2. DESCRIPTION OF GRIZZLY BEAR MANAGEMENT AREA 



FOR WESTERN MONTANA 



Grizzly bears currently, or could in the near future, occupy suitable habitats within the 17 western 

 Montana counties that encompass all or portions of three of the six areas designated as grizzly bear 

 recovery zones in the United States (NCDE, including Glacier National Park; CYE; the Bitterroot 

 Ecosystem) (Figure 2). Currently, there are known populations of grizzly bears in the NCDE and the 

 CYE, and grizzly bears, or their sign, have been seen outside these areas as well. The counties in this 

 portion of western Montana include: Lincoln, Flathead, Glacier, Pondera, Teton, Lewis and Clark, Powell, 

 Missoula, Lake, Sanders, Mineral, Ravalli, Granite, Deer Lodge, Silver Bow, Jefferson, and Broadwater 

 counties (Figure 3). 



This chapter briefly describes the geographic and human environment of the 17-county area with respect 

 to general description, size, human population, land ownership and economic interests. It describes the 

 environment as it is today and provides a baseline against which any possible significant impacts, as a 

 result of the proposed program, can be assessed. Moreover, because this DPEIS provides an assessment 

 of issues at a programmatic level and not at the site-specific level, the descriptions of the environment 

 presented in this chapter do not provide detailed information about conditions that exist at specific 

 locations. Rather, these descriptions, coupled with information on bear biology in Chapter 3, provide the 

 level of detail needed to assess the programmatic impacts presented in Chapters 4 and 5. 



Not all portions of these counties provide suitable grizzly bear habitat, and some of the above attributes 

 of these counties may affect the distribution and survival of grizzly bears. Given enough time and 

 adequate management programs, grizzly bear distribution could extend beyond this 17-county area. For 

 purposes of this plan, expansion in grizzly bear distribution during the next 10 years is most likely to 

 occur within and adjacent to the designated recovery zones within this 17-county area. It is anticipated 

 that the programs outlined in this plan would apply should grizzlies extend their distribution beyond 

 these counties sooner than anticipated. In addition, the success of our program rests on coordinating and 

 cooperating with surrounding state, provincial, tribal and federal agencies and private landowners. We 

 will continue to work with them so that the needs of the grizzly bear population as a whole are met. 



General Description 



Most counties in this 17-county area are characterized by one or more river valleys divided by rugged 

 mountain ranges. Glacier, Pondera, and Teton counties are located on the eastern front of the Rocky 

 Mountain range and are characterized mostly by plains. Elevations range from 10,466ft. at Mount 

 Cleveland in Glacier National Park (Montana's fourth highest point) to 1,820 ft. where the Kootenai River 

 enters Idaho near Troy, Montana. Major river drainages include the Clark Fork, Missouri, Kootenai, 

 Flathead, Two Medicine, Teton, Blackfoot, and Boulder rivers. To the south of this area, several rivers 

 converge to form the Upper Missouri River, at Three Forks. Lower elevation habitats (below 6,000 ft.) 

 vary greatly and include large areas of short-grass/sagebrush prairie, mountain foothills, intensively 

 cultivated areas (grain and hay field agriculture), natural wetlands/lakes, riparian plant communities 

 ranging from narrow stream bank zones to extensive Cottonwood river bottoms, man-made reservoirs, 

 small communities, and sizeable cities and towns. 



The mountainous portion of this 17-count\' area (above 6,000 ft.) contain all, or portions of, 15 mountain 

 ranges including the Purcell, Salish, Whitefish, Flathead, Coeur d'Alene, Cabinet, Mission, Swan, 



