All posts by nfpa

Regional wolf management specialist has big territory and big job

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

Today’s Daily Internet Lake has an interesting story about Kent Laudon, Northwest Montana’s wolf management specialist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The guy really has his hands full these days . . .

Wanted: Social arbiter and diplomat in one of the most emotionally charged arenas of wildlife management. Must be a detective and data cruncher with an uncanny ability to trap live gray wolves.

That’s pretty much the job description for Kent Laudon, Northwest Montana’s wolf management specialist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Continue reading . . .

Tester to take another swing at passing forest bill

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Here’s the Missoulian’s write-up on Sen. Jon Tester’s plans to take another swing at getting his “Forest Jobs and Recreation Act” passed this year . . .

Sen. Jon Tester plans to reintroduce his Forest Jobs and Recreation Act this year with no changes, but hopes to bring more Montanans to its support.

“The work doesn’t get done on the far left and it doesn’t get done on the far right,” Tester said during a meeting with the Missoulian editorial board on Monday. “It gets done in the middle…

Continue reading . . .

County commissioners to hold hearing on North Fork setbacks

News, ,

The Flathead County commissioners are scheduled to consider adjustments to language for the North Fork Zoning District concerning setbacks. The Daily Inter Lake has a good summary of the issue.  [Note: The meeting date is incorrect; it should be Feb. 14.] . . .

The issue of banning temporary structures in the North Fork Zoning District’s 150-foot setback from public roads and bodies of water is the focus of a Jan. 14 [correction: Feb. 14] public hearing before the Flathead County commissioners.

The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the commission chambers, 800 S. Main St. in Kalispell.

Continue reading . . .

Tester plans to try again on “Forest Jobs and Recreation Act”

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Sen. Jon Tester plans to take another swing at his “Forest Jobs and Recreation Act” starting early this year.

The Missoulian has the story . . .

Supporters of Sen. Jon Tester’s logging/wilderness bill hope an earlier start this year will break a quarter-century stall in Montana lands policy.

“I think at the end of this Congress, we all realized that even for a bill that’s broadly supported in the state, how hard it is to get a bill through the congressional calendar,” said Tom France of the National Wildlife Federation, which supported Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act. “There’s a sense of disappointment that we ran out of time.”

Continue reading . . .

North Fork gravel pit limits rejected again

News, , ,

This is actually a pretty good article from today’s Daily Inter Lake . . .

A zoning proposal to limit the size of extractive industries on private land in the North Fork has failed for a second time to win approval from the Flathead County commissioners.

A motion made on Wednesday by Commissioner Joe Brenneman to approve a zoning text amendment to limit sand and gravel operations and other extractive industries to five acres and 20,000 tons annually failed for lack of a second.

Brenneman made the same motion in October, but that also died for lack of a second.

Continue reading . . .

Larry Wilson on Christmas parties past and present

Commentary, History, , ,

Larry Wilson’s column this week reminds everyone of the upcoming North Fork community Christmas party at Sondreson Hall and provides a nice retrospective on past events. It’s recommended reading, as usual.

(And, no, I have no idea why Larry’s column is online sometimes and sometimes not. The Hungry Horse News follows its own, incrutable logic in such matters.)

Public lands bill stripped of major Montana provisions

Environmental Issues, News

It’s not looking good for the North Flathead Protection Act or any other Montana-related public lands legislation. The Missoulian has the story . . .

Only the most uncontroversial and cost-free ideas appear to have a chance of passage during the final days of congressional land policy legislation, and that doesn’t include most Montana measures.

An omnibus public lands bill with 110 combined projects died on the vine Monday evening in the U.S. Senate, but was expected to be replaced by a considerably smaller bill late Tuesday. Conservation policy watchers in Washington, D.C., were doubtful measures like the North Flathead Protection Act and the Land and Water Conservation Fund would be among them.

Continue reading . . .

Former officials call for Waterton-Glacier Park protection

Environmental Issues, News,

From today’s Metro, Calgary edition (see previous post for full text of letter mentioned here) . . .

Eight former park superintendents are pressing the U.S. and Canadian governments to pass protection for areas adjacent to Glacier National Park in Montana and Waterton Lakes National Park just across the border.

Read the full article . . .