HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-22-20 Public Comment - N. Schultz - Gallatin Wildlife Association Comments on Community Plan'^EtKlsl\-Jh^'DEPAKTMENTOFnnMMur^Y DEVELOPMENOCT 2 2 mGALLATIN WILDLIFEASSOCIATIONP.O. Box 5317Bozeman,MT59717(406)586-1729www. gallatinwildlife. orgVe Work for^ViIdHfeGall.uinrt•St-n«Community DevelopmentP 0 Box 1230Bozeman, MT 59771To the Community Planning Board:The city of Bozeman is in the final phase of the Bozeman Community Plan and theGallatin Wildlife Association (GWA) would like to submit comments on behalf ofwildlife and the habitat they require.The GaUatin Range that lies south of Bozeman, Montana is the largest unprotectedwildlands in the northern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Biologically it is one ofthe more diverse and important areas in the entire Yellowstone ecosystem. The range iscritical habitat for grizzly bear, lynx, wolverine, bighorn sheep, and other rare mammals.In addition, the lower elevations sustain thousands of wintering elk and is an importantmigration corridor.There are many pending actions that we feel will have cumulative negative impacts towildlife and the habitats in the Gallatin Range and some of the proposed land useplanning will exacerbate those negative effects, and add to the cumulative effects thatGWA will mention in the points below.GWA believes the Custer Gallatin Forest Plan (CGFP) has not provided aprotective wildlife corridor linking the Gallatin Range and the west face of theBridger Range. This threatens to sever a remaining corridor that links the GreaterYellowstone Ecosystem with areas further north. GWA is working in conjunctionwith Montanans for Safe Wildlife Passage to further this effort in order toestablish wildlife connectivity. Some elements of the Bozeman Community Planwill make it much more difficult for wildlife to access the proposed overpass site.The Gallatin wildlife migration corridor is necessary for wildlife to move inresponse to climate change and human pressures, like increased population.Areas of the Bozeman Community Plan will have urban neighborhoods up to theedge of what is left of wildlife habitat, habitat which is especially importantwinter habitat.
•• Meanwhile, the CGFP proposes to have intensive recreation in the Hyalitedrainage, designating recreation emphasis all the way to the base of Hyalite Peak.This will negatively affect wildlife.The CGFP plan changes the designation of the Porcupine and Buffalo Horndrainages from wilderness study area protection to backcountry areas, which canleave open the possibility of motorized/non-motorized use. Many species ofwildlife are negatively affected by motorized use.The CGFP takes away V2 of the WSA, basically leaving rocks and ice for wildlife.The CGFP plans to log portions of the Bozeman Municipal Watershed.The Forest Sendee has done many logging projects and has many more loggingprojects planned for the area.Members if GWA have done aerial flights of the northern end of the GallatinRange and the valley. We will include some photos and members of theCommunity Planning Board will see there is not much wildlife habitat left that isusable for wildlife. The valley is not wildlife friendly, especially for largecarnivores like the protected grizzly bear.What all of this means is that the cumulative impacts of all of these projects may doomany chance for wildlife connections between the Gallatin and Bridger mountain ranges.The Community Plan for Future Land Use has some designations which areproblematic.