evaluated, and only four stream reaches were ranked as Class 

 II sport fishery value. Scenic quality was rated Class I or 

 II on only 3 percent of the 1,350 miles of stream assessed 

 for recreation. Three-fourths of the tributary drainages in 

 the lower river basin were ranked Class I or II for wildlife 

 values. 9S" 



Hagmann (1979) estimated recreational use on the upper 

 Clark Fork and its major tributaries (Little Blackfoot, Flint 

 Creek, and Rock Creek) during 1978-79. Data obtained by 

 direct observation and questionnaires indicated that use on 

 tributaries exceeded use on the mainstem, with Rock Creek 

 receiving the most recreational visits. Summer visits on the 

 upper Clark Fork focused on trout fishing — above Deer Lodge 

 and between Schwartz Creek and Milltown. In the winter 

 period, fishing was again the dominant activity, followed by 

 waterfowl hunting. Camping, picnicking, floating, and other 

 recreational activities were also reported by the visitors. 

 Almost 70 percent of the recreationists interviewed were 

 Montanans, and approximately 25 percent of all recreational 

 visits were by nonresidents. A majority of users rated 

 access and recreation site development along the river as 

 adequate. Four fishing access sites are located along the 

 river, and many private sites are accessible. Stream access 

 along the Clark Fork is likely to be an increasingly 

 important issue as greater numbers of recreationists use the 

 river basin. 



A limited survey of recreation use of the Cabinet Gorge 

 and Noxon Rapids reservoirs was conducted in the summer of 

 1986 (Schwiesow and Burch 1987) , and recreation access and 

 facilities were also inventoried (Schwiesow 1987) . These 

 surveys, sponsored by the Washington Water Power Company, 

 were conducted to aid recreational planning in the future. 

 The user survey involved a standard interview of individuals 

 participating in various recreational activities along the 

 Clark Fork from two miles west of Thompson Falls to the 

 Cabinet Gorge Dam, 25 miles east of Sandpoint, Idaho. A 

 total of 120 individuals were interviewed during the period 

 from mid-June to early September 1986. The survey results 

 indicated more than half (51 percent) of those interviewed 

 were Montanans, and 55 percent of those were from Sanders 

 County. Forty-nine percent of the total interviewees were 

 from one of 19 states or provinces other than Montana. Most 

 respondents (74 percent) used the reservoirs for fishing, 

 camping, and boating. Easy access attracted most people to 

 the sites surveyed, and 80 percent approved of the facilities 

 available. Many of the respondents preferred recreation 

 sites that offered isolation from other recreationists. 



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