All posts by nfpa

Montana cuts bobcat quotas

Bobcat numbers have dropped, so Montana FWP has reduced the hunting quotas . . .

Montana wildlife officials have reduced quotas for bobcat hunting and trapping across a broad swath of central and northern Montana.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks commissioners on Thursday approved a proposal to lower the quota in three regions of the state by a combined 190 animals.

The move came after agency officials said they’d seen a drop in bobcat numbers in those areas. The decline is considered a cyclical population shift, but wildlife officials have said they don’t want to exacerbate the drop through hunting and trapping.

Read more . . .

Future of Inside North Fork Road up for public review

Glacier Park has put the problem of the Inside North Fork Road up for public comment. It’s pretty evident that the park would rather not spend the money necessary to fully repair the damaged sections. So, if you want the road to remain open, take advantage of the public comment period (July 1 – August 3) to explain why . . .

The fate of Glacier National Park’s least-known road is up for public review this summer.

The Inside North Fork Road parallels the better-known North Fork Road between Apgar and the Canadian border on the park’s west side. But it’s suffered from regular washouts, forest-fire burnovers and low priority for years. Since 2006, annual flooding has damaged several portions, especially near Anaconda Creek, Logging Creek and Quartz Creek.

A 2014 engineering study estimated repairs for those three areas at between $682,000 and $735,000. The repairs would place better drainage culverts and bridges, and reduce sedimentation into area creeks.

Read more . . .

Also see:

Management of the Inside North Fork Road project page

Scoping document and public comment link

Trapping restrictions imposed near Glacier & Yellowstone to aid lynx

Trapping regulations have been tightened up around Glacier and Yellowstone national parks to avoid accidental lynx capture . . .

Montana wildlife officials have tightened trapping regulations outside Yellowstone and Glacier national parks to reduce the chances that threatened Canada lynx accidentally will be caught.

The changes include restrictions on the types of traps, snares and bait that can be used in special protection zones outside the parks

State wildlife commissioners approved the changes on a 3-1 vote Thursday. Commissioner Gary Wolfe of Missoula cast the dissenting vote, Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Ron Aasheim said.

Read more . . .

Grizzly and cubs relocated to North Fork

More wayward bears got dropped off in the North Fork. In this instance, near Frozen Lake . . .

A grizzly bear and her two cubs are being relocated after killing about 10 sheep near Lake Frances.

The Great Falls Tribune reports the bears will be moved Friday to a site in the North Fork of the Flathead River.

Grizzly bear management biologist, Mike Madel, says the bear family had been spotted near the east shore of Lake Frances, where they killed about 10 sheep.

Read more . . .

Trout Unlimited concerned about logging in the Canadian Flathead

Trout Unlimited, among other conservation organizations, is keeping a wary eye on logging operations in the Canadian Flathead . . .

Members of Flathead Valley Trout Unlimited are worried about potential timber harvest in the headwaters of the Canadian Flathead.

Two companies, Jemi Fibre and Canfor, hold privately owned forestland or lease government “crown” land within the watershed. Jemi recently purchased 130,000 acres in the Flathead and Kootenai watersheds. Canfor holds the area’s provincial crown timberland under a license “tenure” agreement.

Jemi’s holdings include approximately 10,000 acres of Sportsmans Ridge, encompassing Foisey and McLatchie creeks, both major tributaries of the North Fork Flathead headwaters. According to U.S. Geological Survey fisheries biologists, 30-40 percent of all bull trout spawning occurs just downstream of these tributaries. The Canadian Flathead becomes the North Fork of the Flathead in the U.S. and is the western boundary of Glacier National Park. For decades, the U.S. and Canada sparred over coal and gold mines in the Canadian Flathead. After decades of negotiation, the province and the U.S. agreed not to mine the drainage.

Now the dispute is turning toward logging…

Read more . . .

Blackfeet Tribe breaks off talks over drilling in Badger-Two Medicine

The Blackfeet continue to fight attempts to drill in the Badger-Two Medicine region . . .

An American Indian tribe in Montana has taken the rare step of breaking off formal talks with the U.S. government and a Louisiana company that has been seeking for decades to drill for natural gas on land considered sacred by the Blackfeet people.

Blackfeet tribal leaders said that after three rounds of negotiations, they remain steadfast in their opposition to drilling in the Badger-Two Medicine area outside Glacier National Park and see no benefit to further discussions.

“We are not going to speak to anything other than no development,” said Blackfeet Tribal Historic Preservation Officer John Murray.

Read more . . .

