All posts by nfpa

Landowners invited to attend forest stewardship program

News, ,

Here’s a useful announcement from today’s Daily Inter Lake . . .

Forest Stewardship workshops for landowners and forest managers are scheduled this summer in Kalispell, Yellow Bay on Flathead Lake, and Condon.

The three-day workshops are offered through the Montana State University Extension Forestry Program, which has assisted more than 3,100 participants in developing plans to care for their forests, according to Cindy Bertek, forest stewardship coordinator in Missoula.

Workshops will be held in Kalispell on July 21, 22 and 29; Yellow Bay on Aug. 18, 19 and 26 and Condon on Sept. 15, 16 and 23.

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Lawmakers try to lift wolf protection despite settlement deal

Commentary, News, , ,

From an AP article posted in yesterday’s Daily Inter Lake . . .

Lawmakers in the West said Friday they will keep pushing to lift federal protections for gray wolves despite a proposed settlement between environmental groups and the Obama administration.

The settlement would end a decade of lawsuits over the animals. But it faces significant legal hurdles that leave uncertain whether court approval will come before lawmakers act.

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Western Montana snowpack runoff expected to be strong in May and June

Flood Information, News,

Looks like mud season is well under way, but flooding will likely hold off until May . . .

Western Montana snowpacks should hang onto their meltwater through most of April, but May and June could see some impressive runoff.

“We haven’t seen this kind of snow since ’97 in some of those drainages,” National Weather Service hydrologist Ray Nickless said during a conference call Thursday.

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Larry Wilson: North Valley Rescue folks true heroes

Commentary,

On the occasion of its fourth annual awards banquet, Larry Wilson has nice things to say about the North Valley Rescue Association. You’ll probably recognize a few names . . .

Last Saturday evening North Valley Rescue Association held its fourth annual awards banquet. Main awards are to recognize at least one member for the their service to the organization and at least one local citizen or business for their support over a period of years.

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Crews begin plowing Glacier Park roads; snow depths above average

News, , ,

The Missoulian yesterday evening posted a pretty thorough write-up on this year’s snow removal efforts in Glacier National Park, including this interesting tidbit: “Basin totals for the entire North Fork of the Flathead River are an astounding 197 percent of average snow water equivalent” . . .

In this corner of Montana, nothing heralds the approach of springtime quite like the mechanical whirring of a fleet of snowplows hewing out a path on Glacier National Park’s famed Going-to-the-Sun Road.

On April 1, plow crews will begin the annual work of forging through a wall of white on the 50-mile-long engineering marvel, a job that will require several months of steady churning before visitors can make the tortuous journey – and perhaps longer, given this winter’s cumbrous snowpack.

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Judge Molloy hears various sides on wolf settlement, hunts

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

Today’s Missoulian made a valiant effort to summarize yesterday’s hearing before Judge Molloy regarding the recently proposed deal to return wolf management to the states of Montana and Idaho, as well as other related matters. It’s a bit of a mess. Settle down with your favorite beverage before diving into this one . . .

Wolves faced two kinds of hunts during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy on Thursday.

A proposed settlement between wolf advocates and the federal government could open up public wolf hunting in Montana and Idaho, if Molloy supports it.

But he’s also considering an older case that considers how federal and state authorities could kill wolves while they’re still protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Complicating matters, the settlement has fractured both sides of the wolf delisting case, resulting in a courtroom Thursday with almost two dozen lawyers representing different factions.

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Bears on the move in Glacier National Park

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

It’s that time again. The bears are starting to get up and moving. The folks in Glacier National Park are seeing fresh tracks . . .

Recent observations of bear tracks in the snow indicate bears are emerging from hibernation and venturing out looking for food in and around Glacier National Park. Park Superintendent Chas Cartwright remarked, “Bear tracks in the snow are a good reminder that Glacier National Park is bear country and park visitors need to be alert for bear activity and to be familiar with and comply with safety regulations.”

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Wolf deal faces first test in federal court

Environmental Issues, News, ,

The recently announced deal to return wolf management to the states of Montana and Idaho faced its first court test today . . .

A proposal to settle years of litigation and allow public hunting of wolves in parts of the Northern Rockies faces its first legal test on Thursday, as it goes before a federal judge who has twice rebuffed attempts to lift protections for the predators.

The hearing before U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula follows a settlement agreement last week between the Obama administration and 10 conservation groups.

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