From the Sunday, December 23, 2007 online edition of the Missoulian . . .
A Canadian scientist has concluded coal mine development north of Glacier National Park would spell migratory trouble for the big mammals that seasonally move through the region.
Researcher John Weaver presented his findings at a meeting last week in Kalispell.
"What really has become clear is the need to protect the Flathead for large and mid-sized carnivores," responded Rich Moy. "Many of these species need secure habitat areas for survival and conductivity zones for moving from place to place across the border."
Moy is chief of the state's Water Management Bureau and chairs the Flathead Basin Commission, a multi-agency group convened 25 years ago by the state to monitor and protect the Flathead's water quality.
Since its inception, the group has been concerned about possible upstream energy development and has opposed Canadian proposals to extract coal and coalbed methane from southeastern British Columbia.
On Thursday, they heard from Weaver, a scientist for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, and Moy called the presentation "very important and compelling."
Weaver, considered an internationally renowned wildlife biologist, has for years been studying the Canadian Flathead, just north of Glacier Park. The river drainage spills south across the border, forming the park's western boundary before flowing into Flathead Lake.
Read the entire article . . .
From the Thursday, December 20, 2007 online edition of the Hungry Horse News . . .
Limit subdivision scope and size. Preserve open space. Control commercial development on both land and water.
Those are just a few of the facets of the North Fork Neighborhood Plan -- a revised draft that's slated to go before the Flathead County Planning Board next month.
The plan has been in the works for about three years, though in recent months has gone through at least one draft. But the document also does a big dance around whether or not to pave the North Fork Road. It calls for dust abatement, but doesn't say one way or the other whether the road should be paved.
That was intentional, county planner Andrew Hagemeier said.
Residents decided the North Fork paving issue "should be addressed outside the scope of this plan," he noted.
Whether to pave or not pave the dirty, rutted, dusty road has been a divisive issue for decades for North Forkers. The road aside, the plan touches on several key aspects of the North Fork community, but primarily acts as a watchdog for a way life.
Read the entire article . . .
An Associated Press article carried in the Wednesday, December 19, 2007 online edition of the Flathead Beacon . . .
The Canadian government has formally announced plans to study a proposed coal mine just north of Glacier National Park, mining that has raised concern in Montana about transboundary environmental harm.
A notice the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency published last week says Fisheries and Oceans Canada must ensure that a comprehensive study of the Lodgepole Coal Mine, proposed for southeastern British Columbia, takes place. Canada's Cline Mining Corp. wants to develop an open-pit mine requiring roads, rock dumps, a coal washing plant, a power-line corridor, a mine camp and fuel storage.
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and others have expressed concern the mine would pollute water in the Flathead River system, which spans the British Columbia-Montana border. The Flathead's North Fork forms the western boundary of Glacier Park, and Flathead water flows into Montana's sprawling Flathead Lake. Critics of the mine say it threatens wildlife habitat, as well.
The mining proposal was before British Columbia regulators and will remain in their hands while also being examined at the federal level. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., announced in April that Canada's ambassador to the United States, Michael Wilson, confirmed the Cline project would be reviewed federally. The Bush administration challenged the coal project last winter.
Read the entire article . . .
From the Tuesday, December 18, 2007 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
The Canadian federal government has announced that it will review a coal mine proposed in British Columbia’s Flathead drainage, but it’s a review that falls short of what Montana officials wanted.
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency published a “notice of commencement” for a review of the Lodgepole Coal Mine on Dec. 13 in the country’s equivalent of the U.S. Federal Register.
Up until now, the Cline Mining Corp. project has been a British Columbia provincial matter that has caused deep concerns in Montana.
According to the notice, the mountaintop removal mine would have production capacity of more than 5,400 tons per day, with access roads, waste rock dumps, a coal washing plant, a dry tailings storage area, a load-out facility, a power-line corridor, a mine camp and a fuel storage area. Much of that would straddle headwater streams that flow south into Montana’s North Fork Flathead River, with the water eventually reaching Flathead Lake.
Over the past year, Montana’s congressional delegation and Gov. Brian Schweitzer have requested the most rigorous type of federal review available under Canadian law.
They specifically sought a review under a specific section of law that applies to projects that “may cause significant adverse environmental effects occurring outside Canada” by an independent panel of scientists that would preferably include U.S. scientists familiar with the Flathead Basin.
Instead, the recent announcement calls for a lesser review to be carried out by an agency called Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Read the entire article . . .
An important press release from the North Fork Land Use Advisory Committee . . .
After three years of work, the North Fork Land Use Advisory Committee (NFLUAC) recently completed the revised draft of the 1987 North Fork Neighborhood Plan. Under Montana state mandate, Flathead County adopted their new growth policy in March, 2007. The growth policy requires all existing neighborhood plans in Flathead County zoning districts to be reviewed for compliance with the newly adopted county growth policy. Although not a regulatory document, one of the important aspects of a neighborhood plan is that it establishes goals and policies that guide zoning regulations in a given zoning district.
The NFLUAC received assistance from the Flathead County Planning & Zoning Office in revising the neighborhood plan, and they conducted two public workshops at the North Fork community center, Sondreson Hall. In addition, the NFLUAC conducted public meetings which resulted in further landowner input for the revision. The final neighborhood plan draft was submitted to the County Planning & Zoning Office in November 2007. It should be posted on the county’s website as of December 3, and may be accessed at www.co.flathead.mt.us/fcpz/ (click on Draft Documents).
Prior to a public hearing before the Flathead County Planning Board, the Planning and Zoning Office will begin a 30-day public comment period beginning on December 6, 2007 and ending January 3, 2008. Any letters received will become part of the staff report of the Planning and Zoning Office which will be presented to the Planning Board. Letters received after the January 3 deadline, and up until the day of the Planning Board public hearing, will still be presented to the Planning Board, but will not be part of the staff report. Written comments regarding the revised draft Neighborhood Plan are encouraged by all landowners, as well as attendance at the Planning Board public hearing, if possible. Send all comments to Flathead County Planning and Zoning, 1035 First Avenue West, Kalispell, MT 59901, Attn. Andrew Hagemeier, or email him at ahagemeier@co.flathead.mt.us. Also note, if a landowner does not have access to the internet for a copy of the neighborhood plan draft, Mr. Hagemeier will send out a printed copy upon written request.
If the Planning Board recommends approval of the plan, it will be forwarded to the county commissioners. There will be no public comment accepted after the date of the planning board meeting or at the commissioners meeting. If approved by the commissioners, the final draft will be made available for a public protest period for 30 days following their decision.
Although the Planning Board public hearing date has not yet been scheduled, you can keep advised of the approval process for the neighborhood plan draft, as well as obtain updated information on the date, time and location of the Planning Board public hearing and the Commissioners' meeting, by checking the North Fork Landowners’ Association website: www.nflandowners.com. There will also be a link to the final draft plan on the NFLA website. You may also contact Andrew Hagemeier direct at 406-751-8210 to inquire about the date of the Planning Board hearing.
Jon Cole, Chairman NFLUAC