Lee Metcalf Wilderness
The portion of the wilderness within Gallatin National Forest is also within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and borders Yellowstone National Park. U.S. wilderness areas prohibit motorized and mechanized vehicles, including bicycles. Although camping and fishing are allowed with proper permit, there are no roads or buildings, and neither any logging or mining, in compliance with the 1964 Wilderness Act. As such, the Metcalf Wilderness serves as a critical wildlife refuge for many threatened and endangered species of North America and is home to the highest population density of grizzly bear in the contiguous United States. Many other large North American fauna also inhabit this undisturbed alpine ecosystem, such as moose, elk, black bear, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, wolverines, cougars, Canadian lynx, and wolves, as well as bald eagles, osprey, pelicans, and trumpeter swans.
Climate
The Beaver Creek SNOTEL weather station is located at the southern end of Lee Metcalf Wilderness, in the valley east of Echo Peak (Montana). Beaver Creek has a subalpine climate (Köppen Dfc).
| Climate data for Beaver Creek, Montana, 1991–2020 normals, 1985-2020 extremes: 7850ft (2393m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 49 (9) |
46 (8) |
58 (14) |
67 (19) |
76 (24) |
82 (28) |
86 (30) |
85 (29) |
86 (30) |
73 (23) |
56 (13) |
46 (8) |
86 (30) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 36.2 (2.3) |
40.0 (4.4) |
49.4 (9.7) |
57.2 (14.0) |
65.6 (18.7) |
73.4 (23.0) |
79.3 (26.3) |
78.4 (25.8) |
74.2 (23.4) |
62.6 (17.0) |
46.5 (8.1) |
35.8 (2.1) |
80.3 (26.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 24.8 (−4.0) |
28.4 (−2.0) |
35.9 (2.2) |
42.4 (5.8) |
51.3 (10.7) |
59.8 (15.4) |
69.8 (21.0) |
69.0 (20.6) |
59.8 (15.4) |
45.6 (7.6) |
31.7 (−0.2) |
23.7 (−4.6) |
45.2 (7.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 15.6 (−9.1) |
17.5 (−8.1) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
31.2 (−0.4) |
40.1 (4.5) |
47.4 (8.6) |
55.4 (13.0) |
54.3 (12.4) |
46.7 (8.2) |
35.1 (1.7) |
22.3 (−5.4) |
14.9 (−9.5) |
33.7 (1.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 6.4 (−14.2) |
6.7 (−14.1) |
12.8 (−10.7) |
20.0 (−6.7) |
28.9 (−1.7) |
35.1 (1.7) |
41.0 (5.0) |
39.6 (4.2) |
33.5 (0.8) |
24.5 (−4.2) |
12.9 (−10.6) |
6.0 (−14.4) |
22.3 (−5.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −13.8 (−25.4) |
−14.5 (−25.8) |
−6.7 (−21.5) |
3.4 (−15.9) |
15.6 (−9.1) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
33.5 (0.8) |
31.3 (−0.4) |
23.7 (−4.6) |
7.6 (−13.6) |
−7.8 (−22.1) |
−15.3 (−26.3) |
−21.6 (−29.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −26 (−32) |
−38 (−39) |
−19 (−28) |
−13 (−25) |
4 (−16) |
19 (−7) |
26 (−3) |
22 (−6) |
4 (−16) |
−15 (−26) |
−23 (−31) |
−34 (−37) |
−38 (−39) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.66 (93) |
3.24 (82) |
3.39 (86) |
3.27 (83) |
3.29 (84) |
3.01 (76) |
1.76 (45) |
1.66 (42) |
1.89 (48) |
2.84 (72) |
3.21 (82) |
3.97 (101) |
35.19 (894) |
| Source 1: XMACIS2 | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (Precipitation) | |||||||||||||
References
- ^ White, Gunther, & van Manen. "Yellowstone Grizzly Bears: Ecology & Conservation" (PDF). US National Park Service. Yellowstone National Park, USGS. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ US National Park Service. "Report: The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem" (PDF). USNPS. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
- ^ "Beaver Creek, Montana 1991-2020 Monthly Normals". Retrieved November 23, 2023.
External links
- "Lee Metcalf Wilderness". The National Wilderness Preservation System. Wilderness.net. Archived from the original on March 23, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2006.
- "USGS Sphinx Mountain (MT) Topo Map Quad". TopoQuest. Retrieved June 29, 2008.
- "Wilderness Legislation: The Wilderness Act of 1964". The National Wilderness Preservation System. Wilderness.net. Retrieved August 15, 2006.
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