in the Crazy Mountains was harvested heavily 

 in the 1960's (USPS), however, additional merchantable timber (private) 

 remains that is currently being harvested. Harvesting activities also 

 continue on the east slopes of the Bridger Range. 



Silvicultural activities have been, and continue to be, the major con- 

 tributing factor in water quality degradation of the Shields River water- 

 shed (DF&G - Bozeman, pers. comm. ). Detrimental agricultural practices 

 also contribute to watershed problems. These man-caused activities may 

 aggravate natural conditions within the watershed: some soils developed 

 from fine-textured sedimentary rocks (soft siltstone and sandstone) are 

 highly erosive; loose alluvial soils present water erosion hazards 

 (DHES, 1976). Specific problems related to forestry practices are outlined 



