Wildlife 



The lower Clark Fork River drainage's steep and dissected 

 terrain, fire history, and abundant public lands have led to its 

 notoriety as elk, deer, moose, sheep and goat country. Many 

 tributaries received exceptional species values because of their 

 high big game densities. Unfortunately, much of the riparian 

 habitat of the lower Clark Fork River has been altered by 

 construction of the three run-of-the-river hydroelectric projects, 

 as well as by railroads and highways, including Interstate 90 from 

 Missoula to St. Regis, which border the river for its entire 

 length. These human activities largely explain why most of the 

 lower Clark Fork main stem units received lower habitat quality 

 ratings of III or IV. 



What the lower Clark Fork River's 23 river units lack in 

 riparian habitat is balanced by high species (and occasionally 

 habitat) values along its tributaries. More than 75 percent of the 

 tributary units received a species rating of Class I or Class 11. 

 (Table 29). Large populations of, and critical habitat for big 

 game species such as white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, black 

 bear, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain lion, and furbearers such as 

 beaver, lynx, bobcat and marten, contributed greatly to these high 

 species values. In addition, grizzly bear habitat in the Cabinet- 

 Yaak ecosystem and critical bald eagle nesting and wintering areas 

 were important factors. Tributaries with a species ratings of 

 Class I included the Fish Creek, Bull River, and Vermilion River 

 drainages . 



Two reaches (nine percent) in the lower Clark Fork received a 

 final resource value of Class I. The Bull River from its 

 headwaters in the Cabinet/Yaak Wilderness to its confluence with 

 the Clark Fork near Noxon contained all the essential ingredients 

 for a Class I stream: habitat for grizzly bear and bald eagles, 

 high game and furbearer populations, and most notable, high 

 quality riparian habitat. In a region where streams are steep and 

 rivers are dammed, the lower Bull River's meandering floodplain of 

 wet meadows, bogs, and backwater sloughs is a unique resource. 



The remote and rugged Fish and Petty Creek drainages also 

 contain high quality wildlife characteristics. Known for its large 

 populations of mule deer, elk, and mountain lions. Fish Creek 

 originates high along the Idaho border and flows easterly to join 

 the Clark Fork about 40 miles west of Missoula. Upper portions of 

 the basin burned in the early 1900s and created a diversity of 

 important big game habitats. Adjacent Petty Creek supports a 

 growing bighorn sheep herd well known for trophy class rams. For 

 the most part, riparian habitat quality in both drainages is in 

 good to excellent condition. 



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