Protected Areas Recommendations 



By the fall of 1986, the Pacific Northwest Rivers Study had 

 completed its major goal of identifying and documenting 

 significant natural resource values of the Columbia River Basin's 

 rivers and streams. The tasks completed at that time included 

 the update of the assessment guidelines used in completing the 

 study, peer review of the findings, and data revision and computer 

 entry. By the summer of 1987, refinement of selected study 

 components, data management system development, and initial report 

 production had been completed and the application of study 

 findings to protected areas recommendations and policy issues was 

 initiated. 



During early 1987, the Montana River Study's fisheries and 

 wildlife data bases were updated and reviewed. In the fisheries 

 data base, the revision emphasized refinement of critical species 

 information, sub-division of segments where more specific 

 information had become available and updating recreational and 

 fish population data for use in the sport fishery category. The 

 wildlife update was fairly extensive, including a thorough quality 

 check of entered data, revision of threatened and endangered 

 species and species of special concern data, sub-dividing units 

 which originally encompassed several habitat components, and 

 correction of locations of state and federally designated wildlife 

 areas . 



In March of 1987, the Council requested participation from the 

 four Pacific Northwest state fish and wildlife agencies in 

 recommending areas to be protected from future hydroelectric 

 development based on their fish and wildlife values and the 

 ranking of hydro sites throughout the region based on their fish 

 and wildlife values. In April, the MDFWP, after consultation with 

 the DNRC, agreed to participate in the Council's schedule and 

 process for protected areas but not to participate in the site 

 ranking portion of the program. The schedule called for protected 

 areas stream recommendations and criteria by June 15. 



The HASC developed fish and wildlife criteria for protected 

 areas designation which the state fish and wildlife agencies used 

 as guidelines in developing their own criteria. Protected areas 

 criteria for fishery streams developed by the MDFWP were Class I 

 stream reaches determined by the Montana Rivers Study which 

 contained essential habitats necessary for sustaining Montana's 

 Class A and Class B fish species of special concern (native fishes 

 found in limited numbers and/or limited number of waters) where 

 genetic purity has been established through electrophoresis and no 

 substantial populations of contaminating species are present or 

 streams with outstanding recreational fisheries or essential 

 spawning habitats for outstanding recreational fisheries. 



For wildlife, the criteria developed by the MDFWP included 

 habitats identified as essential to the recovery of federally 



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