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The proposed Great Burn Wilderness is approximately 100,000 acres of the Lolo National Forest in Montana (250,000 total acres Montana/Idaho)
Beautiful vistas such as this one, looking south to Shale Mountain, dominate the high country of the Great Burn.
The Great Burn Roadless Area is a vast expanse of wild country along the Montana/Idaho border west of Missoula, Montana in the northern Bitterroot Mountains. This primeval landscape burned heavily in the Great Fire of 1910 leaving charred snags, grassy slopes, and expanses of sub-alpine tundra-like meadows. High cirques, impressive stands of mountain hemlock, and dozens of clear lakes also adorn the high country. While not as high and "craggy" as the main Bitterroot Range to the south, the area is biologically rich. Spared by the great fire are magical pockets of ancient western red cedar - some individuals over 500 years old - carpeted underfoot with mossy beds of sword and maidenhair ferns. Wind-swept peaks like Rhodes and Crater rise to nearly 8,000 ft., and an abundance of moisture nurtures the area. The Burn is a critical biological link between the massive Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness complex to the south and the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem to the north. Full protection of this interstate wildland is essential to ensure quality hunting and fishing for future generations.
Recreation
Due to abundant wild habitat and clean water, big-game hunting and fishing are the most popular recreation activities. Backpacking has become more and more popular. Spectacular scenery and a good system of uncrowded trails lure hikers. Hikers can enjoy 40 miles of the splendid Bitterroot divide without encountering a road. Horse packing and day rides, berry and mushroom picking, and outdoor photography are additional activities gaining popularity. In winter, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are popular activities up the west fork of Fish creek via Clearwater crossing trailhead.
Backpacking is popular in the Great Burn. These Sierra Club hikers are enjoying the State-line Trail near Granite Peak.
Elk and Fisheries
Elk are an important socio-economic component of Montana's culture and economy. At one time, the Clearwater Basin elk population in Idaho was one of the largest herds in the country. This was in part due to the large fires that occurred in the basin through 1934. Elk summer range is a key feature of the Great Burn, nicely complementing winter range in places like Cach Creek and the Burdette Creek roadless area (which is specifically identified and managed for this purpose).
Fisheries: Fish Creek receives 2,000 angler days a year (an angler day is one person fishing for at least 4 hours.) The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) conducted a survey of the lakes in the Great Burn between 2004 and 2006 which included bull trout counts and genetic testing on cutthroat trout. As a result a comprehensive fisheries management plan is in place for the area.
The entire Great Burn has been identified by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as critical habitat for bull trout, a threatened species under the endangered Species Act. Fish Creek is:
- Primary drainage for bull trout spawning and rearing in Middle Clark Fork River
- Stronghold for westslope cutthroat trout
- Important source of trout recruitment for Clark Fork River Fishery
- Fish Creek main stem is a popular trout fishery
Bull and westslope cutthroat trout data | Geological Uniqueness | Conservation Opportunities
Bull and westslope cutthroat trout data
Bull trout are present in, Trout Creek, Cement Creek, North Fork Fish Creek, Straight Creek, West Fork Fish Creek, Surveyor Creek, Montana Creek, Cache Creek, and White Creek. According to MFWP there are more migratory bull trout in the West Fork of Fish Creek than in all the other tributaries of the middle Clark Fork River, combined. The two major spawning areas for bull trout in the Fish Creek drainage are in the West Fork and North Fork of Fish Creek within the proposed wilderness area. Proposed critical habitat designations for bull trout; includes all the watersheds of the creeks listed as "bull trout present." Also includes Burdette Creek watershed. Geographically, critical habitat designations match up closely with roadless boundaries.
Fish Creek in the Great Burn is the primary drainage for bull trout spawning and rearing in Middle Clark Fork River.
Westslope Cutthroat Trout are the dominant species, occurring throughout the Great Burn. Many of the waters support genetically pure cutthroat trout populations. Those creeks are; Trout, Cement, North Fork of Fish, Straight, Indian, Surveyor, Montana, Cache, Pebble, and White, as well as Burdette and Lupine Creeks in the Burdette Creek IRA. Pure Westslope cutthroat trout (non-hybridized) core habitat: All of Cache Creek, Lupine Creek, and the Blacktail Creek/Packers Gulch area north of Clearwater Crossing.
Geological Uniqueness
The Great Burn is a geological wonderland at the northern end of the Idaho Batholith. Glaciation is evident with many U-shaped valleys and cirque basins. The formations at the heads of Cache Creek, Pebble Creek, and White Creek are granitic, whereas, the Great Burn to the north is mostly argillite. Some of the higher ridges in the southern portion are defined by granite pinnacles, (especially from Williams Peak to Shale Mountain) called "dinosaur rocks" because they resemble the backs of these prehistoric creatures.
The Great Burn is dotted with dozens of sparkling lakes.
Conservation Opportunities
The Forest Service has recommended to protect 211,600 acres of the Great Burn as wilderness in their Forest Plans (Clearwater National Forest - 113,000 acres and Lolo National Forest - 98,600 acres).
Montana Dept. of Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MFWP) has done a roads assessment in the Fish Creek drainage. Roads, specifically creek crossings, are identified as major contributors to sediment loads in creeks. Most culverts have now been upgraded. Most of the lower portion of the drainage is in checkerboard ownership with significant Plum Creek Timber lands recently purchased by the Nature Conservancy for eventual transfer to public ownership. MFWP is hoping to get those acres brought into their ownership and management.
The nagging threat of a low budget mine up the North fork of Fish Creek persists. An extension of the Surveyor Creek road remains open deep into the high country near Schley Mountain and serves as a major snowmobile access corridor to the Idaho side of the Great Burn spurring illegal use in closed areas.
The biggest threat to the Great Burn is the recent increase in motorized "wreckreation." Fish Lake just off the Bitterroot crest on the Idaho side is an off-road vehicle (ORV) playground. This beautiful subalpine lake six miles inside the roadless area has been severely damaged. Developments at the lake include three port-a-potties, two docks, and ORV parking areas. ORV intrusions are also occurring in the Goose Creek, Blacklead Mountain, and Granite Pass areas. In addition; snowmobilers penetrate deep into the backcountry on newer, more powerful machines. The Lolo National Forest and the Clearwater National Forest have conflicting snowmobile policies. The Lolo has closed nearly all of it's portion of the burn to snowmobiles. The Clearwater National Forest has kept its side wide-open. The conflicting policies along the Bitterroot divide result in brazen violations on the Montana side. During annual fly-overs, citizen volunteers discover snowmobile tracks on nearly every lake on the closed Montana side, with particularly heavy use around Heart Lake. Critical lynx and wolverine habitat is being compromised. The entire Burn should be closed to ALL forms of motorize use and adoption of a good travel management plan by the Clearwater National Forest would accomplish this - comment on the Draft EIS before October 2, 2009!
Maps
Great Burn Watersheds, Landmarks, and Ownership
Westslope Cutthroat Trout Distribution in the Great Burn
Bull Trout Distribution in the Great Burn
Elk habitat in the Great Burn
Biological Connectivity in the Northern Rockies Region
Fireweed in full bloom along the Bitterroot divide.