OTHER 



OSPREY -, ».^ 



There are 2 known osprey nests that were 

 occupied in 1998 southeast of Beaver Lake 

 near the Beaver Lake Project area. While 

 ospreys are not under Federal protection or 

 considered sensitive species by DNRC, a local 

 landowner brought them up as a concern. 



Ospreys are migratory throughout most of 

 their range, spending the winter in Central 

 and South America and the spring-summer at 

 northern breeding grounds. Ospreys eat many 

 different species of medium-sized fish. 

 Ospreys nest on live trees, tall dead snags, 

 utility poles, rock pinnacles, buoys, cliffs, and 

 artificial nesting platforms. The particular 

 species of tree and surrounding tree density 

 are highly variable and do not appear to affect 

 nest-site selecHon. Although ospreys eat 

 primarily fish, they have been found nesting 

 up to 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) from water 

 (USFWS 1987). 



Many ospreys appear to be quite tolerant of 

 human achvity and will breed in areas fre- 

 quently and heavily used by humans. All 

 studies examining the effects of human activi- 

 ties on ospreys indicate that tolerance of 

 human activity was dependent on the timing 

 and frequency of such activity and the degree 

 of habituation to the activities. Ospreys 

 initiating nesting in or near an area with 

 human activity may be more tolerant of 

 subsequent human activities than those nest- 

 ing further from humans or those that begin 

 nesting with humans absent. Ospreys seem 

 most vulnerable to sudden activity occurring 

 during the critical periods of incubation and 

 early nestling stages (Vana-Miller 1987). 



WATER QUALITY 



INTRODUCTION 



AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 



This analysis accounts for cummulative im- 

 pacts from past management activities. 



ANALYSIS AREA 



The Beaver Lake project analysis area lies 

 approximately 4 air miles 

 northwest of Whitefish, Montana, and in- 

 cludes all or portions of Sections 7, 8, 16, 17, 

 18, 19, 20, 21, 28 and 29, Township 31 north. 

 Range 22 west. Pothole lakes, cliffs, benches, 

 and moraines formed by glacial activity that 

 occurred throughout the Pleistocene Epoch 

 and ended approximately 10,000 years ago 

 characterize the area. With one exception, the 

 tributary drainage features within the analysis 

 area are dry swales and ephemeral draws that 

 do not produce measurable inputs of water or 

 sediment to the pothole lakes. Beaver Creek, 

 the only perennial stream within the project 

 area, is the principle perennial outlet of Beaver 

 Lake and flows east through private land to its 

 confluence with Whitefish Lake (refer to 

 Existing Hydrology). 



In order to assess the potential cumulative 

 effects to water quality within the analysis 

 area, the Beaver Lake project area is subdi- 

 vided into 5 individually distinct 

 subwatersheds with their corresponding 

 watershed acres and DNRC ownership. 



m-igr 



Stillwater State Forest • Beaver Lake Timber Sale Project 



