All posts by nfpa

Tester’s forest bill added to Senate appropriations measure

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

Sen. Jon Tester’s “Forest Jobs and Recreation Act” has been stubbed onto one of those end-of-year Senate appropriations bills. The biggest change from the original proposal appears to be the longer and more obscure title. It is now the “Forest Jobs and Restoration Pilot Initiative.” Today’s Missoulian has the story . . .

A revised version of Sen. Jon Tester’s Montana logging and wilderness initiative has been included in a last-minute omnibus appropriations bill before the U.S. Senate.

Tester spokesman Aaron Murphy said on Tuesday the renamed “Forest Jobs and Restoration Pilot Initiative” is essentially the original version of a bill Tester submitted last year as the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act.

Read the full article . . .

Planning board supports North Fork setback language adjustment

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This brief mention in today’s Daily Inter Lake belies a lot of work by the North Fork Land Use Advisory Committee . . .

Prohibiting temporary structures from the setback area in the North Fork got a positive recommendation from the Flathead County Planning Board Wednesday night.

The vote was 4-3 in favor of approval.

The North Fork setback text amendments pertained to the 150-foot setback and gave a definition for a temporary structure.

For more background, read the full article . . .

U.S. Forest Service to depend more on private citizens

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U.S. Forest Service Regional Forester Leslie Weldon gave a talk at the University of Montana yesterday. The presentation seemed short on specifics, so it wasn’t entirely clear whether he was advocating good things, bad things or just being diplomatic, but any time the Forest Service adjusts the way they do business, it has a pretty significant impact on the North Fork.

The Missoulian has the story . . .

The future of the U.S. Forest Service will depend more on private citizens even as its responsibilities for land management expand, Regional Forester Leslie Weldon said Thursday.

“We’ve had lots of partnerships where citizens step forward with their resources to get work done,” Weldon told an audience at the University of Montana’s Natural Resources and Environmental Policy Forum. “Getting work done is becoming dependent on the strength of relationships with local communities.”

Read the full article . . .

No asbestos problems at park headquarters

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The Glacier Park Headquarters asbestos kerfuffle is over. Testing turned up no significant issues. However, headquarters personnel will remain scattered around other park facilities until the heating and air conditioning work is complete and to (cough) “provide employees with a construction dust free working environment.” They’ve rejiggered the phones, so you shouldn’t any trouble tracking people down. Read the press release for details.

Glacier National Park headquarters building temporarily closed

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The Glacier National Park headquarters building is closed for a while, with personnel relocated to various other buildings in the area. Seems they’ve been installing a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system and encountered what may be some asbestos. There’s no word on why the heck they were messing with the HVAC system this time of year, but it no doubt made sense at the time.

Anyways, for those of you who might need to do business with park headquarters, here’s the press release . . .

Date: November 22, 2010
Contact: Bill Hayden, 406 888-5804

WEST GLACIER, MONT. – Glacier National Park Officials have temporarily closed the main Park Headquarters Building, due to a possible asbestos issue related to the installation of a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.

At this time, we do not have confirmation that asbestos is present but we are acting on the possibility that some of the building materials may contain asbestos. Testing is underway and the building will remain closed to entry until it is shown that it is safe to return.

Employees are being temporarily relocated to other offices in the Park Headquarters area and critical functions like mail service and phones are working.

Visitors to the park can still obtain information at the Apgar Visitor Center, near the foot of Lake McDonald. Until Park Headquarters reopens, the visitor center will expand its hours from weekends only, to seven day-a-week coverage. Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. The visitor center will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Wolf bills have little chance of passage this year

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

The various House and Senate bills aimed at removing Wolves from the endangered species list in some western states are unlikely to go anywhere this year.

From today’s Flathead Beacon . . .

Lawmakers from the Northern Rockies say pending bills aimed at getting gray wolves off the endangered species list have little chance of passage this year.

A time crunch, coupled with unresolved partisan differences on the issue, means several wolf bills introduced in the lead-up to the election are likely to die without action.

Read the full story . . .

BP retires oil and gas leases in and near the North Fork

Environmental Issues, News, , , , , , ,

BP has climbed on the bandwagon, retiring their local oil and gas leases, including “a 394-acre parcel near the Polebridge entrance to Glacier National Park.”

The Missoulian has the story . . .

The oil company BP voluntarily gave up its rights to explore for energy along the western border of Glacier National Park, U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester announced Friday.

“Permanently protecting the North Fork for our kids and grandkids has been one of my biggest priorities for many years,” Baucus said in a written statement. “Today’s decision by BP is another step toward that goal.”

The deal takes 1,853 acres out of potential exploration. That includes a 394-acre parcel near the Polebridge entrance to Glacier National Park.

Read the full article . . .

U.S. FWS investigating wolf poaching in Flathead Forest; reward offered

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

From today’s Daily Inter Lake . . .

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the recent shooting of two wolves on the Flathead National Forest.

The carcasses were found on the same day, Nov. 6, in different locations on the forest.

One was found along Coal Creek Road in the North Fork Flathead drainage and the other in the Miller Creek area west of Olney.

Read the full article . . .

The Missoulian also posted an article on this incident.

British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell resigns

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British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell announced his resignation today due to widespread dissatisfaction with recent tax policy. Perhaps “dissatisfaction” is too mild a word; his approval rating plummeted to nine percent.

What’s the North Fork connection?  Premier Campbell and Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer signed a Memorandum of Understanding last February banning mining and energy development throughout the trans-boundary Flathead Valley. Campbell’s resignation shouldn’t have any effect on the MOU, but will no doubt be a matter of concern in some quarters anyways.

The Flathead Beacon has a good vest-pocket summary of the situation. If you live on the U.S. side of the border, better read their article first or you’ll likely have no clue what “HST” means.

For greater detail, see the Vancouver Sun’s more extensive coverage.