• Riparian habitats of the western United States are confined to less than 1% of the land

• Nearly 90% of Montana’s breeding birds are known to use riparian areas

• Of the 54 species of birds known to use the Madison and Missouri River corridors, 19 species are decreasing in population, 29 are not changing, and only 6 species are actually increasing

• Most biologists recommend a riparian forest width of at least 230 feet

—From the Avian Science Center at the University of Montana