The Hub Conservation Area - Montanans 4 Safe Wildlife Passage

Big BeltsSpeciesGeographic BoundaryThis linkage area is primarily comprisedof the Big Belt Mountains. They arebordered by the Canyon Ferry-HelenaValley on the west, and the Smith RiverValley on the east, the Bridger Mountainsto the south.Importance of Linkage AreaThis linkage area connects animalsmoving southeast out of the Sawtooths/Marysville area with the BridgerMountains and, ultimately, the northernend of the Greater Yellowstoneecosystem to the south. It could functionas a link between the Sawtooths (RockyMountain Front) and the Little BeltMountains.Mountain ranges connected in thislinkage: Sawtooths (Rocky MountainFront) and Bridgers.Ecological SettingThe Big Belts are an isolated mountainrange on the east side of the MissouriRiver drainage, adjacent to Canyon Ferryreservoir. The linkage is mostly forestedby Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)with lodgepole pine (P. contorta) andwhitebark pine (P. albicaulus) at higherelevations intermixed with open meadowsand riparian valleys. South-facing slopesare typically less heavily forested thannorth-facing slopes and higher elevations.Foothills are drier with scattered RockyMountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)and limber pine (P. flexilis) and a varietyof shrubs on some sites. At the lowestelevations, all tree cover gives way tograsslands and scattered big sagebrushstands (Artemisia tridentata spp.). Manyof these habitats have been convertedto dry land grain and irrigated cropland,57particularly on the alluvial flats on theeast side of Canyon Ferry Reservoir.Timber harvest has occurred throughoutthe linkage, particularly on the north end,using a high density road network, wherethere is a distinct checkerboard patternof land ownership. Extensive forestedareas remain intact and unroaded in thecentral part of the linkage. Highway12 crosses the south end of the linkage.Elevations in the linkage range from about3,500 feet adjacent to Canyon FerryReservoir to over 9,500 feet.WildlifeThis area currently functions primarilyas a movement corridor for carnivoresand ungulates. The northern end ofthe Big Belts is the most likely linkagesto the Little Belt Mountains to the eastacross the Upper Smith River Valley fromthe Birch Creek drainage north to theMilligan Hill area, encompassing the DryRange.Grizzly bears: This area could serve as apotential north-south movement corridor.There have been unconfirmed reports ofgrizzly bear around York.Black bear can be found throughout theBig Belts.Wolves have been reported in thislinkage area, particularly around theEdith Lake area. On a regional scale,this linkage is thought to be a potentialnorth-south corridor for wolves movingbetween the Greater Yellowstone andNorthern Continental Divide ecosystem.Wolverines have been sighted yeararoundin the Gates of the Mountainsarea; the area at Sweats Creek betweenYork and Nelson is potential denninghabitat, with many fallen trees fromstorms. The entire crest of the BigBelts, such as Boulder-Baldy, is potential