• The urban area designations that are planned for north of Nash Road and alsoeast of Sourdough are problematic for wildlife. This is winter range for elk, andmembers of GWA have seen 85 elk in the hills and the creek bottom. The riparianarea of Sourdough Creek should not be developed from the riparian area toSourdough Road and the hills on the east side of Sourdough Road.The eastern side of the proposed land use map goes over to Mount Ellis Road andnorth to 190 at the mouth of Bear Creek. This area needs to be looked at carefully.We used the Montana Cadastral as a mapping tool, and we see the area ispopulated except for a two and a half mile stretch along 190 belonging to theForest Service. This is the only public land on 190 that can serve as a wildlifeoverpass. As stated prior, GWAis on the steering committee ofIVtontanans forSafe Wildlife Passage working to make this possible. We believe the currentboundaries and urban designations will make wildlife connectivity very difficult,if not impossible.If we don't get the "growth" potential of the GYE addressed, terrestrial migrations ofungulates, connectivity corridors of species like grizzly bears, wolverines and elk andmany more species will succumb to the intensive effects of human intrusion.The GYE of today only exists because people in the past not only exhibited self-restraint,they also set aside lands and passed laws that paid their ethics of conservation forward.They did so believing future generations would see the light. The only way theremarkable wild assets of the ecosystem are going to persist, especially in the face ofclimate change and inundation of societal threats, is if we protect as much of the
remaining undeveloped lands as possible. This includes both public and private. Theseare decisions which should be made by utilizing the best available science.N...i.t...lh(il.«g«ndSurvey Route /^o^/Camera SlalKHi •Mottfitain I (OP TiacttBobcd Track •RfldFoxTrdck <Amencan Marten trackMoose Sif)n <1/^^^7%'V.<r-^e./•1^^r.ut-ti»d>*•3^•?:^E?^?'*T^\^^?^.A.•o;^•^<..Amencan Marten Track • iMoos. S,,, « t^—y;^'^^^/'^.^MOOSOS^, • ^ • (/."''^"".;%<^f r /"^-//'^^•^'^~\^^-i .3i)i^6^^m^K /•r.-":^.i.s^Ez^^/•M^m•?t-T:^^^ffi-ii€^St'\'^••v*^tf0;<>i%^.t%r^' ;^-1^'&m;/D:/.miii&i\n!(fr"k>,s^•<.^^/?-\;SI/-.4i;1M.i^^^"rJN'^.i—li^^^g^'MM''Z-^^z.i^figure ). Locations 01i!^m^ .-•ffiiSl-t^Of sno*- tracttnfl surveys arxt ttitdffte obwrviHions »t the Lifnostune V\test yudy aroa. Uecombef Wl'^This is a wildlife survey that was done in the area known as Limestone West. The mapindicates how heavily used this area is used by wildlife. The white private land to thenorth is the Triple Tree development.The map below shows the Forest Service plan for logging projects in the BozemanMunicipal Watershed. This project goes from the Sourdough Creek drainage to HyaliteCreek. Notice how close this project goes to Nash Road, please notice the number ofresidences already in the area.Maps, information and a USDA presentation on corridors and the importance of them,Wildlife Connectivity Modeling in Montana. Please note the focus that has been placedon the important areas that are in and around this community plan.A map of the draft final forest plan for the area shows the Gallatin Range, WildernessStudy Area carved up and reduced to Vi of the legally defined size. The wildernessportion delegated to the middle of the crest, rocks and ice for wildlife.
!.!%">^^.*^fr^^,»U»f»...-.t-''•>.-,Kts..:..Ith-n0in<N8<N<N's.nv'ww<¥^^r-*t.' --—:-~sfc i'1' ^r1^.il'"^:l:l';"?gB^3"<»^-'^^^^ef:fc;:,-i-*.8-4^-. stn-*•n<T»0 \\J.00^^<0s- ^i.^j^^^s..!rN'..,.,».;;^» n": n '•?^3t.*•"- -m^\^\ ;N<«0>o. n0CK>tft»<N^~*0....f^'sw^f-1<-Jisj^J,^-t:fc-\\-A-';;-+ .s^//0«<r>aonw^T- <ft0'<r•\r>-rt<£>0's0Tv.^^^^rss»d-'*!"^Ill-Al^^-:;liu:|ffi|:.-i^<»-M' ^^tOt-.../'<MfiI m.Sl'n.3in^ ^u-y'm(X{^••„EU•f.^1.»Sr£.<CM46lH-lWI -.f.\m«c>a%Q<a%<0in'! nPM^-:^Tw-nt^(N^:%s,. ::1:--»^^........^..^..^.M<t:~T-rj-+sc:r';.'-•s-t• !'^-.M0,;;,:l~^[.gC"'%.,i t:'..—41^-:&€ii. Mw^3r^ ^
Custer Gallatin National Forest t""uFinal Plan Designated Areasand Land Allocations \.\West SideIRingffng•"-iLBridgCi-utos /Legend-——. IMCT state*.lapf Ksgtwa?86\@Oes«?naiediV'iUcf
'
icssAfM*nh»tu. CI»i)«PatThn* -'.East Rosetoud Witdand Soeruc RivwBangtally8iaTlmb«Mat>ona< Rfcretion--»<Foi*1Bat(||r»<to!Wr?BcartooBi Scen<cByway ana Aft-Affleocafi RoadWrfde;StudyzaA-'eaRcsaarch NatufaiAtea86SD«W! AreasU»ln(rion
