DESCRIPTION OF GRIZZLY BEAR MANAGEMENT AREA 

 FOR SOUTHWESTERN MONTANA 



Grizzly bears currently — or could in the near fliture — occupy suitable habitats in the seven 

 southwestern and south-central Montana counties adjacent to or near Yellowstone National Park 

 (Carbon, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Park, Gallatin, Madison, and Beaverhead Counties, Fig. 2). 

 The proposed action of this document is to create and adapt a management plan for this area. The 

 following section briefly describes the geographic and human environment of this seven-county 

 area with respect to general description, size, human population, land ownership, special 

 management areas, agricultural interests, and recreation. Not all portions of these counties are 

 suitable grizzly bear habitat. However, 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 may extend beyond this seven-county area. For purposes of 

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

 within this seven-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 the 

 surrounding states and federal agencies. We will continue to work with them so that the needs of 

 the bear population as a whole are met. 



General Description 



Each county is characterized by one or more major river valleys divided by rugged mountain 

 ranges. Elevations range from 12,799 ft. at Granite Peak (Montana's highest point) to about 

 3,330 ft. on the Yellowstone River near Park City. Major river drainages include the Clark's 

 Fork of the Yellowstone, Stillwater, Boulder, Shields, Yellowstone, Gallatin, Madison, Red 

 Rock, Ruby, Bighole, Wise, Beaverhead, and Jefferson rivers. Several rivers in the western 

 portion of this area flow together to form the Upper Missouri River, beginning at Three Forks. 

 Lower elevation habitats (below 6,000 ft.) vary greatly, including 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. 



The mountainous portion of this seven-county area (above 6,000 ft.) contain all or portions of 18 

 mountain ranges including the Beartooth, Absaroka, Crazy, Bridger, Gallatin, Spanish Peaks, 

 Madison, Henry Lake, Centennial, Gravelly, Snowcrest, Ruby, Tobacco Root, Highland, East 

 Pioneer, West Pioneer, Tendoy, Beaverhead, and Anaconda-Pintler. Mountainous habitats are 

 dominated by coniferous forest (Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, Engleman spruce, whitebark pine, 

 limber pine, ponderosa pine, juniper), and rocky subalpine/alpine communities found above 

 timberline. 



Size and Human Population 



The seven-county area encompasses approximately 12,865,088 acres or 20,102 square miles of 

 southwestern and south-central Montana (Table 1). This represents about 13.3% of Montana's 



