^ 



Amphibian and Reptile Search 



During August 1980, a population of Coeur d'Alene Salamanders ( Plethodon 

 Vandyke i ) was discovered under moss on cliffs near the U.S. Highway 2 

 retaining wall. This area, proposed as the site for an access tunnel to the 

 powerhouse, is one of the very few sites in Montana in which this species 

 (listed as a species of special interest or concern in Montana (Flath 1981)) 

 is known to exist. No other amphibians were observed during the monitoring 

 period. 



The only reptile found was an unidentified garter snake ( Thamnophis spp.) 

 which was seen during the June wildlife census. 



Small Mammal Trapping 



Table 5 presents a summary of the results of 1979 and 1980 small mammal 

 trapping. 



Census of Yaak Falls 



No vertebrates were observed in the Yaak Falls area during the October 

 1979 and April 1980 censuses. On June 2, 1980, a single dipper and 4 black- 

 capped chickadees were observed at the falls, and on August 12, 2 robins and 

 a raven were observed on the shoreline near the falls. Based on these 

 limited data, it appears that Yaak Falls does not provide a habitat 

 comparable to that of Kootenai Falls, and would not be suitable as a control 

 or compensation area. It is recommended that the census of Yaak Falls be 

 dropped from the monitoring study. 



21 



