fishery located on the main stem and the North Fork were dependent 

 on the seasonal migrations from the lake. 



The final resource values of the Swan, Whitefish and 

 Stillwater rivers were overshadowed by the outstanding quality of 

 the Flathead's three forks and main stem. Of the 205 reaches in 

 the upper Flathead drainage receiving a Class I or II final 

 resource value, only 12 reaches were not located in the main stem 

 or its three forks. These reaches were found in the Swan drainage, 

 including a Class II sport fishery on the Swan River from 

 Lindbergh to Swan Lake and 11 Swan River tributaries containing 

 essential spawning habitat or potentially pure westslope cutthroat 

 trout. The entire Whitefish and Stillwater river main stems 

 received a final resource value of Class III or IV. 



Wildlife 



More than 40 percent of the Flathead River drainage is 

 contained in the Bob Marshall-Great Bear wilderness complex and 

 Glacier National Park, protected areas that harbor healthy 

 populations of nearly every wildlife species native to the region. 

 But what about wildlife values outside their boundaries, in areas 

 included in the Montana Rivers Study? Of 43 wildlife units in the 

 upper Flathead, a notable 65 percent received final resource 

 values of Class I or II (Table 21). Eleven (26 percent) earned 

 Class I species value and seven (16 percent) earned Class I 

 habitat ratings. Reasons for high species values include the 

 presence of important grizzly bear habitat in 77 percent of the 

 upper Flathead's river units and the occurrence of breeding or 

 wintering bald eagle habitat in 64 percent of the units. Nearly 40 

 percent of the units contain both important bald eagle and grizzly 

 bear habitat. In addition, the only established population of the 

 endangered gray wolf in Montana occurs along the North Fork of the 

 Flathead River. 



Four units earned Class I ratings in both habitat and species 

 values. These included the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, a 

 segment of the Swan River just above Swan Lake, and the Flathead 

 main stem from Columbia Falls to Flathead Lake. These river 

 reaches contain exceptional riparian habitats with mature 

 Cottonwood forests, abundant wetlands, islands, and a myriad of 

 vegetation types. Of only seven streams statewide, the Flathead 

 main stem above Kalispell and the Middle Fork main stem earned the 

 maximum number of habitat quality points possible in the 

 assessment process. 



The Middle Fork's Class I species value stems from breeding 

 bald eagles and grizzly bear habitat, but this reach also provides 

 important seasonal ranges for deer, elk, mountain goat, moose, and 

 black bear. The braided section of the Flathead main stem earned 

 Class I species value because it supports one of the highest 

 breeding osprey densities in Montana as well as colonial nesting 



48 



