Bioregion, and these rivers send their waters to three different oceans. These waters are of tremendous economic importance to farming and ranching operations, municipal water supplies, and water-based recreation, including fishing and boating. Protection of this world class water resource will enhance these uses, reduce costs for water treatment and irrigation, and increase native fish populations. (5) The wildlife treasures of the Northern Rockies are of international significance and contain remarkably intact large mammalian fauna and rare and unique plant life. Wildlife habitat fragmentation due to roadbuilding, timber harvest, mining, oil and gas exploration, lack of interagency cooperation, and other activities has severe effects on the wildlife populations (including those listed as threatened or endangered under section 4(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1533(c) )) and their habitat, the water quality, the ancient forests, and the greater ecosystems of the Northern Rockies Bioregion. The overemphasis on resource extraction from National Forest System lands and public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management has compromised ecosystem integrity and detracted from economic diversification opportunities. Economic instability and high unemployment in rural, resource-dependent communities is a common result of overexploitation of these lands. (6) Continued fragmentation and development of the remaining roadless and essentially roadless ecosystems and biological connectors of the Northern Rockies would cause a loss to the Nation of an entire wild land region and of the only remaining areas south of Canada still pristine enough to support populations of caribou, gray wolves, grizzly bears, anadromous fish, and numerous other rare and endangered plant and animal life all in one intact bioregion. (7) Since the 1936 roadless area inventory completed by Bob Marshall, millions of acres of roadless wild lands have been developed in the Northern Rockies. Extensive fragmentation of wild