All posts by nfpa

Raffle of some of Montana’s best photography to benefit Headwaters Montana March 11th

News, , ,

A group of Montana photographers is getting together to benefit Headwaters Montana, a non-profit organization working to protect the Flathead and Elk Valley watersheds, the Glacier and Waterton Parks and the Crown of the Continent ecosystem.

This fund raiser, titled “Wild Places — A Celebration of Montana’s Wilderness Heritage,” features the work of some 13 photographers by my count and has an interesting hook: Each photogrpher has donated a piece to be raffled off. There will also be a slide show of their collected works.

The big event is Friday, March 11, at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. Admission is $10. Raffle tickets are $5 for one, $20 for five or $50 for 20. There will also be an artists’ reception, appetizers, adult beverages and the above-mentioned slide show. Call 837-0783 or 862-0438 for more information.

See the article at the National Park Traveler website for some additional information.

GOP federal budget bill proposes lifting wolf protections

Environmental Issues, News,

An AP article posted to today’s Flathead Beacon . . .

A Republican budget bill would strip gray wolves of Endangered Species Act protections across most of the Northern Rockies.

A two-sentence provision tucked into the GOP’s continuing budget resolution directs Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to reissue a 2009 rule that took wolves off the endangered list in Montana, Idaho and parts of Oregon, Washington and Utah.

Continue reading . . .

Baucus and Tester introduce bill for state control of gray wolves

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

According to the Missoulian, Senators Baucus and Tester are taking another run at restoring wolf management to state control in Montana and Idaho. The article also provides a pretty good retrospective of other significant wolf news from the past week . . .

Montana’s Senate delegation has introduced a new attempt to put gray wolves back under state control.

The one-paragraph bill by Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester would short-circuit a court decision by Missoula U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy that has kept wolves under federal Endangered Species Act protection in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Molloy ruled last year that wolves could not be delisted in Montana and Idaho while Wyoming was still under federal management.

Continue reading . . .

Proposed national forests plan changes would expand local discretion over wildlife management

Environmental Issues, News,

This will stir things up. The Washington Post reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing changes that would allow more local discretion over forest management. Reaction from some environmental groups was immediate and less than positive.

For more information, including links to related documentation and details of the public comment process, visit the planning rule website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/planningrule.

Here’s the lead-in from the WP . . .

[A hat-tip to Richard Wackrow for spotting this one.]

The Obama administration unveiled a proposal Thursday to give directors of national forests more discretion over managing endangered wildlife, reversing decades-old rules that left the sensitive decisions to officials in Washington.

U.S. Forest Service officials said the proposed rules also would expand the definition of protected wildlife to plants and better preserve clean water on some of the nation’s most pristine lands.

Continue reading . . .

Feb. 14 county commissioners’ meeting to consider North Fork setbacks

News,

The Flathead County commissioners are scheduled to consider adjustments to language for the North Fork Zoning District concerning setbacks on Feb 14th, 9:30am in their offices at 800 South Main Street, Kalispell. (A previous post discusses this in more detail.)

John Frederick sent out this reminder earlier today . . .

To North Fork Landowners

This is a reminder that the Commissioners’ hearing is on Valentine’s Day, February 14, at 9:30 am in their office. It is in the basement. It would be good if some of you could attend.

All this text amendment does is give a definition of temporary structures and include them in the setback distances from roads, rivers, lakes and streams. This was the intention of North Fork zoning from the beginning and only applies to the North Fork Zoning District.

For those who wish to provide comments to the County Commissioners, they must be received three days before the hearing. Without positive comments the chance of passage is slim. The names and email addresses for the Commissioners are:

Jim Dupont (jdupont@flathead.mt.gov)
Pam Holmquist (pholmquist@flathead.mt.gov)
Dale Lauman (dlauman@flathead.mt.gov)

You should also copy Mary Fisher, office manager of Planning and Zoning, (mfisher@flathead.mt.gov) with each email or letter so there  is a record of each message to the Commissioners. They need not be long.

The snail-mail address for the Commissioners is
800 South Main, Kalispell, MT 59901.

The Flathead County Planning and Zoning Office address is
1035 1st Avenue West, Kalispell, MT 59901.

Baucus & Tester reintroduce the “North Fork Watershed Protection Act”

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester have reintroduced legislation to prevent new oil and gas development and mining in the U.S. North Fork watershed. Here’s the full text of the press release, dated Jan. 31 . . .

BAUCUS, TESTER FIGHT FOR PERMANENT PROTECTION OF THE NORTH FORK AND TOURISM JOBS
Senators Hail Successful Negotiation Efforts to Protect North Fork While Reintroducing Bill

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester reintroduced legislation today to prevent new oil and gas development and mining on the American side of the North Fork watershed (map <http://baucus.senate.gov/01312011_North_Fork_Federal_Lands_Withdrawal_Area_June_9_2010.pdf> ). The North Fork Watershed Protection Act of 2011 does not impede timber production, hunting or fishing and has the support of a broad coalition of Montana businesses, local officials and conservation groups.

