4,051 acres of riparian habitats - primarily those habitats along 

 the tributaries - 159 acres of upland shrub, 7,159 acres of warm, 

 dry conifer (Table 1) reduced the amount of available brood-rearing 

 habitat for this species. 



Spruce grouse. This species lost year-round habitat when 

 14,959 acres of conifer habitat were inundated. Dense regeneration 

 stands (fire-induced) within these habitats provided the necessary 

 components to maintain a spruce grouse population (Jonkel and Greer 

 1963, Stoneberg 1964, Johnsgard 1975). 



Columbian sharp-tailed grouse. Grassland and upland shrub 

 areas inundated within the Tobacco Plains provided year-round habi- 

 tat for sharptails. A total loss of 1,360 acres of grassland 

 habitat as well as 2,557 acres of sub-irrigated grasslands were 

 inundated by the reservoir north of the original townsite of Rex- 

 ford (these acres were determined during the habitat mapping of the 

 pool area contained within the Rexford Topographic Map). Loss of 

 these areas resulted in a loss of habitats essential to maintaining 

 the remnant population. 



5) Estimated Losses Dug to !^hs. Project 



- Quantitative loss estinates - none were developed due to the 

 lack of density and population information for the area. 



- Qualitative loss estimates: 



- Ruffed grouse - high 



- Blue grouse - moderate 



- Spruce grouse - low 



- Columbian sharp-tailed grouse - low 



6) Derivation of Loss Estimates 



Quantitative loss estimates were not developed due to a lack 

 of population size and density estimates for the area. 



A qualitative loss estimate of high for impacts to the ruffed 

 grouse population was based on loss of 4,051 acres of riparian 

 habitat, 159 acres of upland shrub habitat, and 14,959 acres of 

 coniferous habitats. These habitats were important year-round 

 habitats needed for the maintenance of a resident ruffed grouse 

 population. Loss of these habitats resulted in a subsequent loss 

 of the resident ruffed grouse population from the inundated area. 

 Criteria (a) through (d) on page 9 were considered in developing 

 this estimate. 



Blue grouse habitat losses were estimated to have had a 

 moderate impact on the blue grouse population within the Kootenai 

 River valley. Tliis was ba.sed on the importance of open coniferous 

 forests (7,159 acres) and upland shrub lands (159 acres) as breed- 

 ing and brood rearing habitat. The loss of 4,051 acres of riparian 



56 



