North Fork Preservation Association

They did it. In the promised follow-up to last week’s announcement that British Columbia was halting all resource extraction activities in the Canadian Flathead, British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell and Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer met today in Vancouver, B. C. to sign an agreement banning mining and energy development throughout the transboundary Flathead Valley.
The Missoulian [...]

Tags: Brian Schweitzer, British Columbia, energy development, Flathead Basin, Gordon Campbell, mining

From today’s Missoulian comes a must-read discussion of what’s not being said about the recent announcement of a mining ban in the Canadian Flathead watershed . . .
To sense the delicacy of an international mining ban along the North Fork of the Flathead River, it helps to hear what isn’t being said.
Read the full article [...]

Tags: British Columbia, Canadian Flathead, mining

Not to be outdone by the folks north of the 49th parallel, U.S. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester will introduce legislation banning mining and energy development on federal lands in the North Fork Flathead drainage.
The Missoulian has the story . . .
Two days after British Columbia placed the area north of Glacier National Park [...]

Tags: energy development, Jon Tester, Max Baucus, mining, North Fork Flathead River

The government of British Columbia has signed an order that apparently bans mining and other resource extraction activity in the Canadian Flathead watershed. The Missoulian has a good write-up, including a map . . .
British Columbia’s government has formalized its promise to protect wildlands north of Glacier National Park, signing a legislative order that effectively [...]

Tags: British Columbia, Canadian Flathead, Max Resource Corporation, mining

We’re starting to see more — and more detailed — coverage of British Columbia’s decision to forgo resource extraction activities in the Canadian Flathead River Valley. Two good articles appeared today.
The Daily Inter Lake did a nice, balanced job . . .
The lieutenant governor of British Columbia announced Tuesday that all types of mining and [...]

Tags: British Columbia, Canadian Flathead, coal mining, coalbed methane, gold mining, North Fork Flathead

In the annual “Throne Speech,” British Columbia Lt. Gov. Steven Point declared the Canadian portion of the Flathead River Valley off limits to mining and energy extraction. Assuming no subtle weasel-wording, this means B.C. just shut the door to activities such as coal and gold mining and coalbed methane development in the Canadian North Fork. [...]

Tags: British Columbia, coal mining, coalbed methane, gold mining, North Fork Flathead

Now, here’s an interesting idea: Introducing wolves into national parks to control elk and deer herds and prevent overgrazing. Dunno if this would ever be feasible in the real world — managing a pack of neutered, collared wolves seems a bit (ahem) over-engineered compared to more straightforward alternatives — but the underlying science is plausible. [...]

Tags: deer, elk, game management, wolves

The US Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing a substantial increase to the critical habitat designation for Bull Trout throughout the Northwest. This includes drainages around Glacier Park such as the North Fork Flathead River. A post to the New West site yesterday has the story, including information on meetings and on public comment procedures [...]

Tags: bull trout, critical habitat

If you’ve been following the progress of Sen. Jon Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, this is fairly interesting.
From today’s Missoulian . . .
Reacting to both criticism and constructive advice, Sen. Jon Tester revealed a thick list of changes to his Forest Jobs and Recreation Act during a visit to Missoula on Friday.
In all, Tester [...]

Tags: Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, Jon Tester, wilderness bill, wilderness designation

The folks at Flathead Wild posted a good summary of the high points of the UNESCO World Heritage report on threats to Waterton-Glacier Park, along with links to major press coverage — both print and video.
Here’s the lead-in . . .
Great news for Friends of the Flathead! A UNESCO World Heritage report is recommending a [...]

Tags: Canadian Flathead, coal mining, Flathead Valley, mining, UNESCO World Heritage Committee