The Hub Conservation Area - Montanans 4 Safe Wildlife Passage

Gallatin CanyonSpeciesGeographic BoundaryThis linkage extends along the GallatinRiver from Four Corners west of Bozemanto the Gallatin-Porcupine WildlifeManagement Area at the confluence ofBeaver Creek and Porcupine Creek withthe Gallatin River. Highway 191 runsthrough the middle of the linkage area.Importance of Linkage AreaThis narrow linkage lies betweentwo areas of core habitat, and largeradjoining linkages, in the northwesterncorner of the Greater YellowstoneEcosystem. It is a critical link tomaintaining regional population andhabitat integrity, particularly for largecarnivores.Mountain ranges connected in thislinkage: Gallatin Range, Spanish Peaks,and Madison Range.Ecological SettingThis narrow linkage follows the GallatinRiver from the Four Corners area, westof Bozeman, upstream to just above BigSky. The river corridor is bounded bysteep forested mountains and riparianhabitat is dominated by conifer andherbaceous species, primarily Engelmannspruce (Picea engelmannii), ratherthan deciduous species. Douglas-fir(Pseudotsuga menziesii) and lodgepolepine (Pinus contorta) are common on thelower slopes adjoining the river. Highway191 follows the river corridor throughoutthe linkage, and supports significanttraffic yearlong. Dispersed residences,small subdivisions, and businesses havedeveloped on private lands along theriver, partly as an outgrowth of the BigSky resort at the southern end of thelinkage. As a result of this development,there are places where roads parallel98both sides of the river. Elevation of thelinkage ranges between 5,000 feet and7,000 feet.WildlifeAlthough this is a small linkage, it iscritical to wildlife movement acrossthe Gallatin River, and throughout thewhole area. Wildlife movement betweenseasonal habitats is constrained to thenorth by development at the mouth ofthe Gallatin Canyon and further into theGallatin Valley, and to the southwestby development around the Big SkyResort. The area lies within yearlongand seasonal habitat for wolves, grizzlybear, wolverine, elk, moose, bighornsheep, and black bear, and nearly anylong range movement within the arearequires passing through Gallatin Canyon.Habitat for any of these species withina half mile of the Gallatin River itself isrendered unsuitable simply because of thelevel of traffic on Highway 191 and humandisturbance.Conservation ThreatsDevelopment: Private lands within theriver corridor are being developed forresidences or businesses.Recreation: Even though a large portionof the linkage lies on public lands wheredevelopment is precluded, the level ofhuman presence, either along the highwayor on the river, potentially displaceswildlife use.Highways: Wildlife mortalities fromvehicle collisions are commonplace in thecanyon, and nearly all species of wildlifenoted above have been involved. Thisnot only represents an ecological loss butalso is a serious threat to human safety.Highway 191 is a primary route to WestYellowstone and southeastern Idaho, and