Conservation Value of Roadless Areas for Vulnerable Fish and Wildlife Species in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem, Montana
Weaver JL. 2011. Conservation Value of Roadless Areas for Vulnerable Fish and Wildlife Species in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem, Montana. Wildlife Conservation Society Working Papers. Wildlife Conservation Society Working Paper No. 40. Wildlife Conservation Society North American Program. Bozeman, MT
Dr. Weaver integrates various scientific data describing key wildlife and fish species to present conservation strategies for currently unprotected (i.e. not wilderness) roadless areas within the Crown of the Continent ecosystem. The Crown of the Continent ecosystem has more than three million acres of federally protect wild lands. There is an additional 1.3 million acres of road-free land in and around the ecosystem, which means it is eligible for protection as wilderness, but not yet protected. In the report Dr. Weaver recommends that two-thirds of the land (888,000 acres) be protected as wilderness. Some 310,000 acres could be managed without the strictest wilderness protections, while remaining primitive. This report includes data collected from 30 biologists and incorporates 300 scientific papers on the impacts this area and the species therein are facing. The following suite of fish and wildlife species were selected for this assessment: bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi), grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), wolverine (Gulo gulo), mountain goat (Oreamnus americanus), and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). These species have limited resiliency to human impacts and thus are vulnerable.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Weaver, John
- Date of Issue
- 2011-04
- Publisher
- Wildlife Conservation Society North American Program
- Units
- GLAC
- Keywords
- Bighorn Sheep, Bull Trout, Crown of the Continent Ecosystem, Fisheries, Grizzly Bear, Mountain Goat, roadless areas, species conservation, vulnerable species, Westslope cutthroat trout, Wildlife Studies, Wolverine