All posts by nfpa

Opportunities available for wilderness work in the Bob

News, ,

Our friends at the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation are expanding their volunteer opportunities . . .

This summer, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation has expanded its annual offering to 40 “Volunteer Vacation” projects.

The foundation will kick off its season June 7 with a National Trails Day celebration at Stanton Lake.

Volunteer projects of varying difficulty are available through mid-September. Trip offerings include weekend to week-long backcountry trips throughout the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.

Read more . . .

See also http://www.bmwf.org/volunteer

It must be spring: several bears relocated

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

Another sure sign of spring in this corner of Montana: Wildlife personnel are busy relocating nuisance bears . . .

As bear activity picks up, wildlife personnel recently had to relocate a grizzly bear from south of Eureka into Glacier National Park.

According to Erik Wenum, a bear and lion specialist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, a 6-year-old 340-pound male grizzly bear was captured on April 6 south of Eureka after killing a calf earlier in the week. USDA Wildlife Services personnel assisted in capturing the grizzly…

Wenum says four black bears were captured in the last week in the Columbia Falls and Whitefish areas. This level of activity indicates that while many bears may still be denned or close to their dens some have dropped to lower elevations in search of foods, according to FWP.

Read more . . .

Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission endorses Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act

Environmental Issues, News,

The Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act continues to gain state-level endorsements . . .

Montana fish and wildlife commissioners are endorsing federal legislation to expand protections along the Rocky Mountain Front.

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission passed a resolution Thursday supporting the Rocky Mountain Heritage Act.

The bill would add more than 67,000 acres of new wilderness to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and grants less-restrictive protections to another 208,000 acres. It also calls for a plan to eradicate noxious weeds in the area.

Read more . . .

Letter favoring North Fork protection

Commentary

The Flathead Beacon posted a nice reader letter in favor of the North Fork Watershed Protection Act . . .

There’s something liberating about slipping a raft into a river in Western Montana. We are fortunate to have so many clean, free-flowing rivers nearby to enjoy with friends and family. And in my mind, few rivers can match the North Fork Flathead River. Other rivers may have more thrilling whitewater or more fish per river mile, but few match the North Fork for clean, beautiful water and stunning, wild scenery.

Montana’s congressional delegation happens to agree with me on this point. Sens. John Walsh, Jon Tester and Rep. Steve Daines are all supporters of the North Fork Watershed Protection Act. For this reason, it is especially maddening to read news that the bill is being blocked in the Senate by three senators who – in the memorable words of Tester – “can’t even find the Flathead River on a map.”

Read more . . .

Bears are starting to get up and moving

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

It’s spring in Montana and the bears are beginning to stir . . .

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks biologists are reminding folks that bears are awake and people should secure attractants like dog food, bird food, chickens feed and garbage.

FWP bear and lion specialist Erik Wenum caught a 6-year-old, 340-pound male grizzly bear April 6 south of Eureka.

The next day the bear was examined and radio-collared. The grizzly was then released on April 8 in Glacier National Park, assisted by Park personnel in an area seasonally closed due to snow and road conditions. There are no known previous management situations involving this bear.

Read more . . .

North Fork timber sale on state land goes to bid

News,

The timber sale in the Coal Creek State Forest has started the bid process . . .

A proposed state timber sale in the North Fork near Winona Ridge will go out for bid this spring, according to Stillwater State Forest unit manager Brian Manning.

The Moran Cyclone Timber Sale calls for harvesting up to 6 million board feet of timber from 2,901 acres on the Coal Creek State Forest.

The sale would make about $1.3 million for the School of Mines, State Normal School, public buildings and Montana State University trusts.

The area is a mix of western larch, Douglas fir, lodgepole pine and subalpine fir that was logged in the 1930s, early 1980s and early 1990s. About one-third of the project area burned in the 2001 Moose Fire.

Read more . . .

Missoulian editorial: Daines, Walsh should team up to pass North Fork bill

Commentary, Environmental Issues, ,

The Missoulian is not pleased with the political posturing holding up the North Fork Watershed Protection Act . . .

U.S. Rep. Steve Daines might want to have a little chat with some his Republican counterparts in the Senate.

Three of them in particular: Ted Cruz of Texas, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.

These three U.S. Senators blocked passage of the no-nonsense, common-sense North Fork Watershed Protection Act through the Senate. A similar measure has already been passed by the House – thanks to Daines’ sponsorship.

Read more . . .

Glacier Park’s first research scientist passes away

News, ,

Cliff Martinka, Glacier Park’s first full-time research scientist passed away March 18 . . .

In August 1967, two weeks after starting his job as Glacier National Park’s first research scientist, Cliff Martinka received an unlikely assignment – kill the bears.

Two young women, at campsites miles apart from one another, situated on opposite sides of 9,000-foot Heavens Peak, had been mauled and killed by grizzly bears. They were the first bear-related fatalities since the park’s inception in 1910, and the tragedy was indelibly etched into history as the “Night of the Grizzlies.”

Scant research had occurred at that point, and rangers could provide little information or insight into what had prompted the bears’ aggressive behavior.

Read more . . .

Gov. Bullock lists 5.1 million acres of forest lands for restoration

News,

Part of the Flathead National Forest is on the list . . .

Gov. Steve Bullock has identified more than 5.1 million acres of national forest land in Montana as top priorities for restoration.

The Democrat said Monday the forest areas he picked are declining in health, have a risk of increased tree deaths or pose a risk to public infrastructure or safety.

The farm bill passed by Congress this year allows governors to nominate forest restoration priorities. Bullock says his aim in nominating 8,000 square miles from northwestern to south-central Montana is to increase the pace and scale of restoration and strengthen the role of citizen collaborative groups.

Read more . . .

Surgical conference looks at bear maulings

News,

Here’s something you won’t encounter in most parts of the country . . .

It was against a macabre backdrop that Saturday’s bear-mauling conference took place at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

In front of more than 100 medical professionals, students and forest workers, several bear-mauling experts showed photos of massive wounds that people suffered from tangling with the kings of the forest.

The theme of the Association of Surgical Technologists conference was “Bear Maulings: Before and After.”

Read more . . .