CotumbuPfyor Mountain WUHow Tflmtur^Bozaman-84M^nc^AAbsaroka/atershwtsBwrtoothGallatln*Cdtw Cieek WiwtitcMa'iagemnn Af&a^.€ftecomwwffntedW.ioefnes« AreaNadlson*AbwrokN^^®-?fsC^-lG.IUmN.itJor^alFofesiBoundaryrj Ba^.=ojTifr»-ATC»r8o»dRecrfratKXiEmphasn Area[^J Siat<? Bounda.-'MNca*/Siii^'ate; Complex)w^tf;Big SkyBrtdnw>laTS"•6I-^!^•^^'^"v-^^?APryon.iif-AbuioluflwnnoBl&l-i;R»)Lod(r^'3^•""^I? .^^1cr•^ *3^Nammott^/g'cny120r^w/To——ion.LO»11Juncuon-\-••^saaC«n,onOrtond: 87t.juncttoftt-^l IPo—tlsWU V«ow»ton«,"x^^Tii^f'Hen^Lak.^j^l | vsf-••; Mounrim Ik^'U. I\»--s12BU!Co-yo"^hlul /W ww''^f^^'W.uT^.M,-10... f*^iMffCS Date ji« 2^^010 2C^_^A map of the draft final forest plan for the area shows the Gallatin Range, WildernessStudy Area carved up and reduced to V2 of the legally defined size. The wildernessportion delegated to the middle of the crest, rocks and ice for wildlifeIf you would like an explanation of the land classifications, please let us know. The effecton wildlife is that they will not be able to move north into the Bridgers and on to theNorthern Continental Ecosystem or west along the Continental Divide to the Salmon-Selway. Both of these areas are protected ecosystems that provide the best habitat forwildlife and provide genetic connectivity necessary for long term survival.
Wildlife CorridorsThe nation is well aware of the importance of wildlife corridors and the need to protectthem. Below is one act that is presently in Congress. Another is the Northern RockiesEcosystem Protection Act (NREPA), The west Missoula portion of the NREPA map isidentified as a wildlife corridor route.^las. v•^^^y^<b«.ft &^<•s-^1<-1»ff0^ ^SQ" ^1 ^^9-^0'^Sy-i'.A"'.^^^^^^^»*<>\<<<x^;T|^>-•:»<y^'^r-te1Udall. Bever Introduce Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act To Safeguard America'sBiodiversityDecember 8, 2018 - 8:45amU.S. SENATE News:introduced the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act of 2018 to protect and restorefish, wildlife, and plant species, in particular, those that are at risk to habitat loss andfragmentation-a major factor in species decline and extinction,Montana has recognized corridors and connectivityCorridors are recognized as a national issue and have long been a Montana issue. Hereare excerpts the Montana Connectivity Project: Statewide analysis Executive Summary-October 2 Oilthe connectivity project was started following the initial work on the CrucialAreas Planning system(CAPS). As one of the first states to begin working on theWestern Governors Association's[WGA)Crucial Habitat and Corridors Initative,Montana began examining species and habitat connectivity at the landscapelevel in 2008...work was largely completed in 2011the top five ranked species for each ecotype combination were selected ascandidate focal species.•
fseprd763382.pdf fseprd595909.pdfWildlife connectivity modelingin Montana•(,\y1&6B:,<t>s.^yPlease open this presentation to see the wildlife connectivity modeling in the area aroundBozeman. If you have questions about why it is important and what needs to be done to protectthis area, please contact us.
;:»''.»»'''I.^s 0.•r<..:fi^%cf"^aktelesna^Li'^.—^,///N6:-t'Ga®/K/%JofongRlint.Elk-.^B1"'Cr.hornQ^<??^^^ON^63^L0<l<°^^^^^<>.<?13,s°<?<«<p^.*»'9.(c?.^£0^^-^-5^w.^«{M5.^^a:<s°>9r%%^<'&.^%-^»<<Jetlowston^%NP•J'/'YCentennial'if/.%I"C^%^d(.egendOccupied range^ National Puk landPubhc / con&efvation land•^V Inlentale highoavNAit\f'MULTIPLY, 0 ' 0.000»Number of passages|HighLow.llM.Peck,C.P.,etal.2017.Potential paths formale-mediated geneflow to and from anisolated grizzly bearpopulation. Ecosphere8(10):e01969.SS£K"«0;sw75100KMThe map of grizzly bear movement north shows a strong corridor that should beprotected. The large landscape habitat shows the values of habitat. You can see thehighest value habitat might be impacted without careful planning.
