INTRODUCTION 



In recent years there has been a vast increase in the demands placed on 

 public lands in the United States. As a result of the current energy 

 situation, rising human populations and increased leisure time, this trend 

 is likely to continue. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the federal 

 agency charged with managing large portions of public lands in eastern 

 Montana. Valid decisions regarding the best possible use of these public 

 lands will require new information in a variety of areas. This is particular- 

 ly true for nongame wildlife. Increased public awareness of wildlife values, 

 and environmental concerns in general, have brought nongame wildlife values 

 into the decision-making process. Studies of nongame wildlife in eastern 

 Montana are few (Martin 1978, Swenson 1978, Martin and DuBois 1980, Matthews 

 1979, Munson 1979). Efforts to date have been directed at gathering baseline 

 data on a wide variety of species. Such data are a necessary first step for 

 land-use decisions but often prove inadequate for site specific management 

 decisions. 



Several possibilities exist for varying types of land use on the Terry Bad- 

 lands study area. A portion of the study area is presently being considered 

 for wilderness designation; while, other portions are under active exploration 

 for mineral resources. The majority of the study area is currently being 

 utilized for livestock grazing. 



This study was initiated in April, 1979 pursuant to contract YA-512-CT8-217 

 between BLM and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The 

 specific objective was to conduct a nongame wildlife survey and inventory 

 in the Terry Badlands. This objective was met using the following approach: 



1. Constructing a general cover map of vegetation types on the 

 study area; 



2. Sampling nongame species composition within the various 

 vegetation types for each season; 



3. Identifying species and/or community associations of particular 

 value; and 



A. Evaluating potential impacts of energy development on the various 

 communities. 



Results of this study will be used to assist the BLM with broad based land 

 management decisions for the area. 



