The Hub Conservation Area - Montanans 4 Safe Wildlife Passage

west towards the Garnet Range. The FairmontHot Springs to Brown’s Gulch area in thesouth end of the linkage, just west of Butte,is a wildlife corridor that animals use to movebetween the Boulders and the Mt. Haggin area.Grizzly: The Little Blackfoot River drainage isgreat habitat for grizzly. Former Montana Fish,Wildlife and Parks biologists state grizzly bearpresence in Tenmile Creek near Rimini, andthere are grizzly in Blackfoot Meadows area onthe west side of the Continental Divide, andaround Electric Peak. There are accounts ofgrizzlies making their way to the south end ofthis linkage area. A grizzly was killed in CabbageGulch within the Blackfoot Wildlife ManagementArea near Anaconda.Wolves: There are young wolves withinTelegraph Creek.Wolverines are moving through the area.Genetic samples from two separate malewolverines were collected near the Divide atMacDonald Pass in the winter of 2008. TheLittle Blackfoot River drainage is great habitatfor wolverine. There is important denninghabitat for wolverine near the BlackfootRoadless Area and in the Boulder River-Thunderbolt Creek area. Wolverine have alsobeen located in the Brooklyn Bridge Ridge area.Lynx: A male lynx within the Telegraph Creekarea has been very active; this is a localizedpatch of excellent lynx habitat.Elk: The Little Blackfoot River, PricklyPear Creek, Elk Park Boulder River, and Mt.Haggin are great habitat for elk. There areapproximately 1000 west of the divide and 1200east of the divide.Moose are found throughout this linkagebut are prevalent along the west side of theContinental Divide in this linkage, where thehabitat is wetter than the east side. They followthe Little Blackfoot River up to Electric Peakand into Little Blackfoot Meadows. The areaaround Silver Bow Creek, between the BoulderMountains and Butte is good moose habitat.Fisher: There have been a few tracks foundaround the Tenmile area, although the fisherhabitat in this area is marginal.133Conservation ThreatsDevelopment: Within this linkage area, manyprivate in-holdings and old mining claimswithin the Forest exist and could be developed(particularly around the Rimini area). Thereis also a lot of private land in subdivision anddevelopment in the southern end of the linkagearea, between Anaconda and Butte.Recreation: There is pressure to open thisentire area to recreational vehicle use,particularly around the Hahn Creek area nearthe Continental Divide. There are many roadswithin the Forest and the easy road accessfor snowmobiling and late spring skiing couldnegatively affect wolverine and lynx, especiallyif development and populations continueto increase. Snowmobile activity aroundCottonwood Lake is particularly an issue. Thereis a lot of motorized off road activity in thearea near Thunderbolt/Electric Peak. A biathlonfacility is being proposed for the narrowestpart of the wildlife corridor at MacDonald Pass,which is just to the immediate north of thelinkage area; the corridor is only a mile and ahalf wide at this point, and, if this facility isbuilt, the remaining connectivity of the area willpotentially weaken.Highways: Interstate 90, in the south end ofthe linkage area, significantly fragments habitatand cause animal-vehicle collisions. There is apush to create a scenic loop within the Riminiarea; biologists fear this would increase humanpresence, traffic volume, and further habitatfragmentation. Currently, animals are beingkilled as they cross Highway 12 in the northend of the linkage area. In the last few years,wolves, lynx, and ungulates have been killed (aswell as ungulates). The highest level of road killoccurs between Avon and Garrison. Elk regularlycross Highway 12 between Garrison and Helena.Conflict: There is a lot of intolerance forwolves in the Boulder Mountains.Mining: There is the ever-present threat ofmining in this linkage. Currently, there is ahuge Environmental Protection Agency arseniccleanup plan in the Tenmile Creek/Rimini areajust south of this linkage. There are 150 mining