Clark Fork of the Columbia River Basin Cooperative Study

Excerpts from the report: This basin includes all of Powell, Granite, Ravalli, Missoula, Mineral, Lake, and Sanders Counties, most of Flathead County, about half of Deer Lodge and Silver Bow Counties, and small parts of Lewis and Clark and Lincoln Counties. All the Flathead Indian Reservation and over half of Glacier National Park are in the basin. The basin is primarily mountainous and most of the basin is forested. There is an abundance of lakes and streams. The basin is about 240 miles long from north to south and about 170 miles wide from east to west and contains about 21,602 square miles or 13,825,170 acres of land and water. Primary objectives of the study are to provide plans for use, development, management, and conservation of water and related land resources of the basin in a manner that will provide a balance between national economic development and environmental quality goals. Data are presented on land use, vegetation, grazing resources, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, conservation district programs, land treatment measures, potential small project measures, municipal and rural water and sewer development, forestry management and land treatment needs on federal and nonfederal forested lands, and potential rural electrification projects.