All posts by nfpa

Next Flathead Forest Friday meeting focuses on partnerships

News,

The local Forest Service office is still doing their Flathead Forest Friday meetings every couple of months. With the big push for the development of a new forest plan, the focus of the upcoming meeting is on partnerships. Here’s the press release . . .

It has been a year since we started our casual breakfast chats known as Flathead Forest Fridays. We’ve talked with people about our recreation program, avalanche center, work on our four ranger districts, plan revision and whatever else was on our guest’s minds. We believe these chats are a great way to have an open dialog and stay connected to the forest users, protectors, and champions. Thank you for the support.

This month we want to talk about partnerships. Everyone is invited to join us for the July Flathead Forest Friday breakfast with Flathead National Forest Staff Officer Gary Danczyk and others at the Perkins Restaurant (1390 U.S. 2, Evergreen, Montana) starting at 7:00 a.m. on Friday, July 19, 2013.

This is an opportunity to discuss how partnerships allow us to do work we could not otherwise accomplish; give us an opportunity to be a good neighbor and part of the community; and create opportunities to improve programs where we may have the knowledge and desire but not the resources. We also want to hear your ideas about possible opportunities to create new partnerships.

Every other month, the Forest Service will coordinate these no-host breakfast meetings at a local restaurant with the goal of sharing good food, great company, and a little information about what’s happening on our National Forest. We hope the event will be a great way to discuss public land management opportunities and challenges that are important to us all.

If you plan to attend or have any questions, please notify Public Affairs Officer Wade Muehlhof at ewmuehlhof@fs.fed.us or (406) 758-5252. Your response allows us to plan accordingly with the restaurant.

Wildfire fighting costs up; fire prevention funds down

News,

Thew New York Times has a lengthy article on the Forest Service’s increasingly tight budget for fire mitigation work . . .

…As another destructive wildfire season chars the West, the federal government is sharply reducing financing for programs aimed at preventing catastrophic fires. Federal money to thin out trees and clear away millions of acres of deadfall and brittle brush has dropped by more than 25 percent in the budgets for the past two years, a casualty of spending cuts and the rising cost of battling active wildfires.

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Trout Unlimited comes out in favor of North Fork protection

Commentary, Environmental Issues, , , ,

In an op-ed in the Ravalli Republic, The Flathead Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited came out in favor of the North Fork Watershed Protection Act . . .

The Flathead Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited has long been committed to protecting the Flathead River system, one of the last best strongholds for native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout. While the North Fork of the Flathead River corridor is protected by the Wild and Scenic River designation, the eastern tributaries and uplands are secured in Glacier National Park, and the Canadian headwaters are protected by a provincial ban on mining and drilling, the nearly 400,000 acres of the North Fork watershed within the Flathead National Forest remain open to mineral and energy development.

The recent introduction of legislation by Rep. Steve Daines, R-Mont., to protect the North Fork of the Flathead from mineral entry and leasing is welcome news. Mirroring legislation in the Senate that was introduced earlier this year by Democratic Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester, the North Fork Watershed Protection Act (HR 2259) would ensure the protection of the 400,000 acres of national forest land in the North Fork watershed by withdrawing federal lands from mining and mineral leasing. While existing leases would not be affected, already more than 200,000 acres of oil and gas leases have been voluntarily relinquished by several lease holders. Not only is this legislation widely supported in Montana, it also honors British Columbia’s commitment to do the same on their side of the border.

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Judge blocks three more timber projects over lynx rules

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

More lynx-related lawsuits on the docket . . .

A federal judge this week blocked three Montana logging projects in two national forests, saying the U.S. government did not properly examine the effects the projects might have on lynx and the threatened animal’s habitat.

That makes four timber projects since May in which U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen found fault with the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services’ conclusion that cutting and burning in those areas would not significantly harm the big cats’ territory.

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Montana wolf season comment period extended due to website outage

Environmental Issues, News, ,

If you haven’t commented on the proposed regulations for the 2013-2014 wolf hunt, you’ve got a short extension . . .

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has extended the comment period for the proposed 2013-14 gray wolf season until Wednesday at 5 p.m.

