weather in late summer and then was followed by the driest September a..4 October 
On record. As a result, raservoirs and shallow prairis lskas yntered tha winter 
oF 1948-49 with low water levels, especially in the northern prairis and seuth- 
fnstern Montana, 
The winter weather of 1948-49 was of unusuel severity and duration, Snowfall, 
however, was exceptionally Light in the northern prairie region. Cradual thawing, 
during late February, permnitted snow to melt and penstrete into the «round. In- 
adequate surface run-off water was the result. 
The placiated ared lyins north of the Missouri River between Sheiby and the 
North Dakota border did not coxpericnes heavy surface rim-off waters during the 
spring of 1948. Durlog ths nine-month period, ending with May 1949, much of this 
tesa averaged only 2 to 35 percant of normal precipitation. This dry condition 
extended from Shelby to 9 point due north of Miles City. 
In som@ arsas of the creat plains, this combination of little run-off water 
and warn, dry spring weather was, perhaps, more extreme than during eny spring 
of tne past BO or 40 years, according te tha memory of loesl residents. Many 
of the small reservoirs were dry end some of the Llaresr impoundments were found 
With water levels which ordinsrily woule be normal Qurin¢ a fall low-water period. 
Many large shallov-marsh arece of the Hicthiine were completely dry. 
Drought conditions continued inte lats summer in the areas most seriocusly 
affected, In other areas the Lats summer months tended toward more nermal ore- 
cipitation. Water arsas, however, continued their downward trend and became 
either dry or low depending uson their permanent character or local rainfall 
conditions. 
The condition of the craps in som? areas of Nontann were visible sridencs 
of the drought experienced in 1949. In the northern prairie rerion sand in southn- 
easter Montana winter wheat was almost a completes loss and sprinr wheat pro- 
duced a yery short crop, 
Flathsed VYalillsy, the Balekfoot Yallsy and other mountain yellevs exasrisnced 
shortacs of Ttun-off water and precipitation, but not se critically as the sastern 
plains. 
Results 
The general drought condition encountered throufhout Vontana accounted for 
what we believe to be 4 lewer than "normal" occupancy of the State by breeding 
hirds, 
One thousand fifty-six squares miles of waterfowl habitat were cangused by 
gair. The g@reatest concentration of weterfnwl was found in the Flathead Yalley 
(Trend area A, Figure lL}, Four thousand three hundred severnty-four birds ce¢tu- 
pied this terminal merains srsa of #1 square miles, avararing 54 birds per squars 
mile (Tables 1}. East of the mountains, the number of birds in a riven atea ranged 
from $.7 birds per square mils in the Great Falle Piedmont arses (which 15 a portion 
of the northern glaciated prairie lying between the Rocky Mountains and Grsat Falls} 
to 1.5 birds per aquar? mile in the southern unglaciated rerion (Table 1), 
Several individual transects had bigh ¢oncentrations of birds, but genarally tha 
number af birds per transsct was low. With the exception of certain localized 
areas, the waterforl breeding babitat for the State of Montana during 1949 was 
af low quality. 
430 
