The Hub Conservation Area - Montanans 4 Safe Wildlife Passage

claims within the area and 75 are being cleanedup, starting near Beaver Creek. Currently, minewaste is being hauled along Minnehaha CreekRoad to the Lutrell Pit, which is an open pitmine on the Continental Divide. The MontanaTunnels gold mine is also expanding near BoulderPass. There is a proposed gold mine on theBoulder River near Bernice.Conservation OpportunitiesThe northern half of this linkage area is withinthe Helena National Forest and the southernhalf is in the Beaverhead National Forest.Public commenting/Travel Plans: The publiccommenting process for forest managementactivities is a great opportunity for influencinghow wildlife connectivity is factored into forestmanagement. The Helena National Forest isinitiating travel planning for the ContinentalDivide area and the Blackfoot, which lies inthis linkage. Main considerations for wildlifeconnectivity under these forest managementrevisions include: how to manage recreationalneeds with wildlife need, and how to restrict ordivert access and travel routes across wildlifecorridors. Forest Service biologists are workingon aspen treatment projects in the Boulders,near the Little Blackfoot River.Community Working Groups are active in thearea; the Tenmile Watershed group is activein the Rimini cleanup; the Continental Divideworking group is active in trying to protect theContinental Divide near MacDonald Pass fromfurther development. The Clancy-UnionvilleCitizens Task Force has been active in forestmanagement.Land Conservation: In the last two years therehas been successful private lands conservationaround the Continental Divide. Any conservationeasements or stewardship agreements thatcould be negotiated on private lands close tothe Continental Divide will benefit wildlife.There are several large ranches between Butteand Anaconda for sale; any conservation onprivate land would be beneficial.134