According to Ken McDonald, FWP Wildlife Division administrator, the department’s public website has been down due to technical difficulties since midday Saturday, and the comment period had been scheduled to close Monday.

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North Fork Watershed Protection Act reports out of committee with full bipartisan support

Environmental Issues, News, ,

It appears U.S. Sen. Max Baucus’ North Fork Watershed Protection Act came out of committee last Tuesday with a fair bit of bipartisan momentum this year. The next step is consideration by the full Senate . . .

A measure to protect the North Fork of the Flathead River from energy development won rare bipartisan committee support Tuesday and now heads for the full Senate.

“In this particular Congress, it’s always a big deal when a bill gets reported out unanimously,” National Parks Conservation Association legislative analyst Elise Ligouri said Wednesday. “We think it should be considered for a floor vote in the very near future.”

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted on Sen. Max Baucus’ North Fork Watershed Protection Act along with 11 other bills during its Tuesday markup session.

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Last summer’s Flathead BioBlitz reveals “Scientifically Significant” findings

Environmental Issues, News,

Last summer, a group of scientists conducted a “bioblitz” of the Canadian Flathead, examining the area’s invertebrate species. This summer, and even larger group will document bird and fish species. Of course, their findings have implications on both sides of the border . . .

The discovery of a brand new spider species, the first Canadian record of a rare spider, and the first B.C. sighting in 100 years of a Herrington’s Fingernail Clam are some of the significant science findings from the first Flathead BioBlitz, according to data released today.

The August 2012 BioBlitz was conducted by 10 scientists, including six from the Royal B.C. Museum, and focused on documenting a stunning variety of rare, at-risk and extensive invertebrates from clams to butterflies to spiders. The second Flathead River Valley BioBlitz kicks off today with a team of 20 biologists who will spend a week traipsing through the spectacular river, valley and surrounding Rocky Mountains to document bird and fish species.

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Glacier Park funding study on interactions between mountain goats and humans

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Some areas of Glacier Park are getting awfully crowded in the summer and park personnel are trying to figure out what to do about it. One part of this process is a study of the mountain goats in the Logan Pass area . . .

Glacier National Park hopes to radio-collar about 20 mountain goats at Logan Pass this year as part of a research project designed to study the iconic animal’s interaction with people…

The Logan Pass goat study is part of a broader look at the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor and how best to manage it. Beginning this month, the Park will begin an intensive round of public meetings across Northwest Montana to gauge public opinion on how best to manage the alpine highway and the crowds of visitors it draws…

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Beacon posts articles marking 40th anniversary of Endangered Species Act

Environmental Issues, History,

The Flathead Beacon recently published a well-written pair of articles marking the 40th anniversary of the introduction of the Endangered Species Act. Both are worth a read . . .

The Road to Recovery – By the spring of 1973, the American conservation movement had reached a boiling point. The early warnings from visionaries like Theodore Roosevelt, who promoted stewardship of the country’s natural wonders and resources or risk losing a sacred heritage, had presaged the concerned state of the wild interior. Continue reading . . .

How the Endangered Species Act Changed Everything – In the four decades since Congress passed the Endangered Species Act, widely regarded as the crown jewel of the nation’s environmental laws, the watershed legislation has led to the recovery of a suite of species that once hung on the brink of extinction. Continue reading . . .

Larry Wilson: North Fork wilderness debated

Commentary, Environmental Issues, News, ,

Larry Wilson talks about the issue of wilderness designation on the North Fork and forest management in general . . .

Last fall, I wrote about the formation of a group which named itself the Whitefish Range Partnership. Their goal was, and is, to write a draft Forest Plan for the Whitefish Range to present to the Flathead National Forest as they begin the process of writing a new plan for the entire Flathead National Forest.

The group has met twice monthly since last fall, with many committee meetings in between. Also meeting with the group have been Glacier View and Flathead Forest officials who acted as resource support. There have also been presentations by other resource folks with special expertise, like wildlife experts Tim Their, Jim Williams and John Weaver.

With a lot of give and take, the group has completed and agreed on most issues, including timber, fire, river corridor and wildlife until only one issue remains — wilderness…

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