The Hub Conservation Area - Montanans 4 Safe Wildlife Passage

the high potential for conflict with domesticlivestock, it is expected that tolerance forwolves will be low in this area.Pronghorn are found in the foothills and plainsareas surrounding the Little Belt Mountains.Westslope Cutthroat trout: The Little BeltMountains remain a stronghold for westslopecutthroat trout. Currently, there are 90 to 99%pure populations in tributaries of the South Forkof the Judith River, tributaries of TenderfootCreek and other areas in the Little Belts.Conservation ThreatsDevelopment: There is potential for theDry Fork of Belt Creek to be subdivided anddeveloped. There is also potential for furtherdevelopment in the Belt Park and Monarch toNeihart areas.Recreation: The Little Belt Mountains areheavily used for motorized recreation includingOHVs during the summer and snowmobiles inthe winter. Illegal OHV use off of designatedroutes can negatively impact ungulate habitateffectiveness. Snowmobile use in the wintermay negatively impact wolverines, particularlyaround denning habitat.Highways: U.S. Highway 89 bisects the LittleBelt Mountains from north to south and there issome wildlife mortality from vehicle collisions.Grazing conflicts exist between elk and cattleon both national forest land and on private landthat surrounds the Little Belt MountainsLivestock/carnivore issues are a problem insome areas, and conflicts would be expected toincrease if wolves settle in the area.Sanitation issues and black bear conflicts areproblems in the Monarch and Neihart areas andin some USFS campground areas.Mining: The Barker-Hughesville mining districtis a superfund site and is a persistent, low-levelthreat to wildlife.Lack of adequate hunter access to privateland and in some areas public land has reducedMontana Fish, Wildlife and Parks ability tomanage elk populations in some areas.Forest Management: The lack of fire and timbermanagement has resulted in a decline in habitatquality for ungulates in many areas.Conservation OpportunitiesThere is an opportunity to convert privateinholdings in the Dry Fork of Belt Creek areainto public land. There is an opportunity forthe USFS, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, andTenderfoot Land Trust to acquire private landin the lower Tenderfoot drainage and convertit into public ownership. Possible opportunityin the future for the USFS to block up checkerboardedUSFS parcels in the Sheep Creek areathrough land exchanges.New US Forest Service travel plan will helpreduce OHV and snowmobile conflicts withwildlife. There may be an opportunity forconservation easements in the future in someareas. Fencing opportunities to protectwestslope cutthroat trout streams from conflictswith livestock grazing. Prescribed burn andtimber management projects on USFS toimprove habitat conditions for ungulates. Alsopotential exists for aspen habitat improvementprojects.US Forest Service food storage ordinance toimprove sanitation issues on US Forest Servicecampgrounds to reduce black bear conflicts.Might be an opportunity to educate the publicabout sanitation issues and black bears.There is a need for better access to US ForestService land on the northeast side of the LittleBelts.121