Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex Montana March 2012 Prepared by Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex 922 Bootlegger Trail Great Falls, Montana 59404 406 / 727 7400 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 6, Mountain-Prairie Region Division of Refuge Planning 134 Union Boulevard, Suite 300 Lakewood, Colorado 80228 303 /236 8145 CITATION U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2012. Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment, Benton Lake Na­ tional Wildlife Refuge Complex. Lakewood, Colorado: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Mountain–Prairie Region. 366 p. Contents Summary . xv . Abbreviations . xxI CHAPTER 1–Introduction . 1 1 .1 Purpose and Need for the Plan . .5 1 .2 The U .S . Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Wildlife Refuge System . 5 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mission . 5 National Wildlife Refuge System Mission . 5 1 .3 National and Regional Mandates . 7 1 .4 Contributions to Regional and National Plans . 8 Fulfilling the Promise . 8 Partners in Flight . 8 North American Waterbird Conservation Plan . 8 North American Waterfowl Management Plan . 9 U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan . 9 State Comprehensive Fish and Wildlife Conservation Strategy . 9 The Nature Conservancy–Northern Great Plains Steppe Ecoregional Assessment . 10 Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program Strategic Plan . 10 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mission . 11 Climate Change Strategic Plan . 11 1 .5 Strategic Habitat Conservation . 11 1 .6 Landscape Conservation Cooperatives . 12 1 .7 The Planning Process . 14 Coordination with the Public . 16 State Coordination . 17 Tribal Coordination . 17 Results of Scoping . 17 Selecting an Alternative . 17 CHAPTER 2 The Refuge Complex . 19 2 .1 Establishment, Acquisition, and Management History . .. 19 Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge . 20 Benton Lake Wetland Management District . 22 Blackfoot Valley Conservation Area . 26 Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area . 27 Swan River National Wildlife Refuge . 29 Swan Valley Conservation Area . 29 2 .2 Purposes of the Refuge Complex Units . .. 32 Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge . 32 Benton Lake Wetland Management District . 32 IV Draft CCP and EA, Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Montana Blackfoot Valley Conservation Area . 32 Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area . 32 Swan River National Wildlife Refuge . 33 Swan Valley Conservation Area . 33 2 .3 Vision for the Refuge Complex . 33 2 .4 Goals for the Refuge Complex . 33 Landscape Conservation Goal . 33 Habitat Goal . 34 Wildlife Goal . 34 Cultural Resources Goal . 34 Visitor Services Goal . 34 Administration Goal . 34 Visitor and Employee Safety and Resource Protection Goal . 34 2 .5 Special Values . .. 34 Part of a National System . 34 Intact Landscapes . 34 Conservation Easements . 35 Intact Native Prairie . 35 Diversity of Water Features . 35 Rare Species . 35 Migratory Birds . 35 Cultural History . 35 Public Use . 35 Rural Economies . 35 2 .6 Planning Issues . .. 36 Climate Change . 36 Agricultural Conversion . 36 Development . 36 Invasive Plants, Nonnative Plants, and Noxious Weeds . 37 Loss of Ecological Processes . 37 Water Quality . 38 Wildlife Management . 38 Fisheries Management . 38 Visitor Services . 39 Nonwildlife-dependent Uses . 39 Cultural Resources . 39 Operations . 40 Nomenclature . 40 CHAPTER 3 Alternatives . 41 3 .1 Development of Alternatives for the Refuge Complex . .. 42 Landscape Conservation Goal . 42 Habitat Goal . 42 Wildlife Goal . 42 Cultural Resources Goal . 42 Visitor Services Goal . 42 Administration Goal . 42 Visitor and Employee Safety and Resource Protection Goal . 42 CONTENTS V Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Detailed Study . 43 3 .2 Elements Common to All Alternatives . .43 3 .3 Alternative A (Current.