Data Entry Methods 



For each site identified during the inventory, the Data Entry Form shown in 

 Table 3 was co(npieted insofar as existing data allowed. Sonie of the categories of 

 information were not uniformly collected for each site; these include Hydro! ogic 

 Unit Code, Quadrangle Maps Where Shown, Latitude, and Longitude. Table 4 explains 

 the types of data gathered and presents the specific guiael ines used to enter data. 



Review of Existing Published Sources 



Existing literature was an important source of records for this study; titles 

 used are listed in the bibliography of this report (see also Appendices B, C, D, and 

 J). Some of the most important sources are described below. 



National Natural Landmark Theme Studies . These six reports (Cringman and Dix 

 1975; Hyndman and Alt 1982; Johnson and Pfister 1981, 1982; Rigby 1981, Trimble 

 1972) together provided detailed information on 152 geological and 62 botanical 

 sites. All sites listed in these reports were included in the data base. 



National Cartographic Information Center (NCIC). The f-lCIC place names index was 

 searched for certain key feature types as follows. 



Badlands and Craters - al I 7 sites listed in the NCIC index were included 



in this study. 



Waterfalls - al I 32 sites listed were included in this study. 



Rapids -all 13 sites listed were included in this study. 



Swamps -all 29 sites listed were included in this study. 



Guts -all 15 sites listed were included in this study. 



Cliffs - only 10 sites within 1000 feet of major rivers were included. 



Caves - 30 sites listed were included in this study. 



Geological Type Localities Listin<; . All sites listed by Balster (1971) for 

 Montana that could be precisely located on a map were included in the data base, 

 except that beyond page 136, the press of time prevented inclusion of sites within 

 wilderness areas, national parks, or Indian reservations. 



Geothermal l-iap . Warm springs includeo in the data base were those listed in 

 Sonderegger (1981) as having a temperature over 66 degrees F, a flow of at least 50 

 gpm, lying within 2500 feet of a stream (flowing wells were excluded), and not 

 located within wilderness areas, national parks, or Indian reservations. 



Caves of Montana . Details of sites listed in the geographic name index were 

 provided by Campbell (1978). 



Interv lews 



Interviews with acknowledged experts were one of the principal sources of 

 information for this study. These interviews were especially important in that they 

 Gocumented sites that have not been previously oocumented in any puDlication. 

 Interviews followed a set of guidelines, presented in Appenaix E, and many were 

 tape-recorded. 



