• Reclose roads and skid trails 

 opened with proposed activities 

 to reduce the potential for 

 unauthorized motor vehicle use. 



• Using a combination of 

 topography, group retention, and 

 roadside vegetation buffers, 

 reduce views into harvest units 

 along open roads . 



• Harvesting activities would be 

 conducted to limit disturbance 

 in grizzly bear habitat by using 

 the following methods: 



- harvesting during the denning 

 period (November 15 through 

 March 15) 



- harvesting along open roads, 

 or 



- harvesting for short-duration, 

 high- intensity periods on 

 closed roads. 



Issue 



There is concern that timber 

 harvesting could alter habitat or 

 create disturbance that would be 

 detrimental to the gray wolf. 



Existing Environment 



The Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf 

 Recovery Plan defines 3 recovery 

 areas for the gray wolf {USFWS 

 1987) . The proposed project area 

 falls within the Northwest Montana 

 Wolf Recovery Area. 



The wolf is a wide-ranging species 

 whose habitat contains adequate 

 vulnerable prey and minimal human 

 disturbance. Primary prey species 

 in northwestern Montana are white- 

 tailed deer, elk, moose, and mule 

 deer. The distribution of wolves 

 is strongly associated with the 

 white-tailed deer winter range. 



Typically, wolves in Montana den 

 in late April. Wolves choose 

 elevated areas in gentle terrain 

 near a water source (valley 

 bottoms) , close to meadows or 

 other openings, and near big game 



wintering areas for dens and 

 rendezvous sites. Within the 

 proposed project area, a number of 

 these important habitats occur, 

 including meadows and openings, 

 some big game winter range, and 

 several water sources . Wolves are 

 most vulnerable to human 

 disturbance at den and rendezvous 

 sites . 



Wolves and wolf sign have been 

 documented on adjacent portions of 

 Stillwater State Forest and Plum 

 Creek Timber Company lands to the 

 east of the project area. The 

 newly identified Lazy Creek pack 

 has been using Plum Creek 

 timberlands approximately 7 miles 

 southeast of the proposed project 

 area. Reproduction in the 

 Whitefish pack was documented on 

 the same block of Plum Creek 

 timberland east of the proposed 

 project area during the spring of 

 2000. The Grave Creek pack has 

 been using portions of Stillwater 

 State Forest and FNF 13 to 15 

 miles northwest of the proposed 

 project area (T. Meier, USFWS, 

 personal coimnunication, September 

 2002) . Wolves likely use the 

 vicinity of the proposed project 

 area for hunting, breeding, and 

 other life requirements. 



Cumulative effects were analyzed 

 on the contiguous Stillwater State 

 Forest. 



Direct and Jndirect Effects 



• Direct and Indirect Effect* ofJVo-, Iction 

 ,llternatice A on Gray \Volce» 



Disturbance to wolves would not 

 increase. Forest canopy closure 

 would continue to decrease big 

 game forage, while slightly 

 improving thermal cover in the 

 area. In the short term, white- 

 tailed deer habitat would 

 decrease with the reduction in 

 forage production, thereby 

 reducing big game use of the 

 area and, thus, decreasing wolf 

 prey in the area. Wolf use of 

 the proposed project area would 



Appendix. E-Wildlife Analysis 



Page E-13 



