PACIFIC NORTHWEST RIVERS STUDY 

 MONTANA INVENTORY OF RECREATION RESOURCES 



The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks conducted 

 the recreation inventory, with assistance from the U.S. Forest 

 Service, Bureau of Land Management, and river users and user 

 groups from throughout the state. No previous statewide 

 inventory of river recreation resources had been attempted. 



State and federal recreation managers identified river reaches 

 having recreational value and provided information on eight 

 characteristics for each reach: opportunities for boating; other 

 water-based recreation activities; land-based recreation activies 

 related to the river; current use level estimates; access; 

 Recreation Opportunity Setting class; scenic quality; and number 

 and type of developed recreation sites along the river reach. 



Recreation managers recommended one of five value classes for 



each reach identified (Class I--Out standing , Class 



II — Substantial, Class III--Moder ate , Class IV--Limited, or Class 



V — Unknown value), considering a reach's position on the eight 



inventory characteristics and other information as needed. Value 



classes were determined by professional judgment, not by a point 



system, but managers described the specific reasons for their 

 value class assignments. 



State and federal managers and Rivers Study staff identified 

 about 300 private river users and commercial river users who were 

 asked to participate in the study by nominating river reaches for 

 inclusion in the data base. Nearly 200 reaches were suggested 

 (although many of these overlapped to some extent). These 

 ratings were compared with the managers' perceptions. Very few 

 significant differences were noted; river users' value 

 recommendations were seldom more than one class away from the 

 managers' ratings. 



About 800 river reaches were identified, comprising about 

 12,600 miles of rivers. Out of 777 containing complete data, 8 

 percent (67) were rated as Outstanding, 18 percent (143) as 

 Substantial, 44 percent (344) as Moderate, 20 percent (156) as 

 Limited, and 9 percent (67) as Unknown value. 



Nearly three-quarters of the reaches were described as not 

 boatable, pointing to the importance of maintaining opportunities 

 for boating on Montana rivers. This is especially true for the 

 relatively scarce Whitewater resource; only about seven percent 

 of the reaches contained moderate or larger-sized rapids. 

 However, a larger proportion of Whitewater reaches (compared to 

 flatwater reaches) were rated as having Outstanding or 

 Substantial value. 



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