> 



V" 



i^ 1 Indicates a unit contains some value 



on a seasonal basis or it supports 

 low or occasional populations. 



For furbearer species, the ratings were defined by habitat suitability as 

 follows : 



Habitat 

 Suitability Reason 



^f 



Indicates a unit has excellent habitat 

 quality and is able to support a high 

 population density. 



Indicates a unit has moderate habitat 

 quality or supports a moderate population 

 density. 



Indicates a unit has patchy or marginal 

 habitat for the species or supports a 

 low population density. 



Final Species Value Calculation 



Species weights multiplied by biologist ratings were summed to obtain 

 total points for each of the 3 species categories. Based on point 

 distributions and subjective evaluations, cutoff values were then assigned to 

 each category to give each river assessment unit Class I, II, III, and IV 

 species value. The highest of the 3 species values became the final species 

 value for the river assessment unit. 



Final Resource Value Classification 



With only 2 exceptions, the final resource value for the assessment unit 

 became the average of the final habitat and species values rounded upwards. 

 One exception occurred if the habitat value equaled Class I and the species 

 value equaled Class II. In this case, the final resource value became Class 

 II rather than Class I. Similarly, if the final species value was Class IV 

 and the final habitat value Class III, the final resource value became Class 

 IV. These corrections were made because of the greater amount of information 

 and reliability found in the species part of the assessment process and a 

 bias towards over-rating riparian habitat quality. 



METHODS 



DATA COLLECTION 



Montana selected a questionnaire and interview approach for obtaining the 

 river assessment information. The questionnaire provided a standardized 

 system to evaluate wildlife values associated with rivers and a means to 

 document response (Appendix A). The questionnaire also lent some objectivity 

 to the assessment process and facilitated computerization of the information 

 collected. 



