﻿Vegetation Analysis—Riparian Tree/Shrub Habitats 



Riparian tree and shrub habitats (including the riparian cottonwood, 

 cottonwood-conifer , and birch-alder communities described by Olsen-Elliott 

 and Associates (1979)) on the south terrace immediately above Kootenai Falls, 

 were sampled August 12-13, 1980, using the methods of James and Shugart 

 (1970). This terrace would be flooded by the proposed reservoir. Ten 

 vegetation plots, each 0.44 ha (0.1 acre) in size, were permanently staked 

 and sampled. Locations of these plots are shown in figure 1. 



Vegetation Analysis — Sheppard Meadows 



Three grassy meadows on the north bank of the river about 1.5 miles above 

 the head of Kootenai falls (DNRC 1979, p. 62) also were sampled using the 

 canopy-coverage methods of Daubenmire (1959). These meadows are believed to 

 be a source of early-spring forage for bighorn sheep. Because impounding the 

 river could alter the vegetative composition and, thus, the use of these 

 meadows by bighorns, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks 

 (DFWP) has expressed concern over the project. 



The property on which the meadows lie, formerly owned by Mr. Dale 

 Sheppard, was purchased by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to mitigate the 

 impacts on wildlife habitat caused by Libby Dam. The land is scheduled to be 

 turned over to the State of Montana, and managed by DFWP for bighorn sheep. 