paLarge Natural Area Connectivity\.<itIaSjETown1»»•»siLegendlit•rTx•d-*sr Corn^teigoWtI.4»usfsianasC^l] cuu0^ boun<lar<^HignwaysCttiesA towns^^ \ yge ti 3Tu''a. A-'-pasLarge Natural Area connectivityLOrt V3.Urt- 3^ »'a!ue®^s3'i?ft5KOlt»lThe Gallatin Valley floor is of low value for connectivity, but the area east ofBozeman whereforest service property touches 190 and crosses it is much higher. Higher value connectivity areascontinue on both sides of the Bridgers, but because of much more development on the east side,the west side is important for wildlife.
Male Grizzly Bear Dispersal Corridors~<»TownsendBoulder„•:«•/-^w."-•\.;-•r~/^bw6 Forks'L- " «)|?nhattanWhitehall\BigTim»Legenda!BelgradeH^h#aysCittcs A townsI County boundariesI [ SF s anilsGrizzly ConnectivityLoit vaiue\FourCortfcisBoiemwit-lvlngston^1^\«r\Xt,,«5!»*^'Sft,?-^^»f* * -:«r:10* 20 Kil[!>l4(»lJtn«akjeNT4w^»•<TKOlidThis map shows how areas close to Bozeman are already impacted by residences.Planning should not further impact the grizzly bear dispersal corridors.
^-"12^i»l: . •'w^Ws'sfsia"1-'* ^^»'^--r^»W»^^^Mi^.. ,.••'^ffi3KW"""., .^^•.•''s«K"MK^sqwwfI•'wsf-SX-^^.'i^y",^ S2Wl*^,.^S^s»B>z'%-;'^&<fg»f**^,An aerial photo of the Gallatin Valley shows little left in terms of wildlife habitat. GWAstrongly urges we leave what is left, especially where the forest meets the valley floor andriparian areas that follow creeks that flow out of the mountains.
•-.i"-^•9a-»**•,„..^.sr»^^^•wsv;-»£2®;';':,%:i^'%l•^mms?jS^^.i¥tis,'\-'^.i«y:i- -^^^•y"''s^^^:w«.S^'-SI'®••'?':>fitk-ay',^"'\ .a?, 'aismSK-;»?®;».*';:xI-..'.ft.'%m*'.aB-'.'••w:^-*»!'..».^'•<*. -•. ^•,^^^'-^^^."'^^^^y-1*3..'<'f^f-^tianra»' I.*^"V?l'^^^i\^rrf.--^1-'.'•<A-A""^f^B^•«<-^:/*-4fe*.-$:•aA^.? ST-^.;•a^'".s*^t;*-.«A.'?:lfts.;/-^.^t,1fc..TS*'''i^f^'1^^.<^*«<a.^i«S^? <fcN5^i^lS?**Nlfc*.SS^S^S3*».*»"*•*.* TditHaii!t.tNorthern front of the Gallatin Range.Many agencies and government organizations support wildlife connectivity. Conservingand maintaining terrestrial and aquatic habitat connectivity is essential for a variety offish and wildlife species' life histories, including movements to food or shelter,reproduction requirements, seasonal movements, and/or dispersal to maintain healthypopulations. In addition, access to suitable habitat in response to changing weatherpatterns, climate change and shifts in vegetation communities will help ensure thepotential long-term viability of wildlife populations.Implementation Update January 2014. The connectivity project was started followingthe initial work on the Crucial Areas Planning System (CAPS), Montana's CrucialHabitat Assessment Tool (CHAT). As one of the first states to begin working on theWestern Governors Association's (WGA) Crucial Habitat and Corridors Initiative,Montana began examining species and habitat connectivity at the landscape level in2008.MT_Connectivity_Project_Exec_Summary_2011-2.pdf
