All posts by nfpa

Montana Public Radio interviews Secretary Jewell

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

Montana Public Radio interviewed Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell during her tour of this corner of Montana (text and audio) . . .

Senators Jon Tester and John Walsh recently hosted Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell on a tour of Montana, stopping at Glacier Park to talk about protection of the trans-boundary North Fork Flathead River.

Jewell said grassroots efforts hold a lot of sway with policy makers as chances for them to hear people’s voices on issues they find important.

She said securing protection of the North Fork of the Flathead is a great example of people from all over the spectrum coming together for a common goal.

Read more . . .

Group of lawmakers wants wolf protections preserved

Commentary, News, ,

More blow-back from that rejected federal wolf study . . .

Federal lawmakers pressed Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Wednesday to drop the administration’s plan to end federal protections for gray wolves across most of the Lower 48 states.

Seventy-four House members signed onto a Wednesday letter to Jewell that cited a peer-review panel’s recent conclusion the government relied on unsettled science to make its case that the wolves have sufficiently recovered.

Gray wolves were added to the endangered-species list in 1975 after being widely exterminated in the last century. Protections already have been lifted for rebounding populations of the predators in the northern Rockies and Great Lakes regions.

Read more . . .

Tester says North Fork Watershed Protection Act being held up in Senate

Environmental Issues, News,

It seems three U.S. Senators are trying to use the North Fork Watershed Protection Act as a bargaining chip .  . .

Sen. Jon Tester claimed last week that the North Fork Watershed Protection Act was being held up by three Republican senators — Tom Cruz, of Texas, Tom Coburn, of Oklahoma, and Pat Toomey, of Pennsylvania.

The Act, which would ban all future oil, mineral and gas leases on federal lands in the North Fork and Middle Fork of the Flathead River, sailed through the Republican-controlled House last month on a voice vote. Republican Rep. Steve Daines sponsored the bill.

Tester claimed the three Senate Republicans holding up the bill want other federal lands opened for exploration if lands here are withdrawn. Tester noted that the Senate has different rules than the House, and it’s much easier for a few Senators to hold up legislation.

Read more . . .

Annual Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex public meeting March 29

News

The Annual Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex public meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 29, focusing on the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Here’s the official press release . . .

Focusing on the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act

The public is invited to the annual Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex (BMWC) Public Meeting on Saturday, March 29, 2014 starting at 10 AM at the Choteau Library in Choteau, Montana.

“This is a great annual opportunity to meet with the National Forest Wilderness Managers and Montana Fish and Wildlife staff”, says Deb Mucklow, Spotted Bear District Ranger. “This year the managers and public participants will be focusing on the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act. All of the participants will be asked to share their connection to the wilderness as we have this celebration. In addition, updates will be provided on specific activities and projects, and ongoing monitoring across the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. The monitoring and actions are a piece of the Limits of Acceptable change for the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex (BMWC).”

The BMWC plan was developed by interested individuals, partners and agency representatives. The Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex is comprised of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Great Bear Wilderness, and Scapegoat Wilderness and jointly they are an area of more than 1.5 million acres. This is the third largest wilderness complex in the lower 48 states. The complex is managed by four national forests (Flathead, Lolo, Helena, and Lewis & Clark) and five ranger districts (Spotted Bear, Hungry Horse, Seeley Lake, Lincoln, and Rocky Mountain).

Recently the Forest managers and Fish and Wildlife staff prepared the annual BMWC newsletter which is available on the Flathead National Forest Web page under Special Places
(http://www.fs.usda.gov/attmain/flathead/specialplaces). This newsletter gives background and highlights of information that will be shared at the public meeting.

For additional information, please contact the Spotted Bear Ranger District at (406) 387-3800.

Effects of climate change on Crown of the Continent uncertain

Environmental Issues, News,

A recent meeting of land managers along the Crown of the Continent discussed the uncertainties of dealing with the effects of climate change . . .

Glacier National Park’s superintendent once lost a glacier at another park he supervised, and he advises fellow land managers to get used to the feeling.

“You’d better develop your zest for ambiguity,” Jeff Mow told the 2014 Crown Managers Partnership Forum on Tuesday. “The problem with taking risks in the public sector is people just don’t know where they’re going.”

Read more . . .

Flathead Valley fire lookouts

Fire Information and Status, Photos & Images, Travel Articles,

The Flathead Beacon posted an interesting article on fire lookouts . . .

Hiking to the remote mountaintops of the Flathead Valley can be a humbling admonisher of nature’s forces, but some of Montana’s peaks and ridges also bristle with a reminder of mankind’s attempt to subdue that vigor.

Like cabins in the sky, fire lookouts — a term used to describe both a person and a place — rose to prominence a century ago, when wildfire detection became a priority following the massive fires of 1910, and the U.S. Forest Service launched its fire lookout program in earnest.

In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed more than 5,000 towers across the country, often in remote and inaccessible locations, and today, although modern technology and airplane surveillance play larger roles in spotting flames, the lookout program remains intact.

Read more . . .

Wolf season ends with 230 wolves taken

Environmental Issues, News,

The harvest was 230 wolves for this year’s wolf hunt, only five more than last year when the rules were more restrictive . . .

Hunters and trappers in Montana killed 230 wolves during the recently concluded wolf season.

That’s only five more wolves than the prior year’s wolf harvest despite the lifting of quotas on the animals across most of the state and a higher bag limit for individual hunters.

Hunters took 144 wolves during a season that started in September and ended Saturday. Trappers took 86 wolves.

Read more . . .

Congress working on new way to find major wildfires

Fire Information and Status, News,

A bipartisan effort is shaping up to devise a better funding formula for handling big wildfires . . .

A bipartisan effort is underway in Congress to change the way the country pays to battle its most catastrophic wildfires.

Lawmakers from Oregon and Idaho met with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Monday to discuss the budget reform.

President Barack Obama’s proposed budget would prevent the diversion of money intended for forest thinning and other wildfire prevention efforts.

Read more . . .

Interior Secretary discusses North Fork legislation at local meeting

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, along with Senators Jon Tester and John Walsh, were in town Saturday at the Hungry Horse Ranger Station to talk about the North Fork Watershed Protection Act and allied subjects.

(That doggone Frank Vitale sure gets around.  Watch the associated video. You’ll see Frank, as well as some other familiar faces.) . . .

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell made a trip to Hungry Horse Saturday with Senators Jon Tester and John Walsh to discuss recent North Fork legislation.

Secretary Jewell greeted those in attendance at the Hungry Horse Ranger station, and then talked about the recent North Fork Legislation.

The North Fork Watershed Protection Act would protect over 430,000 acres of land along the north and middle forks of the Flathead River from energy development.

Secretary Jewell stressed the importance of protecting Montana’s natural resources, and also spoke about the economic benefits of outdoor recreation.

Read more . . .

Further reading: The Flathead Beacon has a more detailed write-up.

Ethyl the grizzly taking the tour

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Researchers are having a good time tracking the extensive wanderings of Ethyl, a 20-year-old female grizzly . . .

The 20-year-old female grizzly Ethyl has become a seeker, a wanderer.

The Montana bear hasn’t been acting her age, and fortunately researchers – with a tracking collar – have been able to document her impressive journey from her home state to North Idaho. They lost track of her exact location in late December, but starting next month they expect to pick up her signal again.

They’re anxious to know where she ended up for hibernation, and where she’ll venture next.

Read more . . .