The Hub Conservation Area - Montanans 4 Safe Wildlife Passage

Boulder DrainageSpeciesGeographic BoundaryThis forested linkage is set on thenortheast side of the Absaroka Range.The town of Big Timber forms thenortheast boundary, and the YellowstoneRiver is the northern boundary. Theeastern boundary runs between theBoulder River and Deer Creek south toSlough Creek. The southern boundary runsbetween Slough and Hellroaring Creeks.The western boundary swings west andnorth from Hellroaring Creek to includethe West Boulder Plateau north of thetown of Livingston.Importance of Linkage AreaThis area functions as a linkage betweenthe Yellowstone National Park to thesouth and the Crazy Mountains to thenorth. It also connects the Beartooths tothe Absarokas.Mountain ranges connected in thislinkage: Absarokas, Beartooths, andCraziesEcological SettingThis linkage contains the entire BoulderRiver watershed, including a widediversity of habitat on a highly variablelandscape. It extends from the edgeof the Yellowstone River valley to thehigh peaks of the Absaroka BeartoothWilderness Area, adjacent to YellowstoneNational Park. Lower elevation grasslandsborder the Yellowstone River corridor,with scattered patches of skunkbrush(Rhus trilobata), chokecherry (Prunusvirginiana), sagebrush (Artemisiatridentata spp.), Ponderosa pine (Pinusponderosa), and Rocky Mountain juniper(Juniperus scopulorum). Foothill areasare more consistently forested withDouglas-fir, with lodgepole pine (P.contorta), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa),and whitebark pine (P. albicaulis)becoming increasingly common aselevation increases. Scattered irrigatedhay land and pasture are present in lowerriparian areas associated with largeranches. A major road up the BoulderRiver valley provides access to theStillwater platinum/palladium mine inthe headwaters of the Boulder. Severallarge wildfires in this linkage have leftextensive areas of standing dead timber.Some lower elevation timber harvest hasoccurred in the linkage with a moderateroad density. At least one-third of thislinkage is included in the AbsarokaBeartooth Wilderness Area, which hasprevented most development fromoccurring. Elevations in the linkage varyfrom about 4,800 feet to nearly 11,000feet.WildlifeThis area has great wildlife habitat andprovides both riparian and high alpinehabitat.Grizzlies occupy this area, and areexpanding their ranges. The West Boulderand Livingston Peak to Mission Creekall have grizzly bear activity, includinga recent female with cubs. In theSpringdale area, there is the potential formovement north to the Crazies.Wolves: The Moccasin Lake pack lives inthe northern part of the linkage. Thereis a lot of wolf movement between BigTimber and Livingston, particularly aroundMcLeod, Mission Creek, Mount Greeley,and the West Boulder River.Wolverines occupy this area. Wolverinesigns have been found in the UpperBoulder River, Elephant Creek and Northand South Fork of Deep Creek.63