-21- 



This will mean a loss of habitat for ferruginous hawks even if the land 

 itself is left intact and not altered during development." 



Since eleven of the 14 nests (including both active nests) located in 

 1977 occurred on Department- owned property, the following management 

 recommendations were made: 



1. Prohibit human activity within four hundred (400) yards of all 

 nesting sites from March 1 to June 1. This closure should be 

 only an on-ground management measure. Use of signs should be 

 avoided since signs may call attention to the birds and thus 

 cause additional problems. 



2. Prohibit human activity within one hundred-fifty (150) yards of 

 those nesting sites which contain young from June 1 to July 20. 

 Again, signing should be avoided. 



3. Maintain an adequate prey base by prohibiting any poisoning or 

 other large scale control of ground squirrels, marmots, jack 

 rabbits or chipmunks. Occasional sport shooting of these species 

 should have no appreciable effect on net availability of prey. 



ENDANGERED SPECIES ACTIVITIES 



Section 26-1802(4), R.C.M. 1947 defines endangered species as "any 

 species or subspecies of wildlife actively threatened with extinction 

 due to any of the following factors: 



(a) the destruction, drastic modification, or severe curtailment of 

 its habitat, or 



(b) its overutilization for scientific, commercial or sporting 

 purposes, or 



(c) the effect on it of disease, pollution, or predation, or 



(d) other natural or man-made factors affecting its propsects of 

 survival or recruitment within the state, or 



(e) any combination of the foregoing factors." 



An official list of Montana's endangered species pursuant to Sec. 26-1805, 

 R.C.M. 1947 was established by the 1975 Montana Legislature in the form 

 of House Joint Resolution No. 41. This list includes the American 

 peregrine falcon (.Fatco peregrinus anatum), the whooping crane (Grus 

 ameviaanoi) , the Northern Rocky Mountain wolf {Canis lupus irremotus ) and 

 the black-footed ferret {Mustela nigvipes) . 



Due to lack of funding most activities on endangered species can be 



categorized as administrative, informative and educational. Reports of 



endangered species occurrence have been routinely compiled, but few 

 follow-up investigations have been made. 