“As Montanans, we have a connection to the land that unites us, but also requires us to act as stewards of our outdoor heritage. We’re pushing to build on the success we’ve had getting companies to retire oil and gas development leases in the North Fork at no cost to taxpayers,” said Baucus.  “Places like the North Fork attract tourists, businesses and jobs to our state. This bill sends a signal far and wide that we’re going to fight to protect all the things that make Montana such a great place to live, work and raise a family.”

“There are few places on earth like the North Fork when it comes to hunting, fishing, hiking and camping—but Montanans understand that protecting these areas is about more than just our outdoor heritage,” said Tester, Chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus.  “It’s about setting aside a place where we can pass on our Montana values to our kids and our grandkids.  This legislation is another step toward making sure future generations will be able to continue enjoying all of the outdoor opportunities Montana has to offer.”

“Glacier National Park and the North Fork River Valley play a very important part in our economic vitality.  Flathead Lake also serves as a critical economic engine for the region. The Chamber wishes to ensure that Glacier Park, the North Fork River, and Flathead Lake remain as economically productive as they are today.  We thank Sens. Baucus and Tester for their work to bring forward this important bill,” said Kalispell Chamber of Commerce President Joe Unterreiner.

Whitefish Mayor Mike Jenson hails the Senators’ fight to reintroduce this legislation.”The City of Whitefish greatly appreciates Senator Baucus’ and Senator Tester’s efforts to re-introduce the North Fork Watershed Protection Act.   This protection has been a long time coming and we greatly appreciate our Senators’ efforts and perseverance,” Jenson said. “This bill also provides some very important protections for the City of Whitefish’s watershed and continues our efforts and those of private landowners in our watershed to safeguard this vital resource.”

“I’m impressed with the diligence Senators Tester and Baucus put forth at protecting the North Fork watershed. It’s such a pristine area with so many recreational ties for all of us and deserves our attention and protection for generations to come. The economic impact this has for the tourism industry in Montana is significant; people marvel at what we sometimes take for granted,” said Cris Coughlin of Glacier Guides.

“This is great news for Montana and for one of America’s greatest national parks. Senator Baucus and Senator Tester just about got this critical protection piece to the finish line last year and we hope for quick passage this year,” said Tony Jewett, Vice President for Regional Operations for the National Parks Conservation Association. “We commend them for their persistence, leadership and commitment to protecting this special place. It’s both a part of our cultural heritage and an essential piece of the economic health of Glacier’s gateway communities.”

“This legislations helps balance the protection of the North Fork Flathead River, Glacier Park and Flathead Lake between Canada and Montana.  We commend senators Baucus and Tester for their commitment and diligence,” said Dave Hadden, Director of Headwaters Montana.

For the past 30 years, Baucus has been a steady and strong voice to protect the North Fork of the Flathead River, beginning with his successful 1975 proposal to designate the Flathead as a Wild and Scenic River.  To date, Baucus and Tester have successfully negotiated the return of more than 200,000 acres held by energy companies near Montana’s North Fork of the Flathead River.  The Senators have secured <http://baucus.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=263>  the return of the primary interest in more than 80 percent of the total leased acreage.  Baucus and Tester vowed to continue these efforts in addition to fighting for passage of the North Fork Watershed Protection Act introduced today.

Malloy’s ruling could further restrict wolf hunts

Environmental Issues, News, ,

This one is kind of confusing. Apparently, there’s a possibility of a technical change in the designation of the gray wolf population in the Northern Rockies that would affect the way the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is allowed to manage them . . .

A federal judge is asking if gray wolves should lose their experimental designation across much of the Northern Rockies  — a move that could mean new restrictions on when the animals can be killed.

Continue reading . . .

Five hundred posts!

Site Updates

Well, I’ll be darned. We just put up the 500th post since the NFPA site was switched over to WordPress back in March 2007. That’s not much compared to the big-time weblogs, but it’s a fair bit of chatter for our humble organization.

Not bad, not bad at all…

Rehberg & Tester start push for state wolf management control

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

According to the Missoulian, Montana’s congresscritters are starting this year’s push to get wolf management moved out from under federal control . . .

Gray wolves returned to the crosshairs of Montana’s congressional delegation Wednesday.

Rep. Denny Rehberg announced the introduction of two pieces of legislation that would permanently remove them from the protections of the Endangered Species Act, and Sen. Jon Tester sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar asking him to allow hunting of wolves in Montana to control their population growth.

Continue reading . . .

(Note that there was also a supporting resolution passed in the Montana House.)