All posts by nfpa

Feds agree to clear backlog of ESA requests; eco-group agrees to stop suing

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

A good write-up from today’s Missoulian . . .

A proposed settlement could unkink the backlog of 251 plants and animals awaiting attention from the federal Endangered Species Act, including Montana’s arctic grayling and sage grouse.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and WildEarth Guardians announced an agreement on Tuesday where the federal agency commits to clearing its candidate species list within five years, while the environmental group promises to stop suing the government for missing its legal action deadlines.

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Dust control planned on 42 miles of county roads

News,

Here’s another sign of Spring: an article about gravel road dust control. From today’s Daily Inter Lake . . .

The placement of a dust-control product on 42 miles of gravel roads in Flathead County is scheduled to begin around June 1.

County commissioners last week awarded a contract for the work to Montana Dust Control of Whitefish…

The county has budgeted $100,000 for the work; participating property owners along the involved roads share in the cost for another $100,000.

This year, for the first time, more county residents applied for the program than the county had budgeted funds for the work, county Public Works Director Dave Prunty said.

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Spring flooding expected with record snowpack; could see historic flood levels

Flood Information, News, , , , ,

The Flathead Beacon posted a good article today on the flood potential in the Flathead River Basin, including the latest forecast estimates. This one is recommended reading . . .

The National Weather Service reported last week that the snowpack in certain areas of the Flathead River Basin have reached historic levels, likely leading to flood or near-flood levels on the basin’s major rivers in May and June.

Ray Nickless, a hydrologist for NWS, said in a spring flooding report that some rivers, such as the Swan and the North Fork of the Flathead, are forecast to reach flood levels that could place them in the top five highest flood levels on record.

In the past three weeks, the Flathead has seen a significant increase in snowpack levels. The levels were at 141 percent of average on April 15, and recent data shows the Flathead now at 183 percent of average.

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“Flood Information” page updated with North Fork-specific information

Flood Information, News, Site Updates, , ,

We did a little shuck and jive at the National Weather Service site and put together a custom, North Fork-specific page displaying current and forecast river gauge data, as well as weekly forecast flood probabilities for the North Fork of the Flathead River. It is now the first link you encounter on the Flood Information page.

If you want to save a click, here is the direct link: Current and forecast river levels, North Fork Flathead River

“Flood Information” page now available

Flood Information, News, Site Updates, ,

According to our access logs, we are getting (ahem) inundated by searches for flood-related information. We can take a hint. Check out the navigation bar up there at the top of this page. The NFPA web site now has a dedicated Flood Information page containing links to such things as river levels, snowpack data and forecasts.

Truth be told, putting this together was a bit of a nuisance. At least three different federal agencies maintain relevant and sometimes overlapping information. The Flood Information page has a good set of starter links. We’ll add more as we find them.

Current and forecast river levels available online

Flood Information, News,

For those of you who wish to keep an eye on things, the National Weather Service has graphics displaying current and forecast river levels available online.

If necessary, scroll down the page a little ways to see the North Fork data. There are three automated gauges on the North Fork Flathead: at the Canadian border, at Polebridge and at Columbia Falls. With exceptionally bad timing, the gauge at Polebridge is down right now, but presumably will be fixed fairly soon.

Link: WFO Missoula Composite Hydrograph Page

Flooding in Northern Rockies expected to start this week

News, , ,

A warming trend later this week is expected to increase snowpack runoff and likely cause small stream flooding by Friday.

The Daily Inter Lake has the story . . .

The National Weather Service expects mountain snowpack to begin melting at a more rapid rate beginning Wednesday and extending through Friday, according to a weather outlook released Saturday afternoon.

A ridge of high pressure is forecast to bring warmer air to the Northern Rockies, increasing the likelihood that small streams and creeks will spill out of their banks by Friday.

The warmer weather system is expected to come on the heels of persistent rain and snowfall today and Monday at elevations above 6,000 feet, where snow levels are already well above historic averages.

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Montana FWP Commission to consider wolf hunt quotas May 12

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

Among several other items, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission will consider tentative fall wolf hunting season quotas and dates at their meeting this month. The meeting is on May 12 at the FWP Helena office, 1420 East 6th Ave. beginning at 8:30 a.m.

According to the FWP, the “tentative proposals will be similar to those adopted before a federal court halted the state’s 2010 hunting season, with the exception of a statewide quota of 220 up from 186 proposed last year, and the addition of a wolf management unit in the Bitterroot area south of Missoula. Assuming tentative adoption, the public will be asked to comment through June 20. The FWP Commission is expected to take final action at its July 14 meeting.”

Related links . . .

Montana FWP Commission home page

Meeting agenda for May 12 Montana FWP Commission meeting

Agenda cover sheet for wolf hunt discussion

Federal government to continue monitoring gray wolves

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

This article from the Missoulian points out that, even though wolf management has been returned to state level in Montana and Idaho, the federal government will still be shoulder-surfing actions by state management agencies.

Thursday’s announcement that gray wolves are back under state management in Montana and Idaho also included a warning: The federal government is watching.

“We will continue monitoring gray wolves to ensure those populations remain robust,” Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Hayes said during a news conference call. “We will continue to follow the Endangered Species Act in Montana and Idaho.”

That was welcome news to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Agency spokesman Ron Aasheim said the department’s wolf management program was closely linked to support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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