All posts by nfpa

Forum on Wild & Scenic Rivers to be held this summer in the North Fork – July 17

News,

NFNews announced an upcoming public meeting on Wild and Scenic Rivers and related issues . . .

Montanans for Healthy Rivers will be hosting a public forum in the North Fork of the Flathead this summer and would like you to attend to provide your input on present and future river conservation efforts in the North Fork.

Montanans for Healthy Rivers is a coalition of conservation organizations, watershed groups, recreation groups, business owners and landowners from across Montana who know that clean water and free-flowing rivers are important to our economy and our way of life…

Continue reading at NFNews . . .

MT House passes invasive species bills

Environmental Issues, News

Despite a few distracting shenanigans, Montana’s House and Senate sessions are getting some real work done . . .

Two bills aimed at protecting Montana from aquatic invasive species were passed in the House by unanimous 100-0 votes on Feb. 26 and passed on to the Senate Natural Resources Committee on March 6.

Sponsored by Rep. Mark Nolan, R-Bigfork, and supported by many of the Flathead’s legislators, the two House bills would support the state’s aquatic invasive species program through a trust fund while strengthening the program’s network of check stations that inspect boats, trailers and watercraft. Neither bill requires a fiscal note at this time.

Read more . . .

Flathead Forest Plan proposal: First ‘open house’ meeting scheduled for March 17

Environmental Issues, News,

The Flathead National Forest has a series of public ‘open house’ meetings scheduled to provide information about the proposed Forest Plan revision. The first is on March 17, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the Flathead NF Supervisors Office, 650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell MT 59901.

These “community meetings are planned to provide additional information and address questions related to the Flathead NF plan revision and the amendment proposed action. The open houses will provide an opportunity for you to meet with subject matter specialists (wildlife biologist, forester, recreation specialist, fish biologist) and ask questions about the proposed management direction. There will not be any formal presentations at the open houses so stopping by at any time between 5:30 and 7:30 is fine.”

Here’s the full list of meetings:

Date/ Time Community Location

March 17, 5:30-7:30pm

Kalispell

Flathead NF Supervisors Office, 650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell MT 59901

March 19, 5:30-7:30pm

Eureka

Riverstone Family Lodge, 6370 US Hwy 93N, Eureka, MT 59917

April 7, 5:30-7:30pm

Seeley Lake

Seeley Lake Community Center, Seeley Lake, MT 59868

April 8, 5:30-7:30pm

Missoula*

Fort Missoula Pavilion, Missoula, MT 59804

April 9, 5:30-7:30pm

Superior*

Superior Ranger Station Conference Room, Superior, MT 59872

April 14, 5:30-7:30pm

Lincoln*

Lincoln Community Hall, 404 Main St., Lincoln, MT 59639

April 15, 5:30-7:30pm

Choteau*

Stage Stop Inn, 1005 Main Ave. North, Choteau, MT 59422

*Primary focus is NCDE Grizzly Bear Amendment

Flathead Forest Plan proposal: Where to get it

Documents, Environmental Issues,

As befits a document that will have quite an impact on this little corner of Montana, the proposed Flathead National Forest Plan revision is big — some 499 pages of text and figures. The grizzly bear amendment, describing how the forest will coordinate grizzly bear management with other agencies and jurisdictions across the entire Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE), adds another 64 pages to the pile.

If you’re the sort of person who likes to go straight to the source documents, here’s how to get them:

Flathead Forest Plan proposal: What to read first

Environmental Issues, News,

If you wish to read the entire Flathead National Forest Plan proposal, including the grizzly bear amendment, you’ll have to wade through better than 550 pages of text and figures. If you’d prefer to start with something easier to digest, the recent press coverage offers a pretty good overview of the main points . . .

Flathead National Forest draft management plan ready for public review

Environmental Issues, News,

Here’s a good summary of the just-released draft of the new Flathead National Forest management plan . . .

The revised guidebook for managing the Flathead National Forest is ready for public review.

Several years of workshops, surveys, debates and deliberations came to a head late last week when forest officials published the draft version in the Federal Register.

Now, anyone interested in the Flathead’s snowmobiling, wilderness, downhill skiing, river floating, timber cutting, trail hiking, wildlife research and huckleberry picking has 60 days to add their opinions.

Read more . . .

