ASSESSMENT 



At the time this progress report was prepared. Northern Lights, Inc. had 

 not submitted an application to the department under the Major Facility Siting 

 Act. Thus, the final layout and description of the proposed project was not 

 available to provide a basis for detailed impact analysis. It should be emphasized 

 that the following analysis is preliminary and potential impacts must be addressed 

 in a more comprensive manner once the final layout is established. 



A number of developments already exist in the area of the proposed Kootenai 

 Falls dam and reservoir. These include: U.S. Highway 2, a double railroad track 

 and two associated buildings; the Lion's Club campground, a suspended footbridge, 

 and an access road paralleling the tracks. Proposed developments and alterations 

 include: reconstruction of Highway 2 between Libby and Troy; building supports 

 in the immediate area under the railroad right-of-way to allow the water impoundment 

 to extend beneath the tracks; widening and extending the access road by approximately 

 0.6 miles (1 km); clearing of the riparian zone behind the falls to serve as the 

 construction site; constructing two 39-foot diameter (11.9 m) tunnels through the 

 canyon wall for approximately 1 mile (1.2 km) from above the falls to the retaining 

 wall below the footbridge; substantially dewatering the gorge for approximately 1 

 mile (1.6 km) and impounding approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) of the Kootenai River. 

 Mitigation of recreational impact by increasing recreational facilities would 

 further reduce wildlife security and decrease wildlife habitat as land areas are 

 utilized for public facilities. 



Waterfowl broods survive almost exclusively on macroinvertebrates during 

 the first 2 weeks of life, and impoundment of the river and altered flow regimes 

 will likely affect availability of this food source. Harlequin ducks and dippers 

 are particularly susceptible to adverse impact due to their narrow habitat require- 

 ments, but all riparian dependent birds and some cavity nesters may be locally affected. 

 The harlequin duck is a particularly vulnerable species because it is intolerant of 

 human activity, has a high nest site fidelity, has relatively low reproductive 

 potential, has highly specialized habitat requirements, is dependent upon the 

 aquatic insects of fast flowing waters as a f'ood source, and is highly susceptible 

 to alteration of flow regimes. Because this species is so closely adapted to its 

 niche, it has a high potential for extinction; in fact, it became extinct in Colorado 

 as early as the late 1800's (Kuchel 1977). Inland breeding populations are sparse 

 and scattered, and because they are extremely secretive, observing a harlequin in 

 Montana is an uncommon experience. Any increase in human activity or change in the 

 character of the falls and the gorge, insect production, or flow regime would affect 

 the use of this area by harlequin ducks. 



The same factors which affect harlequins also affect the dipper which does 

 not migrate per se, but simply moves to lower elevations. The large area of swift, 

 shallow water at the head of the falls is a critical wintering site for dippers. 



Over three-fourths of the bird species observed utilize the riparian vegetation 

 zone to some extent. Most of this zone, if inundated, would no longer be available 

 to birds. The common flicker is especially common in wooded foothills and along 

 banks of rivers (Neff 1926), and many secondary cavity nesting birds utilize the 

 flicker's excavations for nest sites. The American kestrel requires a similarly 

 sized nest hole, and smaller hole-nesting species, especially tree swallows, take 

 advantage of flicker holes (Jackman and Scott 1975). In the riparian area 

 immediately behind the falls, a pair of tree swallows and a pair of American 

 kestrels nested in abandoned woodpecker holes in the same cottonwood snag while 



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