Quartz Lake EA

The proposed project would take place on Quartz Lake; however, it would affect the fishery of the entire upper Quartz Lake system which includes Middle Quartz, Quartz, and Cerulean Lakes (see map). The upper Quartz Lake system is located within recommended wilderness in the North Fork of the Flathead River watershed. It is generally best accessed by trail from Bowman Lake to the outlet of Quartz Lake. Native fish species in this complex include bull trout, classified under the Endangered Species Act as "Threatened", westslope cutthroat trout, a Montana state species of special concern, and mountain whitefish. Until the recent discovery of lake trout in Quartz Lake, it was the largest remaining natural lake system in the Columbia River Basin with an intact native fish species assemblage.