‘The Rachel Carson of the Rockies’

Commentary, Environmental Issues,

Arlene Montgomery of Friends of the Wild Swan gets a very nice write-up in CounterPunch this week. Her accomplishments are quite impressive . . .

If you wanted to locate the frontlines for the battle to protect the future of wild nature in the lower-48 states, you could do worse than tuning your Google map to the Swan Range in northwestern Montana. This rugged and remote swath of the Northern Rockies rambles from the border of Glacier National Park southward for nearly 100 miles. Bounded on the west by the Mission Mountains and Flathead Lake and the vast Bob Marshall Wilderness to the west, the valleys, alpine slopes and forests of the Swan Range retain much of the natural character of the Rockies at the time when Lewis and Clark first encountered the Salish people in 1805.

The landscape looks roughly—very roughly, from some vantages—the same. And most of the wildlife the Corps of Discovery saw, described and often shot as they crossed the Continental Divide, is still present, though in greatly reduced numbers. The Swans still harbor populations of wolves, lynx, mountain goats, wolverines, bobcats, moose, elk and grizzlies. In short, the Swan Range is one of the last redoubts of wild America, one of those rare places that still has most, if not all, of its key ecological parts, from the top of the food chain on down to newts and salamanders, forest lichens and glacial wildflowers.

But it is also hotly contested terrain…

 

Read more . . .

Logging in Canadian Flathead draws concern

Environmental Issues, News, ,

The Hungry Horse News has an interesting article on logging activity north of the border in the headwaters of the North Fork . . .

A large timber harvest in the headwaters of the North Fork of the Flathead River has raised concerns with biologists in Montana.

University of Montana researcher Ric Hauer said thousands of acres of forest land have been logged by Tembec in McEvoy Creek in the Canadian Flathead. The area was previously unroaded, and McEvoy Creek is the “premier spawning stream in the entire Flathead,” he said.

Tembec gave him a tour of their operation as they logged and followed best management practices, he said, but he openly questioned whether that would sufficiently protect the area, based on the size and scale of the logging. He said the logging started in 2010 and is now completed.

Read more . . .

Wolves making comeback in Eastern Washington

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Gray wolves seem to be making a steady recovery in Eastern Washington . . .

The state says Washington’s wolf population grew by more than 30 percent last year and formed four new packs.

The annual survey by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife found at least 68 gray wolves in the state through Dec. 31, 2014. That was up from at least 52 wolves counted in 2013.

The state also found there are now 16 wolf packs and at least five successful breeding pairs.

Read more . . .

Frank Vitale: Keep federal lands in public hands

Commentary,

Long-time NFPA member Frank Vitale wrote a pointed op-ed addressing the idea of transferring federal lands to state ownership and control. It appeared today on the Flathead Beacon’s website . . .

On Feb. 16 my wife and I attended the Public Lands Rally in Helena in the state capitol rotunda. The rally began at high noon, but people started filtering through the doors well before that. Many sported posters and banners in support of keeping our federal lands in public hands. As the rally began people continued filing into the room standing shoulder to shoulder. All the hallways, balconies and staircase were packed full.

A few people who supported transferring our federal lands to state ownership infiltrated our rally, but they were drowned out. Folks from all around the state made the trip to Helena and stood in solidarity against the lunatic idea of land transfer. Gov. Steve Bullock along with several guest speakers including Mary Sexton, former head of State Lands and Teton County commissioner, and David Allen, president of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, gave fiery speeches against transfer of federal lands to the state. The crowds responded with thundering applause and cheers. Hopefully the state legislators took heed as the State Capitol rocked and rolled.

The land transfer concept is not new. It goes as far back as territorial days and the copper kings. In more recent history, I remember the days of James Watt and the Sagebrush Rebellion of the 1970s and early ’80s. Today it resurfaces with the Koch brothers, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and Americans for Prosperity to name a few. They work their dark money in local elections across the country. Their call for local control rings hollow because their agenda is exploitation of the resources on our public lands.

Our public lands belong to all Americans. They’re not for sale to the very wealthy to make huge profits and lock us out. My suggestion to those who support land transfer: pack your bags and move to a place where there are no public lands and access is limited to only those who can afford pay.

Our public lands are a national treasure, a gift to all of us, and the envy of the world.

Frank Vitale
Columbia Falls