The Hub Conservation Area - Montanans 4 Safe Wildlife Passage

West Fork BitterrootSpeciesGeographic BoundaryWest Fork of the Bitterroot is a heavilyforested linkage south of the BitterrootValley. The Lost Trail Pass linkage area isto the east. This linkage area is borderedon west and south by the Bitterroot/Salmon River Mountains and the FrankChurch Wilderness area.Importance of Linkage AreaThis area is a critical linkage thatconnects the south end of the BitterrootValley with the Salmon River Mountainsto the south, the Sapphire Mountains andAnaconda-Pintlers to the east. It alsoconnects the Salmon River Mountains tothe Lost Trail linkage area.Mountain ranges connected in thislinkage: Bitterroot, Sapphire, SalmonRiver, Anaconda-Pintlers.Ecological SettingThe West Fork Bitterroot linkage is arugged, heavily forested mountain areaspanning the Continental Divide generallybetween Horse Creek Pass and Lost TrailPass, and extending northward to aboutDarby, at the south end of the BitterrootRiver valley. This high elevation, remotearea supports extensive conifer forestdominated by lodgepole pine (Pinuscontorta), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii), Engelmann spruce (Piceaengelmannii), and subalpine fir (Abieslasiocarpa) at higher elevations, andponderosa pine (P. ponderosa) andwestern larch (Larix occidentalis) atlower elevations. Several wild fires haveburned in this linkage leaving large areasof standing dead timber and shrub fieldsof red alder (Alnus rubra), menziesia(Menzeisia ferruginea) and othershrubs. Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax)is locally common in this linkage area.The backcountry of this area is largelyunroaded although the West Fork roadbisects the area from Highway 93 throughPainted Rocks State Park and over theContinental Divide into the upper SelwayRiver. Highway 93 and Lost Trail Ski Areaare located just east of this linkage.Elevations in the linkage range from about4,000 feet near Darby to about 8,000 feetalong the Continental Divide.WildlifeThis area is great wildlife habitat, withdeep snow, riparian bottoms, and meadowcomplexes.Elk are dispersed in small groups of20-30 animals throughout the winter,moving into Lost Trail and the FrankChurch Wilderness in the summer. Someelk migrate through this linkage as theymove between the Bitterroot and BigHole valleys. Elk also winter in the TinCup area near Darby; this area is veryproductive area and can sustain 200-300wintering elk. Overwhich and HughesCreek drainages are major wintering areasfor moose.Bighorn Sheep: There are five separatebands of native bighorn sheep. ThePainted Rocks herd (about 150 sheep) isessentially a non- migratory herd, whilethe Nez Perce herd moves between thislinkage area and the Selway ecosystemin Idaho, with 15-20 of these bighornsheep consistently wintering in Montana.This area has heavy conifer cover, andtherefore is not great wintering habitat,but is still critical for them sincestatewide, numbers of bighorn sheep(particularly native populations) are low.Wolf: There is a wolf pack that centers onLittle Blue Joint that moves between thislinkage and the Frank Church Wilderness.187