®r-3^^I;Mfs.1^t0!1;^^ .AI^PartdiiVilley'y%.\m.^t1?;>Wi*»/"<y^'s-t.?.y^•^l/.,It'f?s%:l"tik -.;!>•\I•sIa^%^•••^^1s>-^7"Y9/-Ot^-^TI"'1iii%-l.fcGalMkn'^^' '^:;;?: ,:,^^ :f,,ft:'K;'i.:^j,^^y;^,l.it_.;''t1|R:&1is/ssiYellow-forest health riskRed-fire riskOrange-combined riskThere is much more logging planned for the northern end of the Gallatin Range. Thismap shows what is proposed by the Montana Forest Action Advisory Council. This is aresult of Executive Order No. 7-2010 , and order signed by Governor Bullock to establishthe Montana Forest Action Advisory Council (MFAAC), a statewide collaborative groupcharged with updating the Montana Forest Action Plan. The map above shows what isdeemed necessary by the MRAAC. Gallatin Wildlife questions the science used todetermine this amount of forest "treatment". If you would like we will discuss thescience, but you can see the impacts.The Gallatin Wildlife Association is willing to sit down with you and look for boundaryadjustments which will meet the needs of wildlife and their required habitat. Thank youfor considering our comments.Sincerely,
IiGallatin Wildlife AssociationNancy Schultz Secnancvanaconda(5)msn.com582 9720
Walker-Craighead-Analyzing Wildlife Movement Corridors in Montana Using GIS.pdfThe best route is in red, and goes just east of Bozeman^J^'?'y^f•^ir<atrail^^^•*i9»-!i^m'•'»^1^-:^yfV.^st-1r':?««^'is'/^T^-•»'•^^K^^;t^y•t'<(V•^-1S.X:-s;<:-•^•^1^^^?•^^-.^^rfl^^^'w^^r'^^'^.as^3^1V.^":'.^'/•^^9m••••/•^^*".^^^•«•^f'^-^^f's-^^-/-^^V..yw:'^>sz-?;^••-.s,-.».^J»l<1^^.\<'-'/'fl%'gsV••':1ns^tur^-y/.^^<frf^y'.y^<c^'^-^-^^^.^•/^.*<^^ffOt/'^^;^Jt-ws'^/,.^^^%"}•»^Jff^.^^>-<:^f-I-*»®igra^<•,A(%f-~K-.-/<•;•^K,-.?..k^»•K<^-A^.:11'^•^A-^./i^^!•yK.«s''<•:;^^t'^.^OifonM^*^^Ifce:i?i£mm.-."^y<^:iw^/I^^•ii^<if%»^ *-'';/•'^1^•I^^s%<^?y'. /.^A^•j%rLwr^;'«A".<5t.<,'a^
illl-.iiy!<i-^.K;ss:msKalisodt•"\.kFan&tnuiGreat Falte'^^ff-s^•^•s&<<'--•-yfcK. .f.'^?fe.••••)•^".^»"^^,^^-•^,ff"s"• •lx.^Helen*W»»>SulBtiUf»»m<B> ,<!./••u •"Ow•^*1<H.irnttm•m*4.*^.4,.ia?:-^»°>mT. •:,-•*1<1- ".-•f^J^ '•'^i>/«.y^ '.:?^a*W(ntn LNigaton^:..^--m,^y .(f^««llodtt»"^>I^k^^six'-v^-t*s»•»CbdyCn.M&S«!•.'"•%'.'LowHigh•aWildlife Corridors map showing low and high value corridors that connect the Greater YellowstoneEcosystem to the Northern Continental Ecosystem.NREPA2016pdf1.pdfNorthern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act is an active bill in CongressBelow is an excerpt from that letter Final con9^°n^ W-ldlife Stimulus Letter l.pdfSafeguarding Key Wildlife CorridorslS and Reducing Impacts to Wildlife from Infrastructure Connectingfish and wildlife habitats is critical to conserving biodiversity in the face of habitat fragmentation,climate change, and other individual and cumulative stressors, which will increasingly trigger
geographical shifts for wildlife populations and plant communities. Many benefits accrue fromfacilitating the safe and unimpeded movement of fish and wildlife — from saving lives by reducingcollisions between vehicles and wildlife, to restoring functional wildlife corridors. 16 The activities listedbelow would create smart infrastructure with significant economic returns, support state efforts tomitigate the harmful effects of roads, and help create more climate resilient landscapes that protectpeople and wildlife.Thank you for reviewing my information. Please contact me for clarification or questions.Nancy Schultz582 9720 or nancyanaconda@msn.com