Montana DNRC also participated in the development of the Swan Vallei/ Conservation Agreement (1995), 

 and intends to manage lands in the Swan Valley State Forest according to the management direction 

 contained therein. Should the agreement dissolve, it is the intention of the DNRC to implement alternate 

 measures developed during the HCP process. This strategy assumes a worst-case scenario, however, and 

 would not necessarily preclude the DNRC from parhcipation in future access management agreements. 



4. Tribal Lands 



4.1 Bureau of Indian Affairs 



The Blackfcet Agency Forest Management Plan and Environmental Assessment (1984) does not make specific 

 mention of grizzly bear management. Page 56 does, however, refer to the National Environmental Policy 

 Act which contains regulations applicable to Indian Lands administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

 There are sufficient guidelines to implement this act as it relates to forest management actions. All 

 forestry projects affecting the environment require preparation of an environmental assessment prior to 

 approval. The plan also calls for mitigating measures (page 33) to preserve or increase the present 

 populations of elk, deer and bear. Specific mitigation measures for designated management units are 

 listed on page 35. 



Currently the Bureau of Indian Affairs manages the timber, range, and oil and gas resources on tribal 

 trust land. The Bureau consults with the FWS when activities are planned in areas containing sensitive 

 grizzly bear habitat. 



4.2 Blackfeet Indian Reservation 



Approximately six percent of the Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone in the NCDE occurs within the boundaries 

 of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Grizzly occupied areas on the reservation are bordered on the north 

 by Alberta, Canada, on the west by Glacier National Park and Lewis and Clark National Forest, and on 

 the south by State and private land. Most of the grizzly habitat on the Reservation is on tribal trust land, 

 the rest being privately owned by tribal members and non-tribal members. 



Habitat guidelines and directions are covered in the Tribal Fish and Game Code (1988) which deals with the 

 management of all fish and wildlife species on the reservation. Objectives of the Code include the 

 development of specific management plans for individual species such as grizzly bears [chapter 2, sec. C 

 (5)], monitoring and quantifying seasonal habitat use of such species, and preparing regulations 

 necessary for resource management within the Blackfeet Reservation [sec.C(6,10)]. 



Grizzly bears are defined as big game species on the Reservation (Chapter 4, seel) and procedures for 

 actions to be taken in the case of depredation by bears (section 14) are in compliance with the IGBC 

 guidelines. 



The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee has defined five management situations for grizzly bears and 

 the Blackfeet tribe uses these in its management programs. Although no MS 1 habitat occurs on the 

 reservation, the Draft Bear Management Plan and Guideliues for Bear Management on the Blackfeet Indian 

 Reservation (1988) provides overall goals, objectives and guidance for management of bears. The area 

 currently included in Big Game Management Zones 1 and 2 will be treated as MS 2. Town sites within 

 that area will be considered MS 3 in which bear presence and factors contributing to their presence are 

 discouraged. The remainder of the Reservation will be managed as MS 5 in which bears occur only rarely 

 and consideration for their habitat is generally not directed. Bear presence is neither actively discouraged 

 nor encouraged. 



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