Monthly Archives: March 2009

Glacier Park’s uncertain future

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

This week’s Hungry Horse News has a pretty good overview of the threats faced by Glacier National Park over the next few decades . . .

In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson signed the “Organic Act” which created the National Park Service. In that bill, it said the Service has a purpose “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

In Glacier National Park, that mantra is becoming harder and harder to accomplish, admits Jack Potter, as the Park is besieged by both internal and external threats, most of which are not of its own making.

Read the entire article . . .

Wolf delisting back on track

Environmental Issues, News,

The Saturday, March 7, 2009 issue of the Daily Inter Lake has a pretty good overview of the current plan to remove gray wolves from the list of threatened and endangered species . . .

There had been uncertainty about how the Obama administration would proceed, but Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Friday the decision to remove gray wolves from the list of threatened and endangered species.

The delisting proposed by Salazar mirrors a move by the Bush administration in January that was suspended in order for the new administration to review. It will apply to wolves in the western Great Lakes region and in Montana and Idaho, but not in Wyoming.

Read the entire article . . .

Avalanche danger hits ‘high’ level

News

From the Saturday, March 7, 2009 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .

The Glacier Country Avalanche Center has issued a “high” avalanche advisory for the Glacier National Park and Flathead and Kootenai national forest areas.

“We’re currently rating the avalanche danger as high on those steep, open slopes that have received significant amounts of either precipitated or wind-deposited snow over the last three days,” said Stan Bones, an avalanche specialist with the Flathead Forest.

Read the entire article . . .

Group wants wilderness bill for Montana

Environmental Issues, News

From the Friday, March 6, 2009 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .

Retired Forest Service brass and other prominent Montana citizens called on Montana’s congressional delegation Thursday to press for the establishment of additional wilderness areas in the state.

The group said it believes that 26 years is too long since any land in the state has been permanently protected as wilderness. During that same period, more than 439 wilderness areas have been designated in other states.

“We believe that what Montana’s wildlands need now, more than ever, is leadership in Washington from Montana’s delegation,” the group said in a letter to Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester and Rep. Denny Rehberg.

Read the entire article . . .

Salazar OKs Wolf Removal From Endangered List

Environmental Issues, News,

From the Friday, March 6, 2009 online edition of the Flathead Beacon . . .

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Friday he was upholding a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove gray wolves in the Northern Rockies and the western Great Lakes from the federal endangered list.

Salazar said wolves would remain a protected species in Wyoming because its law and management plans were not strong enough. But management of the predator will be turned over to state agencies in Montana and Idaho and parts of Washington, Oregon and Utah, in addition to the Great Lakes states of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Read the entire article . . .

County needs dust program partners

Environmental Issues, News, , , , , , , ,

As promised, Flathead County has set some money aside for a sort-of dust abatement co-pay plan. Trouble is, there aren’t many takers so far. The deadline is March 27th.

From the March 4, 2009 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .

Residents who want to tap into Flathead County’s cost-sharing dust abatement program this summer may want to heed an age-old adage: Speak now or forever hold your peace.

The deadline to sign up for the first-time program is March 27, and to date the county has had little response from rural residents, Public Works Director Dave Prunty said Monday.

Read the entire article . . .