Appendix W 

 Happy Valley Wildlife 



Big game hiding cover would be reduced with the proposed activities, thereby increasing elk and 

 deer vulnerability. In the short-term, as regeneration advances in the understory, hiding cover 

 would improve, however, security cover would still be absent from the state parcel. No changes to 

 public access are expected, so changes in hunting pressure are unlikely. Limited habitat and close 

 proximity to housing developments would likely reduce deer and elk use of the area during the 

 general hunting seasons. Regulations restricting firearm use and high levels of human 

 development would continue to limit hunting opportunity on the state section. 



Cumulative Effects 



No-Action Alternative 



Over time habitats on the state parcel would become denser, offering greater hiding cover, 

 benefiting big game using the state section during the hunting seasons. No improvement in big 

 game security is anticipated since no changes in access are expected. High road densities and 

 considerable development in the analysis area would continue to prevent elk and deer use of the 

 area for security cover. Any future activities in the analysis area would not be expected to improve 

 big game security in the analysis area due to the anticipated human growth in the area. Hunter 

 success in the proposed project area and the hunting district are not expected to change. 



Action Alternative 



Negligible changes to big game survival are anticipated. No changes in big game security are 

 anticipated. A reduction in hiding cover caused by the proposed harvest would be additive to the 

 reductions associated with human developments in the area and recent harvesting activities. The 

 effects of these reductions in cover are minimal because of the development and subdivision 

 occurring within the relative vicinity, likely reducing big game use and subsequently hunter use of 

 the area. Hunter success in the vicinity may experience a slight decline with a reduction in suitable 

 hiding cover in the near-term, however the shifts in big game use and subsequently hunter success 

 would be localized and would not influence hunter success rates at the hunting district level. 



Mitigation Measures Included: 



• Minimize number of open roads and restrict access on old roads and skid trails to reduce the 

 potential for unauthorized motor vehicle traffic. 



b. Big Game Winter Range 



Issue: There is concern that timber harvesting activities associated with this proposed project could 

 reduce cover important for the survival of wintering elk, white-tailed deer, and mule deer. 



Existing Environment 



Winter ranges enable big game survival by minimizing the effects of severe winter weather conditions, 

 which can be limiting for populations. Winter ranges tend to be relatively small areas that support 

 large numbers of big game, which are widely distributed during the remainder of the year. Winter 

 ranges suitable for buffering the effects of severe winter conditions have adequate midstory and 

 overstory to reduce wind velocity and intercept snow, while moderating ambient temperatures. 

 Besides providing a moderated climate, the snow-intercept capacity effectively lowers snow depths, 

 which enables big game movement and access to forage. 



Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (DFWP) identified the proposed project area as white-tailed deer 

 (Odocoileiis virginianus) winter range. The winter range within the project area is a part of a huge 

 complex that extends south along Flathead Lake and to the north of Whitefish Lake. Approximately 

 430 acres of the 117,000-acre winter range fall within the state section. The state parcel is 

 geographically on the edge of this larger winter range. The winter range on the state section ranges 

 from 3,000 to 3,300 feet in elevation, which are generally some of the lower elevations within this 



W-11 



