(Pseudotsuga menziesii) , v/estern larch (Larix occidental is) and 

 spruce fPicea spp.) with scattered areas of upland shrubs. Native 

 grassl£inds and subirrigated grasslands/hay meadows occupied many- 

 areas along the lower terraces adjacent to the river. Abundant big 

 game, upland game birds, and nongame wildlife populations inhabited 

 these areas. 



Lands adjacent to the reservoir are primarily under the juris- 

 diction of the U.S. Forest Service, Kootenai National Forest. The 

 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers administers a limited acreage adjacent 

 to the dam site, with scattered parcels of state and private lands 

 located along the reservoir. 



The Flood Control Act of 1950 (Public law 81-516) contained no 

 consideration for the wildlife resource of the area. Tlie Fish and 

 Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958 (Public Law 85-62) provided for 

 thie consideration of the wildlife resource. Based on the Coordina- 

 tion Act, an assessment of the impacts to the wildlife resources 

 (U.S. Dep. Inter. 1965) was prepared, and was the basis for the 

 development of measures to mitigate the impacts to the diverse 

 wildlife communities which inhabited the Kootenai River valley 

 prior to the construction of the Libby Dam project. These mea- 

 sures, although well intended, were not of sufficient magnitude to 

 fully compensate for the wildlife losses, and were not planned so 

 as to provide mitigation for the life of the project (100 years). 



R. AREA OF CONCERN 



The area addressed v^ithin this report included the habitats 

 (within the United States) lost due to inundation and where appro- 

 priate, due to highway construction and relocation of the railroad 

 grade (Figure 1). In instances where a species v;as wide ranging 

 and spent part of the year inhabiting ranges av/ay from the area of 

 concern (i.e. deer), a larger area was considered when determining 

 the qualitative impacts of the project. A zone of riparian habitat 

 was located adjacent to the Kootenai River and its tributaries. 

 Areas of subirrigated grasslands and hay meadows were found along 

 tlie alluvial valley floor. Upland habitats were primarily conif- 

 erous forests, v/ith scattered areas of upland shrubs. 



Abundant wildlife populations have historically inhabited the 

 area impacted by tlie project, with white-tailed deer (Odocoileus 

 virginianus) , mule deer (0^ hemionus) , and bighorn sheep (Ovis 

 caiiadensis) receiving priority r;anagement. The northern bald eagle 

 (Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascaiius) , currently listed as an 

 endangered species, nested v>/ithin the area and utilized the abun- 

 darit food supply of fish and bic game carrion during 'che v/inter. 

 llTie grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilus) , currently listed as a 

 threatened species in Montana, historically utilized the area with 

 primarily emphasis on the riparian bottoms. In addition to these 

 specieis, numerous game and non-game species inhabited the diverse 

 vegetational communities located along the Kootenai River valley. 

 Impact analyses include considerations of habitats inundated by the 



