Surprisingly, the Dearborn River which brought the issue of 

 stream access to the forefront of Montana in the early 1980s, 

 received only a Class III in the sport fishery value. Known for 

 its mountain canyon for its lower 15 miles, the river's deep pools 

 and boulder-strewn rapids provide homes for rainbow and brown 

 trout . 



Wildlife 



The Rocky Mountain Front is a maze of canyons and limestone 

 cliffs towering over remnant buttes, peat bogs, swamps and 

 wetlands that comprises a broad diversity of unique wildlife 

 habitats. As spring snowmelt emerges from the Front's deep 

 canyons, it often passes into underground rivers emerging in the 

 foothills to make swamps and wetlands. Within a few hundred feet 

 of each other, one may encounter vegetative diversity ranging from 

 rough fescue and blue-bunch wheat grass to dense willow, aspen 

 stands and coniferous forests. And, with this wealth of diverse 

 habitats, an equally wealthy wildlife species community is found, 

 consisting of elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, mountain lion, black 

 bear, grizzly bear, golden eagles, prairie falcons, and long- 

 billed curlews, and more. 



Through the foresight of state, federal, and private entities, 

 many of these unique lands and habitats are protected. Two 

 national wildlife refuges, four state game ranges or waterfowl 

 production areas, a Forest Service Outstanding Research or Natural 

 Area, and the largest Nature Conservancy Preserve in Montana lie 

 within the boundaries of Rocky Mountain Front. In addition, a 

 nationally known sportsman organization, the Boone and Crockett 

 Club, recently purchased 6,000 acres of prime big game winter 

 range along the Front for wildlife protection and research 

 purposes. Pine Butte Swamp, a vegetative potpourri, provides 

 habitat for an equally diverse wildlife community, including 

 grizzly and black bears that frequent the marsh in the spring. 



Of the 15 wildlife units along the Rocky Mountain Front, five 

 received a final value of Class I, with three earning Class I 

 ratings in both habitat and species values (Table 45). With 

 statistics rivaling southwest Montana, 40 percent of the Rocky 

 Mountain Front units received a species rating of Class I and a 

 habitat rating of Class II or better. The Front's incredible 

 habitat diversity is the reason for these high species values. 

 Top-scoring river reaches included the upper portions of the 

 Teton and Marias rivers, as well as Dupuyer Creek. The Teton and 

 Dupuyer drainages, along with the upper Sun River, were three of 

 only ten units statewide that support large populations of white- 

 tailed deer, mule deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and black bear. 

 Additionally, these drainages and the Dearborn River are home to 

 grizzly bears, golden eagles, prairie falcons and a host of other 

 raptors. These often braided and meandering river channels and 

 springs also provide resting and wintering areas for migrating 

 waterfowl . 



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