Riparian Habitat

Your Favorite Outdoor Spot May Be A Riparian
Habitat

By Diane Tipton, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Statewide Information Officer

If your mind goes blank when you hear the words "ri-
parian habitat" you are not alone. Yet one of your
favorite outdoor spots is likely a plant-rich place
along a river, stream or lake-in other words a ripar-
ian habitat.

Are you attracted to the lush vegetation surrounding
a mountain stream, a ribbon of graceful
cottonwoods along a prairie stream, or the plant-rich
shores of a lake? These are some of Montana's
typical riparian habitats.

Summer, winter or fall, they are fun places to explore
and to watch for wildlife. De-pending on the type of
riparian area you visit, you may see deer, elk,
moose, antelope, black bear, grizzly bear, beaver,
mink, upland game birds, bats, bald eagles, owls,
songbirds and waterfowl there.

Only about four percent of the state, or 3.7 million
acres, is riparian and wetland habitat, yet 265, or
more than 40 per-cent, of the state's mammals,
birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish use this habitat.
About 32 percent of species in greatest need of
conservation also re-quire riparian habitats, accord-
ing to the Comprehensive Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Strategy prepared by Montana Fish,
Wildlife & Parks. This work, which assesses the
state's fish, wildlife, and the places they live, can be
viewed on the FWP web site at fwp.mt.gov under
Wild Things, Hot Topics, Final Draft CFWCS.

The quality of Montana's blue ribbon streams are
uniquely dependent on the vari-ety of riparian foliage,
shrubs and trees such as cottonwood, alder,
serviceberry, choke-cherry, and willow to keep them
intact. Riparian vegeta-tion helps slow stream
erosion, adds nutrients to the water, improves
spawning habitat, and helps to maintain the cool
water temperatures that many fish species need.
Riparian habitat may be de-graded when water
diversions and dams prevent flooding, wetlands are
drained; trees are over harvested; noxious weeds
invade; and when livestock over-graze or people
recreate there too much.

For example, dams and di-versions, according to
some experts in the state, may be preventing new
cottonwood trees from getting established along
some of the state's riv-ers. Without flooding, the
fresh layers of silty soil--that cottonwoods need to
get estab-lished--are no longer being carried onto
gravel bars along the rivers. While there may be
stands of huge cottonwoods in these areas, there
are few young trees there to replace the older ones
when they die.

Because riparian areas are critical to the state's
wildlife and fish, and many need to be restored in
some way, FWP works with landowners, water-shed
groups, communities and others to help conserve
this habitat. Programs such as the Future Fisheries
Improvement Program; Montana Wetlands Legacy
Program; Montana Fishing Access Site Program;
and Upland Game Bird Habitat Enhancement
Program offer assistance in planning im-
provements, and in some cases provide grants for
special pro-jects. The Habitat Montana Program may
work with land-owners on conservation ease-ments
to preserve riparian habi-tat.

For information on these programs, please visit the
FWP web site at fwp.mt.gov or call FWP's wildlife
division at 406-444-2612.