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Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area Expansion

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Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area Expansion Land Protection Plan Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area Expansion February 2011 Prepared by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex 922 Bootlegger Trail Great Falls, Montana 59404-6133 406 / 727 7400 http://www.fws.gov/bentonlake and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 6, Division of Refuge Planning P. O. Box 25486 DFC Denver, Colorado 80225 303 / 236 4378 303 / 236 4792 fax http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/planning/lpp.htm CITATION U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2011. Land Protection Plan, Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area. Lakewood, Colorado: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Mountain-Prairie Region. 70p. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service policy, a land protection plan has been prepared to analyze the effects of expanding the Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area in western Montana. ■ The Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area Expansion Land Protection Plan describes the priorities for acquiring up to an additional 125,000 acres in conservation easements within an expanded project boundary of 918,600 acres. Note: Information contained in the maps within this document is approximate and does not represent a legal survey. Ownership information may not be complete Contents Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................................. iii 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Project Description .............................................................................................................................................. 1 Issues ...................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Biological Issues Identified During Scoping ............................................................................................... 3 Socioeconomic Issues Identified During Scoping ...................................................................................... 5 Issues Not Selected for Detailed Analysis ................................................................................................. 5 National Wildlife Refuge System and Authorities .......................................................................................... 5 Related Actions and Activities .......................................................................................................................... 6 Habitat Protection and the Easement Acquisition Process .......................................................................... 6 Conservation Easements .................................................................................................................................... 6 2 Area Description and Resources ............................................................................................................................................. 9 Biological Environment ....................................................................................................................................... 9 Climate ............................................................................................................................................................. 9 Climate Change .............................................................................................................................................. 9 Adaptation, Mitigation, and Engagement .................................................................................................. 10 Geological Resources ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Habitat ............................................................................................................................................................. 11 Wildlife ............................................................................................................................................................. 12 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................................................... 13 Socioeconomic Environment ............................................................................................................................... 14 Agricultural Resources .................................................................................................................................. 14 Landownership ............................................................................................................................................... 14 Property Tax ................................................................................................................................................... 14 Public Use and Wildlife-dependent Recreational Activities ................................................................... 14 3 Threats to and Status of Resources ......................................................................................................................................... 17 Effects on the Biological Environment ............................................................................................................. 17 Wildlife Habitat ............................................................................................................................................... 17 Water Resources ............................................................................................................................................ 17 Effects on the Socioeconomic Environment...................................................................................................... 18 Landownership and Land Use ..................................................................................................................... 18 Value of Intact Ecosystems ........................................................................................................................... 18 Oil and Gas Exploration and Development................................................................................................. 18 Wind Energy Development ........................................................................................................................... 18 Public Use......................................................................................................................................................... 19 Economic Impacts........................................................................................................................................... 19 Unavoidable Adverse Impacts ........................................................................................................................... 20 Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitment of Resources ........................................................................... 20 Short-term Use versus Long-term Productivity ............................................................................................. 20 Cumulative Impacts ............................................................................................................................................. 20 Past Actions ..................................................................................................................................................... 20 Present Actions ............................................................................................................................................... 20 Reasonably Foreseeable Future Actions .................................................................................................... 22 ii LPP, Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area Expansion, MT 4 Project Implementation............................................................................................................................................................... 23 Land Protection Options ..................................................................................................................................... 23 Action and Objectives........................................................................................................................................... 23 Acquisition Alternatives ...................................................................................................................................... 23 Strategic Habitat Conservation ......................................................................................................................... 23 Biological Planning.......................................................................................................................................... 24 Conservation Design....................................................................................................................................... 25 Conservation Delivery ................................................................................................................................. 26 Monitoring and Research............................................................................................................................... 26 Landscape Conservation
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