All posts by nfpa

Family recounts struggle to establish Scapegoat Wilderness

Environmental Issues, News, ,

This is the second of the Missoulian’s two-part series on the establishment of the Scapegoat Wilderness . . .

A quote on the wall of the Montanan Steakhouse may be familiar to literature fans: John Steinbeck expressing his affinity for Montana during his travels with a French poodle named Charley. “I’m in love with Montana,” Steinbeck quipped in “Travels with Charley: In Search of America.” “For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love. And it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.”

The quote is a fitting one for a Lincoln restaurant owned by Barbara Solvie, who as Barbara Garland founded the Garlands Town and County store in the 1950s with her husband, Cecil.

Continue reading . . .

(Additional reading: The first part of this series.)

Scapegoat, first citizen-designated wilderness, created 40 years ago

Environmental Issues, History, ,

The Missoulian starts an excellent two-part series on the Scapegoat Wilderness today . . .

While camped above Ringeye Falls in the 1950s, Cecil Garland pulled an elk reed bugle from his duffel bag and released a call into the crisp September air.

Within minutes, the calls rang back – big bulls hidden deep in the Lincoln backcountry. Sleep wouldn’t come easy for Garland that night, his heart pounding and his senses alive.

“All through the frosty fall air the calls echoed back and forth and I knew I’d found wilderness,” Garland testified before the U.S. Senate on Sept. 23, 1968. “But all was not at peace in my heart; for I knew that someday, for some unknown reason, man would try to destroy this country as man had altered and destroyed before.”

Continue reading . . .

(See also this related article: Support waning for future Montana wilderness designations.)

Wildfires in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area ease off

Fire Information and Status, News, ,

Wildfire activity in northwest Montana has eased up over the past couple of days . . .

While activity on several fires in and around the Bob Marshall Wilderness has slowed over the last couple of days, one fire has showed signs of life.

After being detected Tuesday, the Bar Creek Fire grew to 70 acres and as of Thursday afternoon it was estimated at about 255 acres. The fire is burning in the southern part of the wilderness about 35 miles southeast of Condon.The fire is now being managed as part of the Elbow Pass Fire Complex, which involved three fires merging on the eastern part of the wilderness earlier this week.

Continue reading . . .

Several conservation and sportsmen groups want to ban wolverine trapping

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Short version: A number of organizations groups want to end wolverine trapping in Montana. Montana FWP thinks they are overreacting to a minimal trapping quota. Here’s the lead-in . . .

Eight conservation and sportsmen groups are petitioning Montana to ban the trapping of wolverines, citing a government finding that climate change may threaten the survival of the fierce, bear-like creatures.

Montana wildlife regulators on Thursday unanimously approved the upcoming trapping season anyway, saying the climate change models span decades and the trapping quota of five wolverines for the 2012 season is not likely to hurt the overall population.

Continue reading . . .

Fires in the Bob Marshall get bigger; fire danger now high in Flathead Forest

Fire Information and Status, News, , , , ,

The U.S. Forest Service is starting to get busy. They’ve now got a 3,000 acre blaze in the Bob, after a couple of fires merged, as well as several smaller actions elsewhere. According to the following article from the Daily Inter Lake, they did manage to suppress a small wildfire in the North Fork’s Coal Creek drainage yesterday. . .

A fire that rapidly expanded in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex has merged with another fire to the east to cover a total of 3,000 acres by Monday afternoon.

The Rapid Creek Fire first was sized up at less than acre at midday Sunday, but by the afternoon it had grown to 500 acres and by Monday morning it was estimated at 1,000 acres.

The fire is located on the east side of the wilderness about 27 miles west of Augusta. The fire has been churning through heavy, beetle-killed timber across the Flathead Forest’s boundary with the Lewis and Clark National Forest, where It burned into the 700-acre Elbow Pass Fire by Monday afternoon.

Continue reading . . .

Wildfire season arrives on the North Fork

Fire Information and Status, News, , ,

Well, the U.S. Forest Service had an incident team set up on Moran Meadow today, a short distance south of Polebridge. Reportedly, they were working with helicopter support (a shiny red one) to knock down a spot fire in the Coal Creek area. They appeared to be doing water drops.

So, it looks like its time to remind our loyal readership that this site has a Wildfire Information page, with links to a number of useful resources.

Also, the Daily Inter Lake, as in the past, is shaping up as the newspaper of record for wildfire news this year. You can read today’s report online, which centers on the situation in the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

Kyle Johnson wins stewardship award for work in Glacier Park

News, ,

Kyle Johnson gets some serious recognition for his backcountry work . . .

Kyle Johnson’s office is strewn with boots and other hiking gear, along with maps and books related to his real work area — Glacier National Park’s backcountry.

Among his more than 30 years of working in the park in a variety of roles, Johnson has for more than a decade been involved in wilderness management.

That work was recognized this month by the National Park Service with the director’s Wes Henry National Excellence in Wilderness Stewardship Individual Award for 2011.

Continue reading . . .

Bear specialist Tim Manley receives conservation award

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

Tim Manley received some well-deserved recognition recently . . .

State grizzly bear management specialist Tim Manley has been selected as the first recipient of the Bud Moore Conservation Award.

Co-sponsored by Northwest Connections, the Swan Ecosystem Center and the Vital Ground Foundation, the award recognizes individuals who have gone out of their way to work with rural residents in the conservation of natural resources.

In presenting the award, Vital Grounds executive director Gary Wolfe said Manley was selected for his leadership, holistic thinking, wildlife conservation vision and spirit of cooperation — all traits embodied by the late Bud Moore, an iconic forester and outdoorsman.

Continue reading . . .