Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks 

 Wildlife Division 



Draft Environmental Assessment 



HUGHES LIVESTOCK COMPANY/DIPPING VAT COULEE 

 PROPOSED ACQUISITION 



I. INTRODUCTION 



The state of Montana recxDgnizes certain native plant communities constituting \A^ldlife 

 habitat are worthy of perpetual conservation. Those communities include riparian, 

 sagebrush-grassland, and intermountain grassland. It has been determined that the 

 Dipping Vat Coulee property, owned by the Hughes Livestock Company, is extremely 

 important wildlife habitat and warrants such consideration. Fee title acquisition of the 

 property was offered to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MFWP) by 

 Hughes Livestock Company in April, 1996. The MFWP Region Four Supervisor 

 submitted a formal project proposal to Wildlife Division and Field Services 

 Administrators in May, 1996. The Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission reviewed the 

 proposal and directed the Department to pursue the acquisition at their June 26, 1996 

 meeting. 



11. AUTHORITY AND DIRECTION 



MFWP is authorized by statute (87-1-201) to protect, enhance and regulate the use of 

 Montana's fish and wildlife resources for public benefit now and in the future. In 1987, 

 the Montana Legislature passed HB526 which earmarked hunting license revenues to 

 secure wildlife habitat through lease, conservation easement, or fee title acquisition 

 (87-1-241 and 242). This is now referred to as the Habitat Montana Program. The 

 Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission and in most cases the State Land Board must 

 approve any acquisition of land proposed by the agency. This Environmental 

 Assessment is part of the decision making process. 



III. LOCATION OF PROJECT and PHYSIOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS 



The proposal area consists of a 2,143.13 acre inholding on the eastern edge of the 

 Judith River Wildlife Management Area (JRWMA). The JRWMA is located adjacent to 

 the east-central edge of the Little Belt Mountains and the Lewis and Clark National 

 Forest in Judith Basin County; approximately 60 air miles southeast of Great Falls, 40 



