and avoid forests with little overhead cover and open areas (Coulter 1966, 

 Powell 1977, Kelly 1977, Clem 1977, Powell 1978). For resting and 

 denning, fishers typically use hollow trees, logs and stumps, brush piles, 

 and holes in the ground (Coulter 1966, Powell 1977). Because fishers 

 prefer stands with dense canopy cover, areas that have experienced high 

 intensity fires would not be suitable fisher habitat for several decades. 

 However, newly created snags would provide needed coarse woody debris 

 over time. 



Within a 1-mile radius of the areas burned during the Fish Creek 

 Complex, there are approximately 24,489 acres of fisher preferred habitat 

 types on School Trust (4,269 acres) and USFS lands (20,220 acres). Of 

 these acres, approximately 2,295 acres occur within the burned area on 

 School Trust land, and approximately 802 acres would be considered 

 under the proposed salvage. 



3.2.3.3 Other Sensitive Species 



3.2.3.3.1 Harlequin Duck 



Harlequin ducks require white-water streams with boulder and cobble 

 substrates for nesting and breeding. Harlequins usually nest under bushes 

 along rocky shores that are adjacent to the rapids of mountain streams. 

 They typically dive 3 to 5 feet in the swift currents in search of food along 

 the streambed. Typical food items are primarily animal food, consisting 

 of: crustaceans, mollusks, insects, and echinoderms and fish (Bellrose 

 1980). Thus, water quality is an issue for harlequin ducks so that they can 

 continue to find food during the breeding season. 



Since 1991 4 nests and a lone male harlequin duck have been located in 

 the Fish Creek drainage (Montana Natural Heritage Database). Three 

 nests were located upstream (i.e., south) of the burned area, and should 

 thus, be unaffected by the proposed action. The fourth nest is located in 

 section 2, T13N, R25N, on a tributary to Bear Creek, outside of the burned 

 area, and upstream of the proposed action. No effects are expected for this 

 nest as a result of the proposed action. The sighting of a lone male 

 harlequin duck was in section 7 of the Deer Creek drainage, and would be 

 located downstream of proposed actions in this drainage. With the high 

 intensity, stand replacing fire that burned Deer Creek, there currently are 

 no shrubs under which nesting could occur. However, because of the 

 prevalence of harlequin ducks in the Fish Creek system, effects of the 

 proposed action on this species will be analyzed. 



Fish Creek Salvage Environmental Assessment 3-22 



