Land Protection Plan Swan Valley Conservation Area Montana May 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, Swan Valley. Lakewood, Colorado: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Mountain-Prairie Region. 81 p. 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 creating the Swan Valley Conservation Area in western Montana. ■ The Swan Valley Conservation Area Land Protection Plan describes the priorities for acquiring 10,000 acres on private lands nestled between the Bob Marshall Wilderness and the Mission Mountain Wilderness. This project also includes the fee-title purchase of up to 1,000 acres immediately adjacent to Swan River National Wildlife Refuge. Note: Information contained in the maps within this document is approximate and does not represent a legal survey. Ownership infor­ mation 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....................................................................................... 3 Issues Not Selected for Detailed Analysis ................................................................................................. 5 National Wildlife Refuge System and Authorities .......................................................................................... 5 Related Actions and Activities .......................................................................................................................... 5 Habitat Protection and Easement and Fee-title Acquisition Process.......................................................... 6 Conservation Easements .................................................................................................................................... 6 Fee-title Acquisition............................................................................................................................................. 6 2 Area Description and Resources ............................................................................................................................................. 7 Biological Environment ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Climate ............................................................................................................................................................. 7 Climate Change .............................................................................................................................................. 8 Adaptation, Mitigation, and Engagement .................................................................................................. 8 Geological Resources ..................................................................................................................................... 9 Habitat ............................................................................................................................................................. 10 Wildlife ............................................................................................................................................................. 10 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................................................... 13 Socioeconomic Environment ............................................................................................................................... 13 Landownership ............................................................................................................................................... 13 Timber Resources ........................................................................................................................................... 15 Property Tax ................................................................................................................................................... 15 Public Use and Wildlife-dependent Recreational Activities ................................................................... 15 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...................................................................................................... 17 Landownership and Land Use ..................................................................................................................... 18 Value of Intact Ecosystems ........................................................................................................................... 18 Wind Energy Development ........................................................................................................................... 18 Public Use......................................................................................................................................................... 19 Economic Impacts........................................................................................................................................... 19 Unavoidable Adverse Impacts ........................................................................................................................... 19 Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitment of Resources ........................................................................... 19 Short-term Use versus Long-term Productivity ............................................................................................. 19 Cumulative Impacts ............................................................................................................................................. 20 Past Actions ..................................................................................................................................................... 20 Present Actions ............................................................................................................................................... 20 Reasonably Foreseeable Future Actions .................................................................................................... 22 ii LPP, Swan Valley Conservation Area, MT 4 Project Implementation............................................................................................................................................................... 23 Land Protection Options ..................................................................................................................................... 23 Action and Objectives........................................................................................................................................... 23 Acquisition Alternatives ..................................................................................................................................... 24 Strategic Habitat Conservation.......................................................................................................................... 24 Biological Planning.......................................................................................................................................... 24 Conservation Design....................................................................................................................................... 27 Conservation Delivery ................................................................................................................................... 28 Monitoring and Research..............................................................................................................................