The Hub Conservation Area - Montanans 4 Safe Wildlife Passage

Several bighorn sheep herds form ametapopulation in the Sapphire linkage. TheSkalkaho herd has some interchange betweenthe East Fork of the Bitterroot herd. The UpperRock Creek herd moves around east of SandstoneRidge and Scotchman Gulch southward to themain stem of Rock Creek and Highway 38.There are about 300 bighorn sheep in the UpperRock Creek-Ram Mountain area; these weretransplants from the Sun River area. Some ofthe biggest rams in the state are harvestedfrom this area. The Lost Creek bighorn herdmoves from the southern end of the Flint CreekRange in the east, to the Anaconda-Pintlers inthe west, and Rock Creek area to the north.This same herd can often be seen along theroad near the West [Philipsburg] Valley, crossingat Mill Creek. They interact with the Garrisonherd.A few pronghorn live in the Bitterroot Valley.They move across Rock Creek at the low saddleat Pine Hollow Creek/ Hogback Saddle intoPhilipsburg Valley. They migrate through thePhilipsburg Valley to Kleinschmidt Flats area tothe north of the linkage area.Grizzly bear numbers are low in the Sapphirelinkage, but a key area is Silver Lake to WarmSprings, a narrow, 1 ½ mile wide area thatconnects the Flint Creeks to the Anaconda-Pintlers. The entire Sapphire area has thepotential to provide linkage habitat for grizzlybear.Wolverines exist in the Sapphire linkage. Veryimportant habitat centers on the Upper RockCreek and Sand Basin areas.Wolves are present in the Martin Creek, RyeCreek, and Sleeping Child Creek drainages,where there are the Sapphire, Upper Willow,and Bearmouth packs. Connectivity for wolvesin this area is bounded by Flint Creek andWillow Creek. The foothills in this area are veryimportant, but not well recognized.The Georgetown to Anaconda part of the linkagearea has high berry production, and is veryvaluable wildlife habitat for grizzly bear, lynxand elk.162Conservation ThreatsIntermountain valley in transition: On thewest side of this linkage, the Bitterroot Valleyhas been called an intermountain valley intransition. It is changing from its logging/agricultural past into a bedroom community forMissoula. Use of land use planning tools thatwould address wildlife connectivity and exurbangrowth are in the very beginning stages withinthis linkage area.Limited connectivity: As population increases,winter ranges of ungulates along the foothills ofthe valleys are squeezed, and connectivity forthe ungulates, and their carnivore predators,becomes increasingly limited.Animal-vehicle collisions along Highway 93 arefrequent, especially for bighorn sheep north ofDarby. There are 30,000 commuters a day alongHighway 93, so this threat is likely to continueto increase.Disease transmission between domestic andbighorn sheep is a threat, especially with theincreasing number of hobby farms. Invasiveweeds are also an issue.Habitat fragmented by logging: For years, themountains in this linkage area (the Sapphiresand Flint Creek) were heavily logged. The oldlogging roads still have potential for fragmentinghabitat, especially with intense off-highwayvehicle use.Livestock-carnivore conflicts: The UpperWillow wolf pack has had some lethal controlbecause of livestock conflict; the risk of conflictis high among landowners with livestock. Thereare some conflicts with wolves and sheepgrazing on public land allotments in this linkage.Because of the history of livestock-carnivoreconflicts, social intolerance for wolves is highin this linkage. Some biologists stated that theSkalkaho wolf pack is also likely to experienceconflicts in the future.Development: The aesthetics and amenabletopography of the Sapphire linkage puts theentire area under threat of development,especially the Philipsburg Valley, and muchprivate land from Silver Lake, Lost Creek andHerst Creek is very vulnerable to development.