Table 3-1: Landownership in the Fish Creek Fire Area 

 Land Owner Acres Percent 



Fish Creek 



Fish Creek is a perennial 5"' order Class 1 stream that is a tributary to the 

 Clark Fork River. The Fish Creek watershed drains approximately 

 166,094 acres. Elevations in this drainage ranges from 3,220 feet at Fish 

 Creek's confluence to 7,324 feet at Schley Mountain on the divide 

 between the West and South Forks of Fish Creek. The precipitation in this 

 area ranges from 25-70 inches, mostly occurring as snow. The geology of 

 the project area is argillites, siltites, and calcareous limestone derived from 

 Precambrian (Belt Series) meta-sediments bedrocks. Valley floor alluvial 

 deposits are mainly gravels and cobble deposits derived from the belt 

 rocks and localized lacustrine deposits of Glacial Lake Missoula silts. 

 (Refer to soils and geology discussion.) 



The only harvest planned at this time outside of South Fork Fish Creek 

 and the tributaries described are those located in the States ownership in 

 section 30, T14N, R24W. These parcels contain about 860 acres located 

 on mountain sideslopes and toeslopes above the Fish Creek in the lower 

 portion of the drainage. There are rocky ephemeral draws, but no streams 

 on the sideslopes of the proposed harvest area and there is no delivery 

 potential from this site. 



Deer Creek 



Deer Creek is a perennial 3'^'' order Class 1 stream that is tributary to Fish 

 Creek. The Deer Creek watershed drains approximately 7,456 acres. The 

 main stem of the stream channel is 5.8 miles long. The elevation ranges 

 from 3,223 feet to 6,719 feet. The precipitation ranges from 25-50 inches, 

 occurring mostly as snow. Steep gradient Rosgen A type channels form 

 the headwaters of the Deer Creek drainage that include incised ephemeral 

 and perennial stream reaches, some of which are discontinuous. The 

 middle portions of the Deer Creek drainage (DNRC's section 8) are 

 relatively stable with 2-4% gradient Rosgen B stream channel types with 

 predominately gravel, cobble, and sand class substrate. At the western 

 boundary of State section 8, Deer Creek's channel is steep, deep, and 

 incised. It flows down to an alluvial fan at Fish Creek Road and across a 

 flat to Fish Creek. The DNRC owns about 1,200 acres in the middle 

 portion of the Deer Creek watershed. The majority of the watershed is 

 Lolo National Forest and Plum Creek Timberlands' ownership. 



Fish Creek Salvage Environmental Assessment 3-2 