Crews hold line on Glacier Rim fire, increase containment

Fire crews appear to have a good handle on the Glacier Rim fire. Containment reached 70% yesterday and the recent rain helped a bit. Fire extent stayed at 100 acres. Here is the most recent report from the InciWeb site . . .

Yesterday, July 6, Fire crews maintained fire lines around the slop-over from July 4th. Firefighters are falling hazardous snags to remove fuel near the fire line. All three helicopters provided water and visual support for the fire. An additional water tender was ordered and assisted in cooling the south flank of the fire to enable crews to begin mop up process. The Flathead County structure protection team continued to contact residents and assess structures Spoon and Bailey Lake residential area.

Northern side of the Glacier Rim fire from helicopter
Northern side of the Glacier Rim fire from helicopter

Current Situation:

Rd 316, Canyon Creek Road, has been closed at the junction with the North Fork Road #486 and at the junction at Trumbull Creek Road #9848 to public access.

The fire received a small amount of rain overnight and more is expected through the morning. Crews laid hose around the fire and will be cooling down the perimeter and hot spots with support from the water tenders. Hazard snag removal will continue along the south flank of the fire. Firefighters continue to reinforce and hold already established containment lines around the perimeter of the fire.

FOR YOUR AND THE FIREFIGHTERS’ SAFETY, DO NOT STOP IF YOU ARE TRAVELING IN THE FIRE AREA. Vehicles driving on the North Fork Road are asked to not stop in the fire area. River floaters on the river are asked to not stop in the fire area

Glacier Rim fire at 100 acres, 70 percent contained

Although mostly contained, the Glacier Rim fire continues to smolder in downed timber from the 2003 Robert Fire . . .

Stoked by high winds the night of July 4, the Glacier Rim Fire slopped over containment lines on its south and southwest flank, growing another 15 acres.

The fire is now at 100 acres. Cooler temperatures July 5 helped firefighters get a line around the slop area and the fire is now listed at 70 percent contained.

Forest Service Road No. 316 — the Canyon Creek Road, is closed to vehicles as firefighters are using it to reach the south end of the fire.

Read more . . .

More reading:

Idaho fire destroys homes while containment grows at Glacier Rim (Missoulian)

InciWeb page for Glacier Rim fire (USFS)

Last call for Inter Local meeting questions and comments

This is the last call for people to submit questions and concerns in advance of the summer Inter Local Agreement meeting on July 15 at 1:00 pm. Please have them to Bill Walker by the end of Wednesday, July 8 (contact information below). You can always bring things up with the various government agencies during the meeting, but you’ll often get a better or more complete answer if you give them a chance to think about things ahead of time.

For those of you not familiar with the purpose of Inter Local meetings, the meetings were established quite a few years ago in support of the North Fork Inter Local Agreement, which provides for face-to-face contact with representatives of agencies whose policies and actions affect the North Fork Flathead region. Inter Local Agreement meetings are held in the winter (in town) and summer (at Sondreson Hall). Governmental agencies participating at meetings include Flathead County (including the roads people), the Flathead National Forest, Glacier National Park, Montana DNRC, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Montana Department of State Lands, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the border patrol. The local organizations are the North Fork Compact, North Fork Preservation Association, North Fork Land Owners Association, North Fork Road Coalition for Health and Safety and the North Fork Trails Association. This summer, the meeting is sponsored by the North Fork Trails Association.

This is always a very interesting meeting, with reports from a range of government agencies and local organizations and often some quite vigorous discussion.

The day actually starts at 9:30 am with the Annual Firewise meeting, followed by a potluck lunch at noon with the North Fork Trails Association providing the burgers and brats. The Inter Local meeting begins at 1:00 pm.

Bill Walker’s contact information if you wish to submit comments or questions in advance:

11233 North Fork Road
Polebridge, MT 59928-9611
+1 (406) 407-2764
wkwalker@nvdi.com

High winds cause 25-acre spot fire near Glacier Rim blaze

Well, rats. High winds triggered a hefty spot fire along the southern/southwest boundary of the Glacier Rim Fire . . .

Firefighters are trying to contain a 25-acre spot fire that was caused by high winds near the Glacier Rim Fire up the North Fork. According to the U.S. Forest Service, additional resources have been ordered to help contain the slop-over near the containment lines in the south and southwest corners.

Firefighters continue to reinforce and hold already established containment lines around the perimeter of the original fire, which has burned 85 acres and is 70 percent contained. The human-caused fire, situated north of Columbia Falls off the North Fork Road, started June 27. An investigation into the cause of the incident is underway.

Canyon Creek Road has been closed to public access at the junction with the North Fork Road #486 and at the junction at Trumbull Creek Road #9848.

Read more . . .