Posted early this morning to the Missoulian’s website . . .
A measure that would ban federal-land mining along Glacier National Park’s western edge has passed a major Senate hurdle, and has been expanded to provide water-quality protections for nearby communities…
…the bill banning future federal mine leases has been expanded from its original to include the watershed upstream of Whitefish Lake, the nearby Haskill Basin drainage, and the wild and scenic Middle Fork Flathead corridor.
From the Associated Press . . .
Montana’s U.S. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester announced today that their federal legislation to protect the Upper Flathead Valley has cleared a major hurdle.
From today’s Flathead Beacon, here’s the Associated Press’ take on the restoration of wolves to Endangered Species Act protection . . .
Wildlife advocates say a ruling to restore Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves throughout the Northern Rocky Mountains buys time to create a better plan than the one the judge rejected, one that ensures their numbers don’t dwindle again.
At last Tuesday’s meeting, the Flathead County Board of Adjustment approved a conditional use permit for Northern Lights Saloon and Cafe to operate as a tavern in Polebridge. This is a major step in getting them back to full operation under their new management.
The Daily Inter Lake has more information in their write-up on the meeting. The part discussing the saloon is about half-way down.
Posted this evening to the Missoulian website . . .
Wolves are back on the endangered species list, after U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruled Thursday that populations in Montana and Idaho cannot be considered separately from Wyoming’s wolves.
In a 50-page decision, Molloy said “the rule delisting the gray wolf (in Montana and Idaho) must be set aside because, though it may be a pragmatic solution to a difficult biological issue, it is not a legal one.”
Since the fire situation in Canada often affects the North Fork, the “Wildfire Information” page has been updated to add a collection of links to Canadian wildfire maps and information. They include national coverage, as well as links specific to British Columbia and Alberta.
Starting yesterday, several folks in the North Fork reported smelling smoke. That smoke may be coming from Canada. NOAA’s early morning “Hazard Mapping System Fire and Smoke Product” map (see below) showed an extensive smoke plume drifting to the south and east from a large wildfire complex in southern British Columbia. At latest report, BC has some 318 wildfires, the bulk of them in the southern half of the province.
For more information on wildfires in Canada, keep an eye on the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System page.