All posts by nfpa

Flathead County gets some takers for their dust program

News, , , , ,

Flathead County got enough takers for their dust abatement program to use up about half the $100,000 budget allocation — none on the North Fork, though.

Today’s Daily Inter Lake has the story . . .

More than 24 miles of Flathead County roads will get dust abatement this summer through a new cost-sharing program.

It’s a pay-to-play endeavor in which the county and rural residents split the cost of applying magnesium chloride to curb a growing road-dust problem.

Magnesium chloride, which costs about $4,000 per mile, will be applied to 15 miles of road, county Public Works Director Dave Prunty told the county commissioners on Tuesday.

About 9.5 miles will get emulsified asphalt (black oil). Oil is twice as expensive as magnesium chloride, but the county’s match for oil will be the same — $2,000 per mile.

Read the entire article . . .

Flathead’s North Fork makes another ‘most endangered’ list

Environmental Issues, News, , , , ,

Following up on our earlier post about about the North Fork Flathead River making the American Rivers organization’s list of “America’s Most Endangered Rivers,” here’s the Missoulian’s write-up, which includes some additional information . . .

The North Fork Flathead River, a wild waterway forming the western edge of Glacier National Park, has recently been listed as one of the most endangered rivers in North America.

Canadian coal mine proposals and plans for coalbed methane and gold exploration all threaten the North Fork’s headwaters, according to both U.S. and Canadian watchdogs.

“Countries may recognize borders, but rivers don’t, and pollution doesn’t stop at the border,” said Will Hammerquist of the National Parks Conservation Association. His group, along with the Flathead Coalition, recently nominated the North Fork for inclusion in “America’s Most Endangered Rivers.”

Read the entire article . . .

North Fork fifth on US endangered rivers list

Environmental Issues, News, , , , ,

Today’s Daily Inter Lake reports that the North Fork Flathead River ranks fifth on American Rivers’  2009 list of endangered rivers due to the threats posed by resource development in the Canadian Flathead.

Here’s the lead . . .

An “indefinite opportunity” for coal mining and other resource development in Canada has put the North Fork Flathead River on a list of the nation’s 10 most endangered rivers.

American Rivers, the country’s leading river conservation organization, ranks the North Fork fifth on its 2009 list.

Read the entire article . . .

Campaign to save the Flathead River Valley launches in B.C.

Environmental Issues, News, , , , , , ,

The Sierra Club BC, Wildsight, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – BC Chapter and Flathead Wild recently launched a drive to save British Columbia’s Flathead River Valley. They hope to get the southern third designated as a national park, effectively filling out Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, and protect the remainder by establishing it as part of a wildlife management area. See the Friends of the Flathead website for more information.

Wolf numbers and sightings up

Environmental Issues, News,

Today’s Missoulian features a pretty good article on the current state of wolf populations throughout Montana and adjoining areas. The “hook” is the increased number of sightings near Missoula, but there is a lot of general information, as well.

Here’s the lead-in . . .

The howl of the wolf soon may be heard in Missoula.

Neighbors at the end of Marshall Canyon found wolf-killed wildlife in the drainage just northeast of the Missoula Valley in mid-March. Hunters last fall reported wolf tracks and scat in the Rattlesnake Wilderness and Gold Creek drainage. Residents in Bonner noticed the bighorn sheep hanging closer to town last winter, and wondered if wolves might be spooking them.

Read the entire article . . .

Spring Visitors

Travel Articles, , ,

The North Fork Hostel and the Polebridge area got a nice write-up in the Helena Independent Record last Thursday . . .

I awoke to a thump-thump-thump sound of fresh spring snow blowing off the trees and landing on the metal roof.

It was morning in North Fork Country.

Situated next to Glacier National Park’s western boundary about 20 miles south of the Canadian border, Polebridge offers visitors a relaxed attitude and sweeping views of the Livingston Range to the east and the Whitefish Range to the west.

Read the entire article . . .

Flathead National Forest project funding meeting April 15th

News,

Some federal economic stimulus money will be allocated to projects in the Flathead National Forest. According to an article in today’s Daily Inter Lake, a “meeting at the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce from 7 to 9 a.m. April 15 will explain the funding as well as the scope and type of projects for which the money is intended.” There will also be “information on the process the Forest Service is using to get potential bidders involved.”

The meeting will be held in the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce’s conference room. Interested attendees should call 758-2800 by April 14th to reserve a seat.

It will be interesting to see what projects the Forest Service is proposing.

County eyes federal funds for road work

News, , ,

From the Monday, March 23, 2009 edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .

Flathead County hopes to get money from the federal Secure Rural Schools Act this summer to make improvements on the North Fork and Star Meadows roads.

The county has asked for $175,000 in federal money to apply crushed rock on the North Fork Road between Camas Road and Polebridge. About $66,000 has been requested to finish chip-sealing 2.7 miles of Star Meadows Road. County equipment and manpower would be used to match the federal money.

Read the entire article . . .

Mud season: bears and snowplows

News, , , , ,

It looks like mud season — er, uh… Spring — is on its way.

According to an article in the Flathead Beacon, “Grizzly and black bears are emerging from their dens in Glacier National Park.” If they are up and foraging for food in the park, we’ll likely be seeing them on the North Fork, too.

Glacier National Park has started its spring plowing activities. The Daily Inter Lake has extensive details on scheduling and restrictions. The Park Service also posted a press release.

Flathead tops list of BC’s most endangered rivers

Environmental Issues, News, , , , , ,

The Outdoor Recreation Council of British Columbia (ORBC) started publishing a list of the most endangered rivers in the province in 2006. This year, the Flathead River is in the #1 spot, as it was in 2007, mostly because of the proposed Cline Coal Mine. An excerpt from today’s press release . . .

The Flathead River, which flows through southeastern BC into Montana, tops British Columbia’s most endangered rivers list for 2009 due to concerns about a controversial proposed open pit coal mine. The Flathead, which was number two on last year’s list, is widely considered one of North America’s wildest and most beautiful waterways. “The Flathead supports important trans-boundary fish populations while also sustaining the highest density of inland grizzly bears anywhere in North America”, said Mark Angelo, Rivers Chair for the Outdoor Recreation Council and an Order of Canada recipient.

Yet, while the US section is protected, the BC stretch faces a number of threats, the most prominent being the proposed Cline open pit coal mine. Given the size and location of the mine in the river’s headwaters, water quality would be impacted and recreational, wildlife and wilderness values would be greatly compromised.

For the full text of the press release and the associated backgrounder document, see the ORBC’s Endangered Rivers page.

UPDATE: Not strictly related to the Canadian Flathead — at least, not yet — but the ORBC is also concerned with the impact of “green” power projects on a number of B.C.’s rivers. The Vancouver Sun has coverage of this issue.