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Northern Rocky Mountain wolf 



The most salient activity pertinent to wolf conservation has been 

 participation on the Northern Rocky Mountain wolf Recovery Team. Side 

 effects of Recovery Team activity have included compilation of a 

 substantial number of reports of wolf sightings, howling, and mortalities, 

 or evidence of wolf activity (tracks, scats, kill sites). A summation of 

 these reports is presented in the Introduction of the Draft Recovery Plan 

 (Anon. 1978). 



The Recovery Team developed and distributed forms for recording wolf 

 sightings (Appendix VI) and evidence of wolf activity (Appendix VII). 

 Completed forms are filed by area and year. Efforts are made to follow 

 up all reports with interviews and/or field reconnaissance to evaluate 

 report validity. Nearly all Montana wolf reports have come from two 

 widely separated areas. Montana Department of Fish and Game involvement 

 in such follow-up has been very limited due to lack of manpower and money. 



Life history and basic ecology of the wolf has been discussed by Flath 

 (1975b). Public information has been disseminated via mass media on 

 numerous occasions. 



Assuming the availability of additional funds for wolf conservation, the 

 following should be implemented: 



1. Intensify survey and inventory efforts in those areas which have 

 consistently produced good reports of wolf activity within the 

 past 2 years; 



2. Conduct intensive field surveys in response to new reports of wolf 

 activity: and 



3. Attempt to identify seasonal use patterns. 



These efforts constitute a basic survey and inventory effort for wolves. 

 Management considerations should be deferred pending compilation of 

 suitable survey and inventory data. 



Black-footed ferret 



Reports of ferret occurrence in Montana have been compiled, but few 

 follow-up surveys have been made. Four localities are presently suspected 

 of harboring black-footed ferrets. One site has produced a confirmed 

 sighting and efforts are currently underway to reach an agreement with 

 landowners to insure perpetuation of ferrets in that area. Strong 

 circumstantial evidence of ferret activity has been recorded at a second 

 site for 3 consecutive years (1975, 1976, 1977). A third site has 

 produced a good, but unverified, sighting; follow-up investigations 

 revealed strong circumstantial evidence of ferret activity in 1976 and 

 1977. A fourth site has produced two good, but unverified sightings of 

 ferrets. The two reports were made independent of one another, but 

 follow-up investigations have not been made. 



