area are cool and moist types preferred for lynx denning habitat, although they are lodgepole pine 

 and not fir-dominated. Foraging habitat includes young dense lodgepole pine stands, and mature 

 forest stands with a well-developed shrub and seedling/sapling layer that support snowshoe 

 hares. No lodgepole stands in the project area are younger than 40 years old. However, there are 

 approximately 391 acres of mature forest within the project area that may serve as foraging 

 habitat. Lynx prefer habitat without plowed roads or snowmobile trails in winter. The large 

 footpad of a lynx allows the cat to use areas with deep snow that other carnivores are unable to 

 exploit (e.g., bobcat and coyote). 



Grizzly Bear 



Grizzly bear are the largest terrestrial predators in North America, feasting upon deer, rodents, 

 fish, roots and berries, as well as a wide assortment of vegetation (Hewitt and Robbins 1996). 

 Depending upon climate, abundance of food, and cover distribution, home ranges for male 

 grizzly bears in northwest Montana can range from 60 - 500 mi" (Waller and Mace 1997). The 

 search for food drives grizzly bear movement, with bears moving from low elevations in spring 

 to higher elevations in fall, as fruits ripen throughout the year. Bears are also very opportunistic 

 feeders and will scavenge on human-provided foods, including garbage, bird seed, and pet food. 

 The project area is approximately 39 miles south of the grizzly bear recovery area in the Northern 

 Continental Divide Ecosystem. However, in 2002. grizzly bears expanded their range to occupy 

 habitats within the Garnet Mountain Range, and south towards Drummond, Montana. Although 

 unconfirmed, a grizzly bear may be located in the vicinity (J. Jonkel, MT FWP, pers. comm., 

 November 2002). 



The grizzly bear analysis area follows Rock Creek north to the Clark Fork River, east to Flint 

 Creek, and then south to Eagle Canyon and Rock Creek, totaling 663 mi". Table 3-5 depicts land 

 ownership patterns within the grizzly bear analysis area. Using the DNRC GIS road layer, which 

 contains forest roads, highways, and some private roads, and the Beaverhead/Deerlodge National 

 Forest Travel Map, open road density within the grizzly bear analysis area was calculated as 

 being at least 1.66 miles/mi", with total road density being at least 1.93 miles/mi" (simple linear 

 calculation). Within the project area, open road density was calculated as being at least 0.0 

 miles/mi", and total road density at least 1.1 miles/mi" (simple linear calculation). 



63 



