April 26, 2007

Rehberg brings Montana concerns to Canada’s Minister

From the Wednesday, April 25, 2007 online edition of the Havre Daily News . . .

Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today met with Roy Norton, Minister of the Canadian Embassy, to discuss northern border-related issues including the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and the proposed Cline Mine in British Columbia. "Montana is unique in that it borders more of Canada than any other state in the lower 48 states," said Rehberg, a member of the Congressional Northern Border Caucus. "It’s vital we stay on top of important border-related issues affecting Montana residents."

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Posted by nfpa at 09:52 PM

Hunter shoots albino bear up North Fork

From the Thursday, April 26, 2007 online edition of the Hungry Horse News . . .

Jake Sweeney first thought he was looking at a mountain goat while hunting up the North Fork last Friday.

But he looked a closer and then a little closer and realized, there's no goats in this area.

That's a bear.

It was a bear all right. An albino black bear.

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Posted by nfpa at 09:48 PM

April 25, 2007

State officials warn grizzly studies in northwest Montana in danger

From the Wednesday, April 25, 2007 online edition of the Great Falls Tribune . . .

Officials with state Fish, Wildlife and Parks said Tuesday the state can no longer afford to study the long-term population trend of grizzlies in northwest Montana without financial help from federal agencies.

If the monitoring abruptly ends because of the funding pinch, delisting efforts would be set back years, the FWP officials said.

"Zero chance of delisting unless we have some sort of monitoring program," said Rick Mace, a Kalispell-based research biologist who heads the state's monitoring efforts.

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Posted by nfpa at 10:33 AM

April 24, 2007

Rice stands with Montana in opposing mine

From the Tuesday, April 24, 2007 online edition of the Missoulian . . .

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stands with Montana in opposing a coal mine planned for southeastern British Columbia, and will ask Canada to put the proposal through a wide-ranging federal review, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said Tuesday.

Baucus said that at a meeting earlier in the day, Rice told him she will request the review later this week in Norway when she meets with her Canadian counterpart, Foreign Minister Peter MacKay.

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Posted by nfpa at 08:26 PM

April 20, 2007

23 million acres proposed for wilderness designation

An Associated Press article linked to in the Friday, April 20, 2007 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .

A wide-reaching wilderness protection bill that would forever ban logging, oil exploration and other development on 23 million acres across the Northern Rockies was introduced Friday by two East Coast members of Congress.

The proposal drew a quick backlash from natural resource industry lobbyists and some Western lawmakers who view it as an intrusion on their turf. But supporters hope a Democrat-controlled Capitol Hill will improve the odds of a bill that has gained little traction during eight prior attempts at passage.

The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act would more than double existing wilderness acreage in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon and Washington.

Sponsored by Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, and Christopher Shays, R-Ct., the act would forbid most development across broad swaths of public land in the five states. It calls for the removal of more than 6,000 miles of existing roads, primarily within national forests.

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Posted by nfpa at 07:44 PM

April 04, 2007

Hiking three states, taking a needed break

From the Wednesday, April 4, 2007 online edition of the Hungry Horse News . . .

Retired attorney and long time North Forker Steve Berg is hiking the Appalachian Trail. The world's longest footpath, Berg plans on hiking its length from Springer Mountain, Ga., to Katahdin, Maine, over the next few months. He is e-mailing us reports as he goes along. And we're now posting them on a blog as well.

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Posted by nfpa at 04:21 PM

Park wolverines prove to be amazing beasts

From the Wednesday, April 4, 2007 online edition of the Hungry Horse News . . .

A few years ago a wolverine in Glacier National Park found a dead mountain goat in an avalanche off Mount Piegan. While the dead goat was buried under several feet of snow, the wolverine, with its keen nose had no problem finding the rotting goat.

As the wolverine dug in the snow a photographer walked up behind it. The wolverine heard the man, and walked away, not overly concerned, but not looking to interact with a two-legged creature either.

The man snapped off several pictures. The wolverine, a few years later, would die like its mountain goat dinner had died: By an avalanche.

The said photographer saw something most people rarely see in Glacier or the Rocky Mountain West for that matter: A live wolverine.

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Posted by nfpa at 04:15 PM