All posts by nfpa

Wilderness Walks Kickoff Party features talks by FWP biologists

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

The Local chapter of the Montana Wilderness Association is launching this year’s “Wilderness Walks” program with a get-together and presentation at the Split Rock Cafe in Kalispell at  5:30 p.m. on May 31 . . .

On Friday, May 31, the Flathead/Kootenai Chapter of the Montana Wilderness Association will present a Wilderness Walks Kickoff Party at the Split Rock Cafe in Kalispell.

The event will start with a social hour at 5:30 p.m., followed by a presentation from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists Tim Thier and Chris Hammond telling stories about native species in the Whitefish Range.

Thier and Hammond will give their presentation at 7 p.m. upstairs from the Split Rock Café in the KM Theater. The presentation will last about one hour.

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“Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent” to be held at Glacier Park Lodge this year

Environmental Issues, News, ,

The NFPA sends representatives to each year’s Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent, which is becoming a significant regional event. Registration is now open for the 2013 meeting on September 11-13 at Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier Park, Montana.

The Roundtable has a broad reach, including people, communities and organizations with a wide range of interests. Here’s what they have to say about themselves:

The Crown of the Continent is a remarkable place. Spanning the 49th parallel and anchored by Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, it has been the home of Native Americans and First Nations for thousands of years. Today, the stunning scenery, vast wilderness areas, iconic wildlife, and diverse recreational opportunities attract visitors from throughout the world. These amenities support a ring [of] communities around the Crown. Working landscapes help knit together the natural and cultural fabric of this region.

The Roundtable is an ongoing forum to bring together people who care about this special place . . .

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Decision on lifting wolf protections in Lower 48 put on hold

Environmental Issues, News,

For mysterious, unspecified reasons, the feds have postponed making a decision on removing wolves from the endangered species list throughout the Continental U.S. . . .

Federal wildlife officials are postponing a much-anticipated decision on whether to lift protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 states.

In a court filing Monday, government attorneys say “a recent unexpected delay” is indefinitely holding up action on the predators. No further explanation was offered.

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Glacier Park hosts community meetings

News,

Glacier Park is hosting their usual early-season informational community meetings this week. The first is this Wednesday, May 22, in Columbia Falls from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Teakettle Community Hall; the second is in East Glacier on Thursday, May 23 from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Glacier Park Lodge. Here’s the official press release . . .

Glacier National Park is hosting two community meetings to share information about park activities and provide an opportunity for personal dialogue between park management and local community members and neighbors. A west-side meeting will take place Wednesday, May 22, 5:30-7 p.m. at the Teakettle Community Hall, 235 Nucleus Avenue, in Columbia Falls and an east-side meeting will be Thursday, May 23, 4-5:30 p.m. at the Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier.

The format of the meeting will include presentations by Acting Glacier National Park Superintendent Kym Hall and other park management team members. Following the presentations, there will be a question and answer period and opportunity for informal conversations.

Hall will share updates regarding 2013 park programs, including Going-to-the-Sun Road Rehabilitation, spring plowing, sequestration impacts, Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor Management Plan, Dark Skies Initiative, and aquatic invasive species management. Community members are encouraged to attend and learn more about what’s happening at the park.

Feds prepare for grizzly bear delisting

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

Grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) could be removed form the threatened species list as early as next year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFS) is developing a “conservation strategy” to deal with this eventuality. On May 2, a draft version of this plan was released for public comment.

There is going to be a lot of public comment, especially since delisting could result in hunting of this iconic animal.

Here are some links to bring you up to speed . . .

The USFS “Grizzly Bear Recovery” page contains information and links to material on grizzly bears in the NCDE, including links to the “Draft NCDE Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy” and appendices.

Some useful articles in the local press:

Montana FWP commission gives tentative approval to expanded wolf hunt

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

The Montana FWP commission floated a proposal last week to expand the wolf hunt . . .

State wildlife commissioners are taking public comment on a proposal to lengthen the hunting season for wolves and increase the bag limit from one to five.

The Fish, Wildlife and Parks commission gave tentative approval to the plan on Thursday, putting it out for public comment before a final decision is made at a later date.

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Kate Kendall, Glacier Park grizzly bear biologist to retire

News, ,

Kate Kendall, Glacier Park grizzly bear biologist, is retiring the end of this month . . .

Kate Kendall laid the groundwork for modern grizzly bear population studies in northwest Montana and, with a career that spanned 35 years, pioneered a brave new path for women in a male-dominated field.

The U.S. Geological Survey scientist at Glacier National Park will retire at the end of May…

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Federal wolverine protection opposed by states

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Montana, Idaho and Wyoming officials don’t think wolverines need federal “threatened species” protection . . .

State officials in the Northern Rockies on Monday lined up against a federal proposal to give new protections to the carnivorous wolverine, as climate change threatens to melt the species’ snowy mountain strongholds.

A pending U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal would declare the rare, elusive animal a threatened species across the Lower 48 states.

That could end trapping for the ferocious member of the weasel family sometimes called the “mountain devil.” And it would pave the way for Colorado to reintroduce wolverines in portions of the southern Rocky Mountains as part of a strategy to bolster their numbers ahead of future declines.

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New species of Indian paintbrush found in Scapegoat Wilderness

Environmental Issues, News,

A couple of guys found a new species of Indian paintbrush a few years ago while hiking in the Scapegoat Wilderness . . .

When Pete Lesica and Dave Hanna get their boots on the ground, they like to keep their eyes there, too.

“I do botany as a hobby and as a living. I’m kind of a nerd and am a little obsessive,” Lesica said with a laugh. “I look at the ground all of the time.”

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Montana FWP wants to extend wolf hunt and kill limit

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Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks is proposing a longer wolf hunt and higher kill limits for next season . . .

Montana wildlife commissioners may extend the hunting season for wolves and the number of predators that can be killed by a hunter or trapper.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks is proposing a rifle season from Sept. 15 to March 31. Last year, the season began Oct. 15 and ended Feb. 15, resulting in 128 wolves killed by rifle and bow hunters. Trappers took an additional 97 wolves, for a total of 225 predators killed. That is the highest number killed in Montana since federal protections for wolves were lifted for Idaho and Montana in 2011.

The agency also is proposing allowing hunters and trappers to take up to five wolves each, the Independent Record reported Wednesday.

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